Despite reporting high levels of physical and verbal abuse, 92% of nurses are glad they went into the profession, according to a Dec. 12 Medscape report.
For its 2024 "Nurse Career Satisfaction Report," Medscape surveyed 7,723 practicing U.S. nurses between March 20 and June 26.
Of the respondents, 3,303 were registered nurses and 1,433 were licensed practical nurses. Of the remaining advanced practice registered nurse respondents, 1,788 were nurse practitioners, 439 clinical nurse specialists, 445 certified registered nurse anesthetists and 315 were nurse midwives.
Here are 10 notes from the report:
- The satisfaction with their chosen career reported by 92% respondents overall was also reported across specialities at 91% for registered nurses, 92% for licensed practical nurses, 94% for nurse practitioners, 97% certified registered nurse anesthetists, 98% for clinical nurse specialists and 94% for nurse midwives.
- When asked how long they had worked in the nursing profession, 4% said one to five years, 11% said six to 10 years, 32% said 11 to 20 years and 53% said 21 years or more.
- Among all respondents, 73% said they would still choose nursing if they were starting their career again, 72% said they would choose the same education program and 45% said they would choose the same specialty.
- Among nurses who were unhappy in the profession, 24% said they would pursue a new path in nursing if they were to make a career change, 20% said they would retire early and 17% said they would leave nursing for a different job.
- Helping people and making a difference in people's lives was the biggest job reward for 33% of advanced practice registered nurses and 32% of registered nurse and licensed practical nurse respondents.
- Administration and workplace politics was the worst part of the job for 15% of advanced practice registered nurses, followed by required documentation and a lack of work-life balance at 11%.
Administration and workplace politics was also the worst part of the job for 22% of registered nurses and licensed practical nurse respondents, followed by low pay at 13%. - Among all respondents, 14% reported experiencing sexual abuse, harrassment or misconduct at work within the past year.
Additionally, 75% and 87% said they had experienced verbal and physical abuse, respectively, from patients within the last year. While 48% reported experiencing emotional abuse from a manager or administrator within the past year and 46% from a coworker. - About 13% of all respondents said they belonged to a union, though the number was slightly higher for registered nurses at 16%.
- Of all respondents, 88% identified as women and 11% identified as men, 76% worked full-time, 18% worked part-time and 6% worked per diem.
- A majority of the respondents, 31%, were 55 to 64 years old, followed by 45 to 54 years at 25%, 35 to 44 years at 22%, 65 and older at 15% and 34 years and younger at 7%.
Read the full report here.