May 12, 2021 – As part of recognizing National Nurses Week, May 6-12, University of Phoenix commissioned The Harris Poll to survey 300 nurses across the nation to better understand their perception of the nursing profession since the start of the pandemic.
According to the research, nurses feel overwhelmingly positive about their jobs and are proud to belong to the nursing profession.
The survey found that 99% of nurses are proud of the work that they do and 87% agree their job is more important than ever right now.
Job satisfaction was also high with 90% of nurses saying they like their job and 88% say they are satisfied with their job.
Even though nurses feel positive about their job, 78% of nurses say that working during the pandemic has been the most challenging time in their careers.
Nurses reported feeling exhausted (65%), fearful (49%) and underappreciated (36%). Many said they were concerned about their risk of exposure to COVID-19 (88%) or their organization’s ability to keep up with a surge of COVID-19 patients (63%).
In fact, 46% of nurses thought about quitting their job at some point during the pandemic.
According to the survey findings, the majority of nurses do see their job as more than a vocation. When asked about their profession, 96% of nurses believed that nursing is not just a job, it is a calling.
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of University of Phoenix between July 30 – August 11, 2020 among 300 nurses who are US residents, ages 18 and older and currently employed full-time as a nurse.