Almost Half of Nurses Plan a Career Switch

According to a new survey of registered nurses, nearly one-third of RNs say they will not be working in their current job a year from now and close to half of them plan to alter their career path to either leave the nursing field entirely or reduce their contribution to direct patient care.

A driving force in that decision? The fact that nearly half of the nurses surveyed said that their jobs are affecting their health.

These findings were part of the 2010 Survey of Registered Nurses: Job Satisfaction and Career Plans, conducted by AMN Healthcare. The survey also addressed how RNs have altered their careers plans due to the recession, how they might respond to an economic recovery and whether they believe healthcare reform will address the nurse shortage.

To learn more about the survey, click here.