Survey: Fewer than half of nurses say they are ‘fully engaged’ at work
Do you consider yourself fully engaged while on the job? If you answered yes, you’re in the minority.
Only 45% of nurses said they are “fully engaged” at work, according to the 2023 PRC National Nursing Engagement Report.
The report defined fully engaged as being “emotionally and intellectually connected to their hospitals” and invested in their success. These nurses also have fewer absences and work to mentor colleagues.
About 14% of respondents said they were “unengaged.” The report defined unengaged nurses as those “who look for a shift to end, are focused on the next break, who call off during times of stress, and for whom a patient is a diagnosis or a task.”
Millennials were the age group with the highest rates of unengaged nurses (17.1%) compared to 14% for Gen X and 10.5% for baby boomers.
There were also more night shift nurses (18.4%) than day shift (12.8%) who said they were unengaged.
Despite these numbers, 50% of unengaged nurses said they plan to stay in their jobs for at least the next two years. For fully engaged workers, that number was 82%.
Registered nurse Elaina McAdams Hall offered Fox News Digital four strategies hospitals can employ to combat lack of engagement. Hall is chief quality officer of SnapNurse, a health care staffing firm based in Atlanta, but was not involved in the PRC report.
- Education and training: “Reskilling and upskilling clinical education programs attract and retain current nurses and individuals interested in nursing,” Hall told Fox.
- Work-life balance: Flexible scheduling, reasonable shift lengths and adequate time off to prevent burnout can all help, she said.
- Compensation and benefits: Offer competitive salaries and benefits packages to attract and retain nursing talent.
- Work environment: “Foster a culture of appreciation, respect and support within health care organizations,” Hall advised.
The PRC report surveyed 1,923 RNs from 37 hospitals across the country.
About the Author
Nancy Clanton is a lead producer for The AJC's platforms team, but also writes stories about health, travel, events and entertainment. A native of Knoxville and graduate of the University of Tennessee, she has worked at the AJC for 24 years.
