Millennial nurses are more driven to seek leadership roles, higher degrees, and professional development than nurses from other generations, according to a millennial nurse survey released by AMN Healthcare Services Inc. (NYSE: AHS).
The report compares the views of millennial nurses (ages 19-36) to those of Generation X (ages 37-53) and baby boomer nurses (ages 54-71) regarding their expectations about their work environments and career futures.
The research also found the improving economy might prompt 17% of millennials to look for a new nursing job — more than the 15% of Gen Xers and 10% of baby boomers who said the same. And 10% of millennials said they would work as a travel nurse, compared to 6% Gen Xers and 5% of baby boomers.
Nearly 40% of millennial RNs surveyed said they plan to pursue a master’s degree in the next three years, while another 11% said they would seek a PhD. These responses were significantly higher than those of other generations.
The report also found 36% of millennial nurses said they were significantly interested in leadership roles, compared to 27% of Gen Xers and 10% of baby boomers.
Millennial nurses were also more optimistic toward leadership than their older counterparts. When responding to positive statements about their leaders, across categories including how much they trust their leaders and whether leaders care about their career development, millennial nurses more often answered “agree” or “strongly agree” than did Gen Xers and baby boomers.
“Millennial nurses are changing the healthcare workforce in ways that could further improve patient care and help healthcare organizations,” Marcia Faller, chief clinical officer at AMN Healthcare, said. “This survey demonstrates the high ambition of this generation of nurses and provides better understanding about how healthcare leaders can fully engage these high-achieving healthcare professionals.”
Data for the “Survey of Millennial Nurses: A Dynamic Influence on the Profession” are derived from the AMN Healthcare 2017 Survey of Registered Nurses, which was completed by 3,347 registered nurses. The survey questionnaires were sent out in March and April 2017.
