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RNnetwork 2018 Portrait of a Modern Nurse Survey  December 12, 2018  9 Min Read

Liz Cornwall

To better understand the changing landscape and emerging challenges of the

nursing profession, RNnetwork recently conducted a follow-up study of its

groundbreaking 2016 survey, which painted a portrait of a modern nurse and

examined different aspects of the national nursing shortage. In this updated

survey, respondents from around the United States shared perspectives about

subjects including workload, the national nursing shortage, the nursing

profession in general and respect in the workplace. New questions about mental

health and self-care also yielded fresh insights into the day and life of a nurse.

The results revealed many of the concerning statistics from the previous study

were either static or growing worse: nurse burnout, overwork and harassment

continue to affect nurses and impact patient care in 2018. True to the problem-

solving nature of their training, however, many participants want greater focus on

possible solutions like temporary staffing or investment in new incentives and

programs.

No sign of relief for heavy workloads Nurse burnout is continually acknowledged as a particular problem in the

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2018 Modern Nurse Survey: Nursing shortage leading to nurse burnout https://rnnetwork.com/blog/rnnetwork-2018-portrait-of-a-modern-nurse-survey/

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medical profession, and as the nursing shortage continues, there seems to be no

clear solution in sight. In 2018, 62 percent of nurses felt regularly burned out in

their jobs, and 44 percent of nurses believed that burnout had affected their

work performance.

Perhaps most pressing for the future, nearly half of all respondents (49 percent)

had considered leaving nursing in the past two years, a number that has not

changed since RNnetwork’s 2016 survey. Instead of work situations improving, 40

percent of nurses believe they have less free time now than compared to two

years ago. A similarly-sized group (38 percent) felt their available free time had

not changed in two years.

Additionally, in 2016, 63 percent of nurses felt they spent just the right amount of

time at work, which dropped slightly to 60 percent in 2018, further indicating that

hours and expectations are increasing.

The nationwide nurse shortage continues unabated The increasing national nursing shortage compounds all of the issues facing

today’s nurses. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted that 1.2 million vacancies

will emerge for registered nurses between 2014 and 2022, and the fallout of that

widening gap is becoming significant. This outlook was confirmed by survey

respondents, 91 percent of whom felt their hospital was understaffed.

This nursing shortage has negatively affected workloads for  88 percent of nurses

in 2018, up significantly from 62 percent in 2016. Additionally, nearly 62 percent

of respondents believed the shortage was negatively impacting the quality of care

nurses could provide, with 46 percent feeling even more overworked than they

did two years ago.

Nurses want administrators and government to continue exploring options to

alleviate the shortage.  Nurses expressed support for government subsidies of

schooling (38 percent) and creating new nursing programs (29 percent).

Temporary staffing (travel nursing) is another viable solution to nurse burnout or

workload issues, according to 59 percent of nurses.

Work is impacting nurses’ mental health More than half of nurses (54 percent) reported their workload had negatively

impacted their mental health. Furthermore, 35 percent reported that the state of

their mental health had negatively impacted their work. Although national

conversations on mental health are increasing awareness, 35 percent of

respondents believed it was still taboo to discuss among nurses.

Nearly a quarter of respondents (24 percent) reported taking medication for

anxiety or depression. Of those, 59 percent attribute their anxiety or depression

to the demands of nursing. Three percent of nurses indicated they have

contemplated suicide, due to the demands of their jobs.

As public understanding of the value of mental health increases and long-held

stigmas begin to fall away, the door is opening for conversations in workplaces.

With such widespread mental health problems reported among nurses, it is also

notable that only 16 percent reported meeting with a mental health professional

over the demands of their work – but 47 percent wish they had better access in

the workplace.

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Bullying and harassment continues to be a problem The prevalence of bullying and verbal harassment is a significant issue in the

nursing industry. Nearly 40 percent of nurses reported being bullied or harassed

during the past year.

Nurses face this abuse from many directions, and in all areas of their work: 30

percent of bullying or harassment comes from other nurses, 25 percent from

patients, 23 percent from physicians and 22 percent from administrators.

Although any amount of harassment is unacceptable, the data may indicate that

instances of workplace hostility may be decreasing for nurses. In the 2016 report,

45 percent of nurses reported bullying by other nurses, 38 percent by physicians

and 41 percent by administrators.

The data further indicates that 62 percent of nurses believe that physicians

respect them, which is slightly lower than 2016 levels (65 percent). Unfortunately,

only 29 percent of nurses felt respected by administrators, which was a

significant decrease from 46 percent in 2016.

In addition, 21 percent of nurses are also subjected to sexual harassment in the

workplace. Patients are responsible for 43 percent of sexual harassment, with

physicians committing 29 percent of incidents, 24 percent coming from other

nurses and 4 percent from administrators.

2018 Survey Results Nurse workload Free time is in short supply for most nurses. When compared to two years ago, 40

percent indicated they had less free time and 38 percent felt things were about

the same. Fifteen percent saw a slight improvement and only seven percent saw

any large increase in free time.

Overwork is a hallmark of burned out employees, and few have more time-

intensive schedules than nurses. In the past two years, most nurses have either

seen their workloads increase (46 percent) or stay about the same (32 percent).

Just 22 percent of nurses felt their workloads had become less burdensome.

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Supporting work-life balance is a key goal for many healthcare facilities, but

nurses’ experience varies.  Although 37 percent agree their employers support

work-life balance, 36 percent believe their employers do not. Twenty-seven

percent feel ambivalent about their employers’ efforts.

If there is any statistic that should spur administrators to action, it is that nearly

half of nurses (49 percent) have considered leaving during the past two years. The

top three reasons nurses considered abandoning the profession are overwork

(24 percent), spending too much time entering data in EHR (19 percent) and not

having enough time with patients (15 percent). In addition, 38 percent of nurses

said they work second jobs to pay off debts (31 percent), to support their

preferred lifestyle (17 percent), and because their income has decreased (15

percent).

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Bullying and harassment Nearly 40 percent of nurses reported bullying and harassment in the workplace.

Respondents indicated that 30 percent of bullying and harassment incidents

came from other nurses, 25 percent from patients, 23 percent from physicians

and 22 percent from administrators. Instances of workplace hostility may be

decreasing for nurses. According to 2016 findings, 45 percent of nurses reported

bullying by other nurses, 38 percent by physicians and 41 percent by

administrators.

2018 Modern Nurse Survey: Nursing shortage leading to nurse burnout https://rnnetwork.com/blog/rnnetwork-2018-portrait-of-a-modern-nurse-survey/

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Although the majority of nurses said they do not experience sexual harassment

at work (79 percent), it’s worth noting that 21 percent said they do experience

sexual harassment, with the majority of that harassment coming from patients

(43 percent), physicians (29 percent), and other nurses (24 percent).

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National nursing shortage Eighty percent of respondents believe there is a nursing shortage in their facility,

and 76 percent report they have personally been impacted by the shortage.

Eighty-eight percent of nurses have seen their workloads increase due to fewer

nurses in the industry.

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Nurse burnout Nurse burnout is a major problem, with 62 percent feeling burned out on a

regular basis, compared to only 22 percent believing it wasn’t an issue. Burnout

reportedly affected work performance for 43 percent of respondents, while 35

percent believed burnout had no impact on performance.

Nurse burnout is also taking a toll on physical and mental well-being, with nurses

reporting symptoms of chronic fatigue (16 percent), anxiety (13 percent),

insomnia (11 percent), and depression (9 percent) due to burnout.

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The vast majority of nurses also reported going into work sick at some point, with

85 percent of respondents admitting to it. More than half (54 percent) believed

that burnout contributed to their sickness.

Not only does nurse burnout affect their personal health (20 percent), it also

impacts their relationships with their families (19 percent) and job satisfaction (24

percent).

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To cope with burnout, nurses are turning to exercise (13 percent), food (12

percent), and caffeine (13 percent) as well as spending more time with family (19

percent) and taking time off (17 percent).  Temporary staffing (travel nurses) is

also a viable way to address nurse burnout and workload issues, according to 59

percent of respondents.

Mental health More than half of nurses (54 percent) believe that their workload negatively

impacts their mental health, with 37 percent undecided. Only nine percent of

nurses think their workload has any positive effect on their mental health.

More than half (52 percent) of nurses don’t believe their mental health affects

their work. However, (35 percent) said their mental health was negatively

impacted by their work versus 13  percent who reported a positive impact.

2018 Modern Nurse Survey: Nursing shortage leading to nurse burnout https://rnnetwork.com/blog/rnnetwork-2018-portrait-of-a-modern-nurse-survey/

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Attitudes toward discussing mental health are changing, but opinions as to

whether nurses should mention the topic in the workplace are divided. It’s a

taboo subject for 35 percent of nurses, but 39 percent are fine discussing mental

health. Twenty-six percent are undecided.

Nearly a quarter of respondents (24 percent) reported taking medication for

anxiety or depression. Of those, 59 percent attribute their anxiety or depression

to the demands of nursing. Three percent of nurses indicated they have

contemplated suicide, due to the demands of their jobs.

Methodology RNnetwork polled more than 900 nurses working in the United States for insight

into modern opinions and attitudes about nurse burnout, work-life balance,

mental health and harassment in the workplace. Nurses who received the email

survey represented most fields and specialties, and the majority of respondents

had 10 or more years of active practice.

Tags nurse shortage survey travel nurses travel nursing

About the author

Liz Cornwall Liz Cornwall is a public relations specialist and is passionate about the company’s

Putting People First culture. Prior to joining RNnetwork, Liz worked in advertising

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and marketing and also helped launch a pet magazine in Salt Lake City.

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