By Cooper Nelson
While many nurses say their hours have increased during the pandemic due to the number of COVID-19 cases coming in, others report their hours being reduced due to fewer elective surgeries/traumas and as a result, worry about their job security.
Although it hasn鈥檛 been business as usual for the majority, many report their work-life balance has improved and they鈥檝e become better team members and professionals in their industry.
On average, nurses report working 42 hours/week. However, nearly a third of nurses (31%) say since the COVID-19 pandemic began in the US, the number of hours they work has increased, primarily due to the increase in the number of COVID-19 patients coming in (78%).
Other reasons nurses report their hours have increased include:
For the 21% of nurses who say their work hours have decreased*听since the COVID-19 pandemic began, it is mainly because fewer patients are willing to come into the office/hospital (65%), but also because:
And, more than half of nurses whose hours have decreased (54%) say they are concerned about their job security.
Nearly 2 in 3 nurses (64%) say that working during the pandemic has听not听been business as usual for them. Many nurses report changes at their job since the pandemic began in the US, including:
While half of nurses (52%) say they have about the same amount of career options now as they did before the pandemic began, more than 1 in 4 (28%) feel they have fewer options. Notably, 20% of nurses say they have more options now than before the pandemic began and 22% of nurses say their work life balance has gotten better since the pandemic began.
Since the pandemic began in the US, more than half of nurses say:
Fewer report they鈥檝e become a better spouse/partner/significant other (39%), friend (38%), or parent (27%).
Amplifying nurse voices
Despite taking on more leadership responsibilities since the pandemic began, nurses feel less respected than doctors and like their voices aren鈥檛 being heard.
While the majority of nurses believe their employer treats them fairly (80%) and cares about their employees (77%),听 nurses believe there is a respect gap between how nurses and doctors are viewed by their employer (65%).
The majority of nurses also feel doctors do听not听respect nurses as much as they respect other doctors (63%) and that there is a respect gap between how nurses and doctors are viewed by patients (75%).
About 3 in 4 nurses say they have taken on more leadership responsibility since the COVID-19 pandemic began (73%) and feel like other staff look at them as a leader (78%). In addition, the majority (61%) say their opinion is valued more by their colleagues since the pandemic began.
However, many nurses say they feel like their voice is听not听really being heard in this crisis (55%) or that no one has taken their opinions/concerns seriously in this crisis (41%). Further, the vast majority (84%) wish nurses had a stronger leadership role during this crisis.
More than just a job
Despite feelings of exhaustion, fear, and risk of COVID-19 exposure, the majority of nurses are proud of what they do and would choose the same profession if they had to do it over again.
Many nurses rate their physical health (52%) or emotional/mental health (45%) as excellent/very good right now. Still, many exhibit mixed feelings about being a nurse right now. Since the pandemic began, nurses report feeling:
But they also report feelings of being:
About 3 in 4 nurses say they have taken on more leadership responsibility since the COVID-19 pandemic began (73%) and feel like other staff look at them as a leader (78%). In addition, the majority (61%) say their opinion is valued more by their colleagues since the pandemic began.
However, many nurses say they feel like their voice is听not听really being heard in this crisis (55%) or that no one has taken their opinions/concerns seriously in this crisis (41%). Further, the vast majority (84%) wish nurses had a stronger leadership role during this crisis.
While nearly a third of nurses (31%) say the ability to maintain their mental/emotional health has stayed the same since the COVID-19 pandemic began, more than half of nurses (58%) admit it has become worse. And more than 3 in 4 nurses (78%) say that working during the pandemic has been the most challenging time in their career.
The majority are concerned about:
In fact, nearly half of nurses (46%) thought about quitting their job at some point during the pandemic.听Still, about 9 in 10 nurses say they like their job (90%) and are satisfied with their job (88%). The overwhelming majority (87%) agree that their job is more important than ever right now.
Virtually all are proud of the work that they do (99%) and believe that being a nurse is not just a job, it is a calling (96%). And, most nurses (86%) say if they had to do it all over again, they would be likely to choose the same profession again, with 63% saying they would be听very likely听to do so.
Preference for a gift of thanks
Although nurses are split between a small gift of thanks or a large gift if an organization planned to give a gift to the field of nursing, nurses鈥 top priorities are workplace safety and their own physical and mental health.
Nurses report their top three priorities as a nurse right now are workplace safety (71%), their own mental health (52%), and their own physical health (43%), with maintaining their income/compensation/benefits (42%) following closely behind.
Other priorities include:
If an organization planned to give a philanthropic gift to the field of nursing, about half of nurses (52%) say they would most prefer a small gift of thanks distributed to individual nurses. The other half of nurses (48%) would most prefer a large gift, either to advance the nursing profession (31%) or to benefit a non-profit/charity in healthcare (17%).
Of those who would prefer a small gift of thanks distributed to individual nurses, nearly 3 in 5 would most prefer it in the form of a monetary gift of cash or a gift card (58%), followed by:
Of those who would prefer a large gift to advance the nursing profession*, 54% would most prefer a gift to an organization that provides for the mental health and emotional needs of nurses, followed by a gift to a professional organization that advocates for nurses in legislative issues (20%), a gift to a professional organization that provides continuing education in nursing (16%), or a gift to a professional organization that promotes diversity and inclusion in nursing (5%).
Of those who would prefer a large gift to benefit a non-profit/charity in healthcare*, 55% would most prefer a gift to a charity/non-profit that serves the public health needs of the underserved, followed by:
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of 爱污传媒 between July 30 鈥 August 11, 2020, among 300 nurses who are US residents, ages 18 and older, and currently employed full-time as a nurse.
Figures were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents鈥 propensity to be online. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact media@phoenix.edu.