When nurses choose perm roles, stability is a key theme

Stability is a key theme when nurses choose to work on a perm basis at a healthcare facility, according to a wide-ranging “Voices of Care” study released by healthcare staffing firm Medical Solutions.

The top reasons for choosing a perm role included being with family, cited by 69%; consistent income, cited by 61%; and living at home, cited by 48%.

Medical Solutions’ wide-ranging study also looked at nurses’ plans for future work, retention, stress and more. The survey included 1,124 nurses working as permanent nurses, also referred to as core staff.

Patti Artley, chief nursing officer at Medical Solutions, said it’s important to understand the retention part of the equation when it comes to nurses. And for those nurses who choose perm positions, stability is a key theme. Oftentimes, even travel nurses will pick assignments relatively close to their homes — often within driving distance.

The report’s survey found that 17% of perm nurses plan to transition into travel nursing because of higher pay, while 55% plan to remain in their current role. Five percent planned to leave nursing altogether.

Of those leaving the profession, the top four categories cited as reasons were feeling undervalued or unsupported by their organization; job-related mental health issues, stress or burnout; seeking better salary and benefits; and no longer finding nursing rewarding as a career.

In another finding, 49% of nurses agreed they have a lot of stress and burnout from work, with 31% neutral on the question and 24% disagreeing.

“I think the thing that surprised me the most was how nurses in their 40s were the most vocal about reporting stress, having the highest difficulty dealing with the stress in their life and dissatisfaction in their lives,” Artley said.

The study found that 58% of nurses ages 40 to 49 had a lot of stress, the highest of any age group. More research is needed for the reasons behind this, Artley said.

The study also asked what advice nurses have for medical facilities that want to successfully engage with them and be an attractive place of employment: