PENNSYLVANIA Survey: Most nurses content

Eighty-six percent of young nurses said they liked their jobs.
HARRISBURG (AP) -- Although most of Pennsylvania's nurses say they are satisfied with their jobs, nearly half of them expect to leave the profession within the next 10 years, says a recent survey released by the state Department of Health.
The survey of 83,000 registered nursing respondents who renewed their licenses last year found that 84 percent were "very satisfied" or "somewhat satisfied" with their work. Roughly 46 percent of the total, however, expected to quit within 10 years.
While those findings seem contradictory, they aren't surprising considering that the average age of survey respondents is 45 years old, said Joe May, director of the state Bureau of Health Planning.
"In 10 years, you'll have a certain proportion of those nurses that are nearing retirement age," May said Friday.
Young nurses
But the report also notes that a surprisingly high proportion of nurses 20 to 34 years old -- 29 percent -- are among those who plan to leave the profession within 10 years.
Job satisfaction among that age group mirrored satisfaction among the overall survey group. Eighty-six percent of young nurses said they were satisfied with their jobs, compared with 14 percent who were dissatisfied.
"I think that nurses find that their jobs are satisfying when they go into the profession, but the bottom line is, it's hard work," said Michele Campbell, executive administrator of the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, a nonunion professional organization that has lobbied for improved recruitment and retention of nurses.
Although the survey did not ask the respondents to explain why they wanted to leave the profession, May said he suspected that differences in generational attitudes toward switching careers might be a factor.
The survey, which was mailed to more than 106,000 registered nurses with their license renewal applications, is one of a series conducted by the health department on different segments of the state's health-care work force.
Other statistics
Other findings include:
UAbout half the respondents were between the ages of 35 and 49; 31 percent were 50 to 64 years old; 17 percent were 20 to 34 years old; and 2 percent were 65 and older.
USeventy percent were involved in direct patient care, while about 13 percent were administrators. Smaller numbers of nurses were employed in areas such as education, infection control and research.
About 194,000 registered nurses are licensed in Pennsylvania, the department said.