Survey: Work Conditions, Not Pay, of Most Importance to Student Nurses
SAN DIEGO, April 12 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey indicates that nurse students are more concerned about positive working conditions than they are about pay when they consider potential job opportunities.
Conducted by AMN Healthcare, the nation's largest temporary health care staffing company, the survey of 1,626 nurse students shows that quality medical facilities are of most importance to nurse students considering job opportunities, followed by low nurse-to-patient ratios and favorable work hours/shifts. Pay rates ranked fourth on the list while the geographic location of the job ranked fifth.
"The first question nurse students ask today is not 'how much will I be paid?' or even 'where is this job located?'," notes Marcia Faller, Chief Nursing Officer and Executive Vice President of Operations with AMN Healthcare. "Their first priority is finding a quality setting with reasonable patient loads and favorable hours."
Even though nurses continue to be in short supply throughout the country, the survey suggests that student nurses are not being recruited as aggressively as might be expected. Thirty-five percent of student nurses surveyed said they had not received a single recruitment solicitation during the course of their nurse training, while 51 percent said they had received ten or fewer recruitment solicitations. By contrast, a survey by physician search firm Merritt, Hawkins & Associates (a division of AMN Healthcare) shows that it is not uncommon for physicians today to receive 50 or more recruitment solicitations during the course of their training. The survey suggests that nurse students are still a relatively untapped resource for employers seeking additional nurses.
Pay rates for nurses have steadily increased in recent years and 77 percent of the student nurses surveyed expect to be paid at least $35,000 in their first year as a nurse. Fifty-five percent expect to be paid at least $40,000, and 38 percent expect to be paid at least $45,000. Some student nurses may choose to use their salaries to pay off educational debt, as the survey indicates that 78 percent of student nurses owe money on student loans. Forty-three percent owe $10,000 or more in student loans, while 27 percent owe $15,000 or more.
Though the job market for nurses is favorable, the survey suggests that student nurses still have concerns about entering the workforce. Number one on their list of concerns is pressure not to make mistakes.
"Nursing has become more technical, complex and demanding," says Faller. "Nurses have more responsibility for patient care, and with responsibility comes pressure."
Nevertheless, 91 percent of student nurses surveyed said that if they had their education to do over again they would still choose nursing as a career. A copy of AMN Healthcare's 2007 Survey of Student Nurses is available at www.amnhealthcare.com.
About AMN Healthcare
AMN Healthcare is the largest temporary healthcare staffing company in the United States. The company is the largest nationwide provider of travel nurse staffing services, locum tenens (temporary physician staffing) and physician permanent placement services and also a leading nationwide provider of allied healthcare professionals. AMN Healthcare recruits healthcare professionals both nationally and internationally and places them on variable lengths of assignments and in permanent positions at acute-care hospitals, physician practice groups and other healthcare facilities throughout the United States.
Source: AMN Healthcare
CONTACT: Phil Miller of AMN Healthcare , +1-469-524-1420,
Phil.Miller@amnhealthcare.com