Guest Blog: CNA Satisfaction
The following is a guest blog from Anthony Cirillo, FACHE, ABC:
Satisfied or Not Satisfied? Two Studies Seem to Contradict.
There have been two studies in the news recently about nurse and certified nursing assistant satisfaction in the field. Here is a quick review.
U.S. staffing company AMN Healthcare recently reported that almost one-quarter of registered nurses say they will seek a new place of employment as the economy recovers. That is up from 15 percent in 2010.
While nurse career satisfaction is high (74 percent), actual satisfaction with their role is 58 percent. Thirty-two percent of nurses plan to take steps in the next one to three years that would take them out of nursing altogether, up from the 26 percent in 2010.
Forty-three percent said they either would not recommend nursing as a career to young people or were not sure they would.
A study by Rice University, University of Pittsburgh, and Baylor College of Medicine, published in The Gerontologist revealed that certified nursing assistants working in long-term care say job satisfaction and emotional well being are bigger factors in turnover rates than how much money they make. No surprise there.
However, according to researchers, previous studies have over-exaggerated turnover rates because research included data from both full- and part-time workers. (Suggesting perhaps that part-timers cause the numbers to inflate?) This study pegged turnover rate at close to 6 percent for those leaving the nursing home setting and 8.4 percent for those going to other facilities.
Study participants were categorized as:
- Stayers (85.8%)
CNAs who held the same job one year after the survey.
- Leavers (5.8%)
CNAs who left the LTC industry altogether.
- Switchers (8.4%)
CNAs who spent 30 hours per week in the role but switched to another facility a year after the survey.
The researchers said leavers were more likely than switchers to cite health problems as the reason for leaving, while switchers were more likely than leavers to quit a job to seek other opportunities. Switchers were more likely than the stayers to report greater emotional distress, lower job satisfaction and less respect for their supervisor.
So help me interpret some of this. Here are my initial thoughts.
- A registered nurse's satisfaction with their career choice (serving and helping others) versus their actual role is in conflict. I call it charting versus caring. With so many regulations and the CYA factor, bedside roles have been reduced and documenting has been increased. Then add in stress, burnout, lack of emotional support and you can probably see why nurses are switching or leaving. Those switching realize they are still in demand and have not reached the tipping point of being so fed up that they leave. So when their needs are not met at one place they move on, experience some initial satisfaction and then repeat the process.
- The CNA study baffles me. While "Leavers" and "Switchers" are understandable populations and the reasons for their labels clearly understood, I find it hard to believe that the rate for "Stayers" is so high. Is the bar set too low? After all, a year on the job is not much. I would think a more valid indicator is at least three years. Do the CNA's stay simply for a job? Or is there something else going on that seems to keep them satisfied and fulfilled? And if there is, what is it and can we use that recipe to address the registered nurses?
I would appreciate your comments.
Anthony Cirillo is the about.com expert in assisted living. A speaker, health care consultant, senior advocate and blogger, he consults with long-term care facilities and is available for management retreats and association keynotes. He is the author of "Who Moved My Dentures?" His company, Fast Forward Consulting empowers organizations to change the healthcare experience and leverage it in their marketing. For more information go to More at www.4wardfast.com and www.anthonycirillo.com.