Nurses Remain Passionate Despite Historical Issues in Need of Reform, According to Annual Industry Survey

Newswise — Cross Country Healthcare, Inc., a market-leading tech-enabled workforce solutions platform and advisory firm, announced its annual national survey of nursing professionals and students. Overall, the study revealed that nurses remain passionate about patient care, citing helping people through meaningful work (66 percent) but highlighted areas of dissatisfaction and ongoing industry challenges, including pay rates/compensation (86 percent), staff shortages (53 percent), stress (39 percent) and burnout (35 percent) as the top career dissatisfiers facing the profession. The survey, conducted in collaboration with Florida Atlantic University’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, provides meaningful and actionable insights to equip health care facility leaders, academia, nursing students and professionals with the most pertinent issues challenging this occupation.

"Nursing is one of the most trusted professions in the world. A nurse is with you at all life stages—from birth to death and everything in between. They make life-changing decisions daily,” said Hank Drummond, Ph.D., senior vice president and chief clinical officer. “This study allows us to check the pulse on today’s challenges facing the profession and address them head-on by hearing their concerns and taking action.”

Among other key findings:

• Student nurses reported they are most concerned about stress (45 percent), not enough staff to meet demand (35 percent) and feeling overworked (27 percent).
• Nearly one-third (28 percent) of nurses indicated their desire to leave the profession had increased dramatically since the pandemic, while those who said their desire to stay had increased since the pandemic dropped from 24 percent last year to 4 percent this year.
• Doing meaningful work, income and lifestyle are the main drivers for staying in the field. However, almost half (48 percent) of currently employed nurses said they would not become nurses again if they could talk to their former selves or did not know if they would. 
• Thirty percent of nurses said they plan to work in the profession for the foreseeable future, although 23 percent plan to look for a new career in one to two years and 13 percent plan to retire in one to five years. 

"The results of our survey of nearly 2,000 employed and student nurses point to ongoing challenges that the profession faces, providing us with a roadmap to address their concerns with innovative strategies that meet the needs of the nurse and the health care system," said Safiya George, Ph.D., dean and professor at FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing.

The Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing offers accredited programs at all levels to prepare and train students including various tracks for a B.S.N., Master of Science in Nursing, Ph.D. and D.N.P. focused in caring science. A B.S.N.-D.N.P. program with a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner concentration and post-graduate dermatology and telehealth certificate courses and other concentrations that intersect innovation and technology are also offered to address health care provider shortages.

Cross Country Healthcare is deploying strategies to transform the nursing profession, including an ongoing examination of pay rates and retention practices, identifying new pathways for education, licensing, and talent development, focusing on flexibility and growth opportunities and investments toward innovation to strengthen the nursing workforce.

"Nurses are passionate but exhausted, and there is room for meaningful changes. The demand for patient care is increasing exponentially," said Michael Skovira, chief medical officer at Cross Country Healthcare. "We must change how we educate, train, hire, manage and treat our nurses. We have all the tools to start now, but we cannot implement these practices if we continue to blame the pandemic for a situation that has been growing for years. We need to come together as an industry and start now."    

Cross Country has launched several initiatives and continues to invest heavily in technology and digital transformation to support these strategies, including the new CrossCountry.com as a fresh way to engage nurses in a seamless frictionless manner.

ABOUT THE STUDY

This national survey, titled "The Future of Nursing: A Profession in Crisis," was conducted with 1,780 nursing professionals and students at healthcare and hospital facilities. The online survey was conducted between May 11 and June 24, in partnership with Florida Atlantic University's Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing.

ABOUT CROSS COUNTRY HEALTHCARE

Cross Country Healthcare, Inc. (Nasdaq: CCRN) is a market-leading tech-enabled workforce solutions platform with 36 years of industry experience and insight. We solve complex labor-related challenges for customers while providing high-quality outcomes and exceptional patient care. As a multi-year Best of Staffing® award winner, we are committed to an exceptionally high level of service to our clients and our homecare, education, and clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals. Our locum tenens line of business, Cross Country Locums, has been certified by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), the leader in healthcare accreditation, since 2001. We are the first publicly traded staffing firm to obtain The Joint Commission Certification, which we still hold with a Letter of Distinction. Cross Country Healthcare is rated as the top staffing and recruiting employer for women by InHerSights. For two consecutive years, we have received the Top Workplaces USA award and were recently recognized as a recipient of the Top Workplaces Award for Innovation and Leadership by Energage. We have a history of investing in diversity, equality, and inclusion as a key component of the organization's overall corporate social responsibility program, closely aligned with its core values to create a better future for its people, communities, and stockholders.

ABOUT THE CHRISTINE E. LYNN COLLEGE OF NURSING

FAU's Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing is nationally and internationally known for its excellence and philosophy of caring science. The College was ranked No. 11 nationwide by U.S. News and World Report in 2021 for "Best Online Master's in Nursing Administration Programs" and No. 20 for the "Best Online Master's in Nursing Programs in 2022." In 2020, FAU graduates earned a 95.9% pass rate on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN®) and 100% AGNP Certification Pass Rate. FAU's Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). For more information, visit nursing.fau.edu.