By Sylvia Foley, AJN senior editor
It’s no surprise that the recent economic recession caused many older nurses to return to the workforce or to delay retirement and work longer hours, thus easing the projected nursing shortage—at least for the time being. But nurse researcher Carol S. Brewer and colleagues wanted to understand how the recession affected new nurses’ work attitudes and behaviors, in particular those related to turnover. What they found has many implications, both now—although the recession is reportedly over, we’re still in an economic slump—and as the economy recovers.
To learn more, Brewer and colleagues compared data for two cohorts of newly licensed RNs. The first cohort consisted of 983 new nurses licensed between August 2004 and July 2005 who were surveyed before the economic downturn; the second cohort consisted of 1,765 new nurses licensed between August 2007 and July 2008. The survey tool included questions on attitudinal variables in four areas: personal characteristics, work attributes, work attitudes, and job opportunities. The researchers report the results in this month’s CE–Original Research feature, “New Nurses: Has the Recession Increased Their Commitment to Their Jobs?”
Among the key findings:
- Commitment to the profession was high in both cohorts. Most (82%) of the RNs in each cohort strongly agreed with the statement that within one year they planned “to have a job that requires an RN license.”
- Income and job satisfaction levels were about the same in both cohorts.
- Nurses in the 2007–2008 cohort were significantly more likely to be searching for a new job, although they also reported a significantly greater intent to stay with their current employers than the 2004–2005 cohort did.
- The 2007–2008 cohort perceived significantly fewer job opportunities, both locally and nonlocally, than did the 2004–2005 cohort.
The researchers concluded that
despite some improvements in working conditions, newly licensed RNs may just be waiting for the recession to end before changing jobs. Health care organizations’ efforts to improve RNs’ working conditions and wages, and to implement or support existing programs aimed at increasing retention, should be continued.
For more study results and an intriguing discussion about what it all means, read the article (for easier reading, open the PDF). And if you’re a newly licensed RN (or if you’re not, but this topic resonates for you), please weigh in here—how has the continuing economic slump affected your job satisfaction and intent to stay?
Good article, and an interesting study. I would encourage everyone to take a look at it.
The study brings a number of factors to the forefront of the conversation about the nursing workplace. The study cites that 36% of nurses had planned to stay in their first job less than three years when they took it. When you look at the expense of filling a nursing position (1.3 times the salary according to this study, and more according to others), the cost of this preordained attitude of more than a third of nurses is staggering.
This makes me wonder about their motivations – are they seeking better opportunities or a more dynamic environment? Is it a simple case of the wrong person for the job, or are other factors such as a desire to avoid “unit politics” at the core?
For a hospital to function effectively it needs a number of different types of nurses: those who enjoy change, those who work best in a fast-paced environment, those who like routine, etc.
Among nurses who had already left their first job, the study states that 32% said their employer could not have done anything to prevent them from leaving. This is disturbing news, but news I don’t particularly buy. Very few people would leave a job that gave them a sense of fulfillment. Especially in healthcare, I truly believe people want to feel fulfilled from their work. We are in healthcare to help people. We can do a lot to foster environments that bring the best out of people – that empower them, and give them a sense of fulfillment. For some ideas to this point look here: http://bit.ly/wKkBpt