/EINPresswire.com/ -- BOCA RATON, FL--(Marketwired - March 01, 2017) - RNnetwork, one of the largest travel nursing companies in the nation, revealed today the results of a national survey. The survey indicates that nearly half of responding nurses (49.8 percent) are considering leaving the profession. These nurses feel overworked and disrespected by their coworkers. Though they contemplate leaving, some nurses are also taking on additional work through travel nursing opportunities to supplement their income.

RNnetwork created this study to better understand the life of the modern nurse, and asked 600 nurses around the country about their workload, work/life balance, the national nursing shortage and how respected they feel at work.

"Nursing is tough mentally, physically, and emotionally. I can see how the nature of the work would lead some to look elsewhere, you also have a lot of nurses who are ready to retire," says Eric Darienzo, president of RNnetwork. "However, while it's a hard job it's also very rewarding. For many nurses, helping patients is really more of a calling than a job."

A deeper dive into the results shows that the number one reason nurses want to leave the profession is feeling overworked (27 percent), followed by not enjoying their job anymore (16 percent) and spending too much time on paperwork (15 percent).

Other significant findings from the study include:

• Nurses don't feel respected in the workplace. Responding nurses particularly feel disrespected by their peers and hospital administration. Verbal harassment is a prominent way in which nurses feel disrespected: 45 percent of nurses have been verbally harassed or bullied by other nurses and 41 percent have experienced harassment from managers or administrators. Nurses who feel harassed at work are 20 percent more likely to consider leaving their jobs.
  
  
• Most nurses aren't working longer hours. Few nurses feel they work more hours today than they did two years ago (27 percent). The survey also found that 63 percent of nurses feel they spend just the right amount of time at work and 61 percent have the same amount or more free time than they did two years ago.
  
  
• Nurses are taking on more in the workplace. Though few nurses feel they work more hours, 46 percent reported an increase in their workloads when they are in the hospital or clinic. Additionally, 43 percent of respondents say their workplaces don't support a healthy work/life balance.
  
  
• Nurses are taking on additional jobs. Many nurses feel their full-time employment doesn't provide the salary they desire. Though they feel overworked, 45 percent of nurses are taking on additional jobs specifically to supplement their income. Of those, 34 percent have taken on extra medical work and 22 percent have done travel nursing.

"I haven't really seen harassment as much as a 'thrown to the sharks' feel," says Elaine Abercrombie, a registered travel nurse with RNnetwork who has been working for more than 10 years. "I am a seasoned nurse, able to handle most assignments without too much intervention from others, but a new nurse will probably feel less capable and less prepared. If harassment occurs, nurses should definitely go through proper channels to report it."

While nurses are thinking of leaving the field, the country is facing a national shortage of nurses. The healthcare system is experiencing a growing gap in registered nurses, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates 1.2 million vacancies will emerge for registered nurses between 2014 and 2022. Working nurses are looking for solutions, and 64 percent of respondents say one potential solution to the nursing shortage is using travel nursing to bring nurses to the places that need them rather than relying on local nurses to fill all available positions. The survey found that 88 percent of responding nurses would consider working a temporary or travel job in the future.

"Travel nursing plays a huge role in healthcare. It ensures nurses are working where they are needed, in underserved areas throughout the United States," says Darienzo. "While there is a general shortage of nurses, we find that the real issue is not having enough nurses where they are needed. The nurses are out there; we just need to get them connected with the places that need them most."

To facilitate the study, an email survey polled more than 600 nurses working throughout the United States to determine attitudes about the nursing shortage, workload and work/life balance. Most nurses surveyed worked in hospitals and were between the ages of 25 and 55.

The complete survey report is available here -- http://bit.ly/rnnetworksurvey.

RNnetwork has identified some ways to attract nurses and create a culture that they enjoy. To learn more, please visit http://www.rnnetwork.com/blog/employer-tips/make-hospital-attractive-nurses/.

About RNnetwork
One of the largest travel nursing companies in the nation, RNnetwork is recognized as the industry's gold standard. Founded in 1998, RNnetwork has built an excellent reputation by making the needs of our travel nurses our top priority. Our ability to combine the friendly, personal service of a small company with the benefits, resources, and stability of our strong, stable parent company -- CHG Healthcare Services -- gives our nurses the best of both worlds. To learn more, please visit http://www.rnnetwork.com/.

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