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FNHP Says One in Five Nurses May Leave Profession

Wed, 05/23/2001 - 12:00am — Karen Stevenson
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The Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (FNHP) commissioned Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc., to conduct a study among current direct care nurses and former direct care nurses to examine their perspectives on the nursing profession. Seven in ten current nurses say that their facility has a major or moderate problem retaining and recruiting qualified nurses, with more than two in five saying that each is a major problem. 50% of current nurses say that they have considered leaving the patient care field for reasons other than retirement in the last two years. They report that the health care profession faces a serious risk of losing one in five current nurses (21%) from the direct patient care setting for reasons other than retirement.

The top reason why nurses have considered leaving the patient care field for non-retirement reasons is to have a job that is less stressful and less physically demanding. 81% say that morale is fair or poor and only 18% say it is excellent or good. Most nurses say that, if they were younger and just starting out, they would pursue a different career rather than become a registered nurse.

When current nurses are asked to rate the seriousness of selected problems that they face on the job, issues relating to staffing levels continually top the chart. They cite inadequate staffing levels to handle the number of patients during a shift, inadequate staffing levels to handle the level of acute care required by most patients, and not having enough time to spend with patients as the three biggest problems in nursing.

The two most-often cited improvements that nurses would like to see are increased staffing levels and higher salaries. Three in four potential leavers say that they would consider continuing in patient care for longer if conditions at their job improved.

The Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (FNHP) commissioned Peter D. Hart Research Associates, Inc., to conduct a study among current direct care nurses and former direct care nurses to examine their perspectives on the nursing profession. Seven in ten current nurses say that their facility has a major or moderate problem retaining and recruiting qualified nurses, with more than two in five saying that each is a major problem. 50% of current nurses say that they have considered leaving the patient care field for reasons other than retirement in the last two years. They report that the health care profession faces a serious risk of losing one in five current nurses (21%) from the direct patient care setting for reasons other than retirement.

The top reason why nurses have considered leaving the patient care field for non-retirement reasons is to have a job that is less stressful and less physically demanding. 81% say that morale is fair or poor and only 18% say it is excellent or good. Most nurses say that, if they were younger and just starting out, they would pursue a different career rather than become a registered nurse.

When current nurses are asked to rate the seriousness of selected problems that they face on the job, issues relating to staffing levels continually top the chart. They cite inadequate staffing levels to handle the number of patients during a shift, inadequate staffing levels to handle the level of acute care required by most patients, and not having enough time to spend with patients as the three biggest problems in nursing.

The two most-often cited improvements that nurses would like to see are increased staffing levels and higher salaries. Three in four potential leavers say that they would consider continuing in patient care for longer if conditions at their job improved.