Nurses like PA jobs

HARRISBURG, PA — If you want to know about nursing, ask a nurse.

And that’s just what the Pennsylvania Department of Health has done in an attempt to gain an understanding of the multiple factors that have contributed to a nursing shortage in Pennsylvania. Information on the Commonwealth’s 40,667 nurses was collected as part of this year’s licensing renewal. The result of this comprehensive survey of Registered Nurses (RNs) in Pennsylvania has been released on behalf of Gov. Mark Schweiker by Health Secretary Robert S. Zimmerman Jr.

“The demographic, educational, professional, employment, and job and career satisfaction data provided in this report will give legislators, policymakers, educators, employers and researchers objective information about this vital state resource,” Secretary Zimmerman said. “We developed this survey in an effort to gain objective information about the nurse work force in the light of growing concerns about the current and future supply of nurses on a national and state level.”

Earlier this year, the Department of Health convened a study of nurse leaders, employers, nurse researchers, registered nurses, nurse educators and representatives from state government agencies to better develop an understanding of the multiple factors that may be contributing to a shortage of nurses. This study group encouraged the department to develop an accurate and objective source of data about registered nurses.

The survey was part of an April 2002 license renewal, and 94 percent or 40,667 registered nurses licensed in Pennsylvania responded to the survey.  The Department of State’s Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs is participating with the Department of Health to develop a better understanding of the registered nurse work force.

Because of the large number of RNs licensed in the Commonwealth, license renewal is conducted every six months for about one-fourth of the total number.  The department included a similar survey in license renewal applications due in October and will continue to survey until all RNs have had the opportunity to complete a survey form.

The simple, 14-question, anonymous survey took about six minutes to complete.

The report provides information on a statewide, as well as a county by county, basis.

Some of the findings were:

— About 76.5 percent of RNs responding to the survey work in health care;

— 84.7 percent of the 29,000 RNs licensed in Pennsylvania responding to the survey, which indicated that they were employed in health care and who provided a state of employment, were employed in Pennsylvania. Fifteen percent are employed in other states;

— 68.4 percent of nurses employed in health care in Pennsylvania reported that they were full-time employees.  31.6 percent indicated they worked part time;

— Most nurses employed in health care in Pennsylvania work in hospitals (57.3 percent), while 9.5 percent work in nursing homes, 6.9 percent in physician offices and 6.6 percent in home-health agencies;

— The age distribution of the RN work force employed in health care in Pennsylvania differs from that of the state’s population in general. Eleven percent of nurses responded that they were between the ages of 20-34. By contrast, 25.6 percent of Pennsylvania’s population age 20 and over is in this age bracket;

— The average age of a registered nurse employed in health care in Pennsylvania is 45.9 years;

— Twelve percent of nurses employed in health care in Pennsylvania reported working mandatory overtime in the past two weeks. Eighty-eight percent indicated that they did not work mandatory overtime;

— By and large, RNs in Pennsylvania seem satisfied with both their jobs and careers, with 84 percent rating themselves as satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their jobs;

— However, 45 percent of RNs employed in health care in Pennsylvania indicated that they planned to leave nursing within the next 10 years. This included 13.8 percent of nurses in the 20 to 34 age bracket; and

— Compared to data from a national sample of registered nurses compiled by the Health Resources and Services Administration, Pennsylvania nurses employed in health care tend to be more satisfied with their jobs (69.1 U.S., 83.9 Pennsylvania).