DALLAS, Feb. 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Close to one third of hospital nurse leaders (31%) plan to leave their jobs in the next year, according to a new survey by AMN Healthcare, the nation’s leading healthcare talent acquisition and technology company. Burnout is a key factor driving nurse leader turnover, with 72% of nurse leaders surveyed indicating they sometimes, often or always experience burnout.
“Like millions of front-line nurses, nurse leaders are facing challenging work conditions that can exacerbate stress and fuel turnover,” said Christine Mackey-Ross, President of AMN Healthcare Leadership Solutions. “The job satisfaction and personal wellbeing of nurse leaders therefore should be a primary concern of any healthcare facility seeking to maintain the continuity and effectiveness of its nurse staff.”
Top Challenges and Solutions Facing Nurse Leaders
AMN Healthcare’s 2024 Survey of Nurse Leaders suggests that the top three challenges facing nurse leaders are workforce related. The primary organizational challenge identified by nurse leaders is nurse staff recruitment and retention, followed by staff burnout and labor shortages.
When asked to identify the methods they are using to improve nurse hiring and scheduling at their facilities, 58% of nurse leaders said they are using internal nurse float pools, which allow permanent staff nurses to work on temporary assignments similar to those worked by travel nurses.
Close to half of nurse leaders (48%) said they are using virtual interview platforms to improve nurse hiring, 47% said they are using online tools to streamline the onboarding process, and 34% said they are using apps that allow nurses to select and control their own schedules.
“Nurse workforce management and costs remain key challenges that can drive nurse leader turnover and burnout,” Mackey-Ross said. “However, new tools and technologies now are available that can allow nurse leaders to better plan for and address their workforce needs, provided they have the resources to implement them.”
Lack of Resources
The survey indicates that many nurse leaders do not have these resources. Only 34% of nurse leaders said they have “a great deal” or “a lot” of the financial resources they need to address nurse workforce needs, while only 33% said they have “a great deal” or “a lot” of the technical resources they need.
Composition of Hospital Nurse Staffs
Nurse leaders indicated that hospital nurse staffs are, on average, 69% composed of permanent, full-time nurses, 19% composed of part-time nurses, and 12% composed of contingent nurses. Contingent nurses include float pool nurses, travel nurses, local nurses, per diem nurses and others.
“Today’s flexible nurse staffing model is based on the strategic use of various types of nurses,” Mackey-Ross said. “It is important for hospitals to forecast and plan for how best to use a mix of permanent, part-time and contingent staff.”
When asked why their hospitals use travel and other contingent nurses, the majority of nurse leaders (67%) indicated they use contingent nurses to address turnover among the permanent nurse staff. An additional 60% of nurse leaders said they use contingent nurses to meet hospital quality/outcomes goals, while 54% said they use contingent nurses to scale up operations. The majority of nurse leaders surveyed (82%) rate the quality of contingent nurses as average to excellent, 17% rate them as fair, while only 1% rate them as poor.
More Than Workforce Managers
The survey suggests that while nurse workforce management is the primary challenge facing nurse leaders, nurse leaders are involved in many other aspects of hospital leadership. Eighty-one percent of nurse leaders said they are moderately to extremely involved in their hospital’s strategic mission, 80% are moderately to extremely involved in their hospital’s financial management, and 80% are moderately to extremely involved in their hospital’s clinical and patient protocols. In addition, nurse leaders are expanding their roles in a wide range of endeavors outside of traditional clinical care.
“Nurse leaders are having an impact far beyond the bedside,” Mackey-Ross said. “They are filling executive roles at major corporations, serving on boards of directors, conducting cutting edge research, and even serving as legislators.”
The 2024 Survey of Nurse Leaders is based on responses from 186 chief nursing officers, chief nursing executives, and nurse directors serving in hospitals nationwide. A copy of the survey report can be accessed at https://www.amnhealthcare.com/contentassets/6bc4f2d23e9d48f5aedd17b0a4f055ff/amn-survey-nurseleaders-2024-final.pdf
About AMN Healthcare
AMN Healthcare is the leader and innovator in total talent solutions for healthcare organizations across the United States. The Company provides access to the most comprehensive network of quality healthcare professionals through its innovative recruitment strategies and breadth of career opportunities. With insights and expertise, AMN Healthcare helps providers optimize their workforce to successfully reduce complexity, increase efficiency and improve patient outcomes. AMN total talent solutions include managed services programs, clinical and interim healthcare leaders, temporary staffing, permanent placement, executive search solutions, vendor management systems, recruitment process outsourcing, predictive modeling, language interpretation services, revenue cycle solutions, and other services. Clients include acute-care hospitals, community health centers and clinics, physician practice groups, retail and urgent care centers, home health facilities, schools, and many other healthcare settings. AMN Healthcare is committed to fostering and maintaining a diverse team that reflects the communities we serve. Our commitment to the inclusion of many different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives enables our innovation and leadership in the healthcare services industry. For more information about AMN Healthcare, visit www.amnhealthcare.com.
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