By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
I recently wrote a blog about managing new graduate expectations about dream jobs. One of our blog readers presented me with a second opinion on what I had discussed. With her permission, I am publishing her email below.
Your article on the “Dream Job” has stirred lots of conversation at our medical center- which is great. I wanted to share some of my thoughts that came to mind after reading it. I agree about the importance of presenting a realistic description of the work environment in the interview so there are no misconceptions about the “Dream job”. Helping the NMs and ANMs with what is said in interviews and shadows might be a place to start. Also, Nursing Schools need to do a better job communicating reality to the nursing students.
However, I also do not think it’s helpful to compare the transition to nursing practice today to “back when we started” as reflected in the article. The healthcare environment is not the same (wearing PPE constantly, patient care technology/ medical devices, potential dangerous/violent work environments, advanced medical treatments) and when we started, most nurses did not enter the profession deep in student loan debt. Reflecting on how it was when we started “back in the day” is parallel to our grandparents telling us how they walked 5 miles to school in two feet of snow.
We have an exceptional challenge to figure out how we are going to retain nurses today. We need incentives that will help nurses now. Things that are different from what traveling nursing offers them. They do not care about health benefits (especially if under 26), retirement plans, or tuition reimbursement ( As one nurse resident said to me: “Go back to school- why? I cannot make less money –I don’t need more schooling, or more debt- I need to make money!”)
Possible suggestions:
*Student loan forgiveness (there are some great programs that have the data demonstrating it helped retention)
*Pay for additional work when performed – preceptor and charge nurse differentials (not a bonus that they have to track for 6 months, or no additional pay for taking charge)
*A healthy work environment- more assistive help, more safety measures in the clinical areas
*Improved parking for bedside nurses, maybe reduced cost
(Nothing new or not said before, but items that could help)
Today nurses are seeing their peers in other professions work from home or hybrid and have a work/life balance. They want to feel that their position is doable and not to feel like they are in a constant state of frustration and overwhelming stress. Many are questioning their decision to be a nurse, “I cannot do this job for the next 30 years- not like this!” The overall biggest challenge is to actually keep nurses in the profession of Nursing, yet alone retain them at our facility. We cannot continue to do things the same way and expect different outcomes. Some of the nurses searching for their “Dream Jobs” are actually just searching for a safe environment where they are supported. So they start over again – and are in the “orientation phase” which is the closest to the environment they seek-working with an experienced nurse, learning and sharing the difficult assignment. (but again, not always the reality). Just some reflection on the article.
I valued this reflection because it is an important reminder that the definition of “a dream job” may be viewed differently within the context of our current turbulent healthcare environment. War stories from 40 years ago may no longer be relevant. It is essential to remain open-minded and understand that nursing is changing, and so must we all – including seasoned nurse leaders like myself.
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