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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022
| Contributor Information
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022
Nurses were generally happy with their career choices despite persistent concerns during the pandemic about such issues as understaffing, safety, and strained relations with employers and administrators.
"Most of the nurses I work with comment on remaining short staffed and feeling burned out by the ongoing staffing issues," says Margaret Thew, RN, DNP, FNP-BC, medical director for adolescent medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Medscape polled 7540 US nurses between May 3 and July 26, 2022 — the majority registered nurses (RNs), with half as many nurse practitioners (NPs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) — about the pros and cons of their jobs in addition to their experiences with abuse, burnout, and COVID vaccinations. The majority of nurses surveyed have practiced for 11 years or more.
Note: Some totals in this presentation do not equal 100% because of rounding. Findings are based on full-time nurses unless otherwise indicated.
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
In the past year, LPNs and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) (13%) saw a reduction in hours more often than RNs, clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) (6%), and nurse midwives (NMs) (4%) did. LPNs were more likely than RNs and CNSs (16%) to report that they were not given an annual raise.
CRNAs (7%) were furloughed more often than the other nursing specialties, and part-time RNs (8%) were furloughed more often than full-time RNs (5%). Overall, part-time nurses (17%) had a reduction in hours more often than full-time nurses (6%). (Part-time includes per diem.)
When it comes to gender differences, more male LPNs (32%) than female LPNs (22%) were denied an annual raise.
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
"It is encouraging that the men and women who go into nursing are happy with this career choice and go into it for the right reasons, to help others," Thew says.
"The workplace drama and politics can make any job a challenge, but if nurses are feeling the reward or helping someone, they will remain. …Nursing remains the most respected profession even through the politics of COVID."
Male RNs (6%) were more likely than female RNs (3%) to cite the amount of money they make to be the most rewarding aspect of their job. And older nurses were more likely to enjoy working at their job: 12% for those 55 or older compared with 6% for those under age 35.
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
"The lack of raises was a big concern, particularly coming out of the pandemic," Thew says. "At the peak of the pandemic, nurses were working longer hours due to the volume of patients and because many nurses had left the workforce or became sick."
Nurses' pay was shortchanged, she explains, "caught in the crossfire of dropping [hospital] revenue and higher costs due to overtime pay and supply chain issues."
Survey respondents echoed those sentiments. One nurse cited as least rewarding "the amount of money for the high number of hours that hinders work-life balance and well-being." Another claimed, "Nurses are overloaded with work and [risk making] medication errors … We have to have a backup or protector to avoid these situations."
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
"This [report] confirms why we as nurses come back shift after shift; it truly is about making a difference for us," says Danielle McCamey, DNP, CRNP, ACNP-BC, an assistant dean at John Hopkins University School of Nursing.
More female APRNs (30%) than male APRNs (22%) considered helping people/making a difference in peoples' lives to be the most rewarding aspect of their job. Meanwhile, male NPs (15%) were more likely to consider being very good at what they do to be the most rewarding compared with female NPs (7%).
Among CRNAs under 45, autonomy in the workplace was more important than it is for their older counterparts (22% vs 10%). Younger CNSs and NPs mentioned a good work-life balance more often than their older counterparts (CNS: 21% vs 8%; NPs: 16% vs 9%).
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
"The politics tend to plague progress, and then adding the lack of work-life balance does not help either," McCamey says. She also notes pay issues. "The culture of nursing is that we focus so much of it being a calling that we neglect to advocate for our worth to ensure we are compensated appropriately."
More male NPs (13%) than female NPs (6%) viewed the time spent dealing with insurance companies/authorizations to be the least satisfying part of their job. And more male APRNs (12%) reported that not being able to practice to the full extent of their education is the least satisfying part of their job compared with female APRNs (7%).
In terms of age, NMs over 45 more often mentioned the amount of required documentation (14%) than did their younger counterparts (4%). NMs over age 45 mentioned lack of respect from managers/peers/colleagues (3%) less often than did their younger counterparts (11%).
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
Almost half of nurses have experienced emotional abuse. Among those who faced that abuse, CNSs reported that a manager or administrator was responsible 54% of the time, followed by 52% for RNs and LPNs. NMs reported that a coworker was the abuser 48% of the time, followed by 47% for CNS and 46% for LPNs.
"It is distressing to see how high the emotional abuse is from leadership," McCamey says. "It gives me pause to think on what challenges [are] contributing to this. Overall, though I am not surprised."
Nurses under 45 years old were more likely to experience emotional abuse from patients (53%), visitors (36%), and physicians (31%) than were nurses 45 years or older.
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
Earlier this year, healthcare company Press Ganey reported that on average, two nurses are assaulted every hour. That equates to roughly 57 assaults per day, 1739 assaults per month, and 5217 assaults per quarter.
In our report, over one-tenth (12%) of all nurses had experienced physical abuse. Several states have considered bills that enhance penalties for people who commit violence against nurses, Thew says. In her state, Wisconsin, battery against nurses is a felony, as is threatening a healthcare worker, she says.
Among those who reported physical abuse, RNs under 45 years said they faced more physical abuse from patients (96%) and visitors (20%) than did their older counterparts. Male RNs experienced more physical abuse from patients (97%) and visitors (23%) than their female counterparts did.
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
Two fifths (40%) of all nurses experienced verbal abuse. "I was threatened by a father who stood within a foot of me to tell me that he was 'in charge' and not the medical team (me)," recounts Thew. "One of the nurses commented, 'This is the only profession where you just accept and take this kind of abuse as part of the job.'"
Verbal abuse from patients is one of the "unspoken norms," McCamey says. "Unfortunately, it is hard to hold patients accountable for this because there are so many contributing factors that could be the underlying root cause of this behavior and most of the time it is due to their illness, and they may not have the wherewithal to control various emotions and expression of that emotion."
Of the nursing specialties, NPs reported that verbal abuse most often comes from patients (82%) and RNs reported that they experienced it most often from visitors (54%).
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
A minority (15%) of nurses said they experienced sexual abuse, harassment, or misconduct in their workplace in the past year. Higher percentages of LPNs (17%) and RNs (16%) reported experiencing sexual abuse, harassment, or misconduct compared with CNSs (9%) and NPs (12%).
RNs (19%) and LPNs (24%) were more likely than NPs (14%) to report abuse to authorities. Female RNs (20%) and female NPs (15%) were more likely to report sexual harassment or abuse to authorities than were their respective male counterparts (11% and 6%).
Almost one-quarter (24%) of all nurses said that the reported issue was resolved to their satisfaction. Nurses age 65 or older (44%) were more often satisfied with the resolution of the reported issue than were nurses younger than 65 (23%).
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
Among nurses, 56% of NMs claimed that they were fully vaccinated with one booster shot, followed by 54% of NPs and 53% of RNs and CNSs. CRNAs and CNSs (34%) topped the list of nursing specialties that were fully vaccinated with two booster shots.
Nurses who aren't vaccinated said that they already had COVID or believed that they had natural immunity from the virus; were concerned about the side effects; or had witnessed others who experienced complications from the vaccine or contracted COVID despite vaccination. Some feared the lack of data supporting the vaccine or cited religious beliefs or freedom of choice.
Female RNs (53%) were more likely than male RNs (46%) to be fully vaccinated with one booster shot. More male nurses (29%) than female nurses (25%) were likely to be fully vaccinated with two booster shots.
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
"Nurses overall were positive about the COVID vaccine, but there remains some that comment that they would not have gotten the COVID vaccine if they did not need to do it for their jobs," Thew says. "Others [say] they will not get a booster even if this means losing their jobs."
Of the nurses surveyed, 43% of those age 55-64 years and 50% of those age 65 or older believed that employers should always be able to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations as a condition of employment.
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
"I would have thought COVID would have a higher percentage of decreased satisfaction," McCamey says. "It makes me think that we've adapted so much that it has become the new lens of living."
More female CRNAs (58%) than male CRNAs (42%) reported a decrease in career satisfaction.
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
"I have heard more nurses comment on being burned out since the pandemic than any other time in my career," Thew says. "Burnout has contributed to more nurses leaving their present role for either a new position as an outpatient or clinic nurse (taking a pay cut) or moving into another field."
McCamey shares a similar sentiment. "The healthcare environment has become increasingly demanding and stressful. There's no real outlets that one can take during the day to decompress from the pressures and stress that can manifest on any given shift and mixing in burnout further exacerbates it all together."
Female CRNAs (31%) felt more burned out than male CRNAs (18%).
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
Gender seems to play a big role in coping with burnout. More male RNs exercised (44%) to help combat burnout compared with their female counterparts (32%).
More male LPNs isolated themselves from others (48%) when feeling burned out compared with female LPNs (37%). Meanwhile, female nurses (50%) were more likely than male nurses (40%) to talk to a family member or close friend when feeling burned out.
Use of nicotine products, prescription drugs, and cannabis also were selected among the options for dealing with burnout. Other popular diversions listed by respondents included arts and crafts, gardening, hiking, listening to podcasts or audiobooks, meditating, praying, taking time off, reading, therapy, playing video games, talking to others, and binge-watching TV or movies.
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
It comes as no surprise to McCamey that nurses don't participate in burnout programs. "Employers do not make these program accessible because they are held during the peak workflow of our shifts, and nurses will not leave their patients' bedside even with coverage sometimes, or they aren't substantial efforts that are consistent or resonate with the needs of support."
Among those who are burned out, female nurses (22%) were more likely than their male counterparts (16%) to use programs provided by their workplace to help alleviate burnout.
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
Most nurses in our survey (72%) said that they are happy with their career choice, whereas 27% would not choose nursing and 1% indicated that they had not been a nurse long enough to know yet.
"This gives me hope because as a profession, we have gone through so much since 2020," McCamey says of the report findings. "I am glad that the heart of why people chose nursing remains intact."
CNSs would choose nursing again more often (86%) than the other specialties. CRNSs were more likely than the other specialties (90%) to choose the same educational preparation.
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
Among the respondents, some said that they might go to medical school to become a doctor whereas others said they'd go back to school to gain advanced practice training. Retirement was also a popular answer.
More male LPNs (39%) than female LPNs (16%) were likely to leave the nursing profession to pursue other employment. Male RNs (24%) were also more likely than their female counterparts (15%) to pursue education or training outside of nursing.
About 42% of those age 55-64 and 31% of those age 65 or older would retire earlier than planned.
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
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Medscape Nurse Career Satisfaction Report 2022: Contentment Mixed With Abuse and Frustration
Roni Robbins | December 9, 2022 | Contributor Information
In a year of upheaval and uncertainty, we asked nurses about the impact of the pandemic, the rising incidence of workplace abuse, and what they think of their chosen professions.Medscape Features Slideshows, Dec 2021
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