Why young nurses are less satisfied than veteran nurses and how we can fix it
Job satisfaction is among the factors that may greatly affect one’s nursing career. If a nurse is not satisfied with the job and workplace, there is the possibility of shifting to another industry. This most likely occurs with younger nurses according to research. Let’s talk about job satisfaction in the younger and older nursing generation.
Young and veteran nurses - comparing job satisfaction levels
Recent research by AMN Healthcare shows that job satisfaction among nurses has significantly dropped. In a span of a decade, over 80% of nurses included in surveys said that they were happy with what they were doing.
Fast forward to a new survey in 2023. The number of nurses who felt satisfied with being a nurse significantly went down to 71%. From this, we can say that nurses have become more and more dissatisfied with their nursing careers.
It is also worth noting that the study showed that the younger batch of nurses is less likely to recommend the nursing industry to others.
Only 42% of nurses in the Gen Z generation and 43% of millennials said that they would gladly encourage other people to be nurses. This is a small number compared to 62% of baby boomers who said the same.
What causes young nurses to be less satisfied than veteran nurses?
Job satisfaction is dependent on many factors both intrinsic and extrinsic. While each reason is unique, trends explain such dissatisfaction, especially among the younger ones.
Nursing shortage
The pandemic has exhausted healthcare professionals and nurses are among the most affected. Lack of nursing manpower has been a long problem even before the pandemic. However, the health crisis has exacerbated this. Let us also not forget about the great resignation where many nurses have left medical institutions to look for greener pastures.
Younger nurses have experienced having to cater to too many patients at a time which affects the quality of patient care they provide and their well-being. With fewer people on the team and more patients to take care of, job dissatisfaction cannot be avoided. This may even ultimately lead to high nurse turnover.
Physical and mental work fatigue
In connection with the nursing shortage and the influx of patients during the pandemic, many nurses of younger batches have work fatigue. Work overload is among the factors of nurses resigning.
Because the staffing crisis is getting worse, so is both mental and physical fatigue. Current nursing staff, mostly composed of younger nurses, have to handle so much while their management continues hiring for more to join their team.
Poor work-life balance
Nurses are humans too and they also need to enjoy their personal lives and achieve work-life balance. However, the same AMN Healthcare study showed that in 2023, 70% of the nurse respondents said that their job is detrimental to their health — even higher than the 51% during the pandemic in 2021.
The pressure to deliver and do better is on younger nurses who have physically more energy than veteran nurses. With the current healthcare staffing setup, younger nurses go through baptism by fire, having to learn clinical things the hard way and promptly.
Understanding the impact of poor working conditions on young nurse satisfaction
Factors such as nurse-to-patient ratio, work-life balance, and workload primarily affect job satisfaction among nurses. Due to poor working conditions and the nursing crisis, young nurses feel more unhappy about their jobs.
The demands in medical facilities can take a toll on younger nurses, especially those who have freshly graduated and had the COVID-19 pandemic as their first work experience. No matter how passionate they are about nursing and patient care, a hazardous working environment can still make them dislike their line of work.
How can we improve working conditions and increase job satisfaction among younger nurses?
To address job dissatisfaction among nurses, particularly those of the younger generations, policies and initiatives must be put in place to elevate working conditions.
Be more aggressive in hiring additional staff
Staffing makes so much difference in the work setups. The management should maintain a good nurse-to-patient ratio where nurses do not have to accomplish tasks in a hurry just to cater to all assigned patients. Being aggressive and creative in recruiting more nurses can improve nursing manpower and in effect, job satisfaction.
Provide better salary packages
Nurses are often overworked and underpaid. Younger nurses look for nursing jobs outside traditional work setup. These have better opportunities that do not only offer better working conditions but also higher pay.
An example is travel nursing which has grown popular among the younger nurse group. Travel nurses with temporary assignments get bigger pay than full-time staff. Medical institutions need to offer more attractive salary packages to keep nurses on their teams.
Initiate work-life balance policies and activities
Implement a flexible shift scheduling system and give more paid time off. Create policies and have activities and initiatives that promote well-being and work-life balance. Nurse leaders and healthcare management executives should remember that nurses are not robots.
Thus, they need to have a sense of security and peace of mind even in the workplace. It is up to the heads of the organization to plan out initiatives and policies that will make nurses, younger and veterans alike, stay. They can start by forming a retention plan that will reduce nursing turnover.
Taking action to create a positive environment for all nursing professionals
Medical institutions are responsible for making their work environment a conducive space for working and learning. While younger nurses generally experience worse work conditions which have affected their job satisfaction, nurse leaders must work double time to reduce nurse turnover across all ages through nurse-friendly policies and initiatives.