Business View Magazine | Volume 8, Issue 6

9 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 8, ISSUE 6 HARRIS POLL FINDS MOST NURSES ARE PROUD OF THE WORK THE THEIR JOB IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER BECAUSE OF THE PAND T his has been an unprecedented year for nurses as they have faced the challenges of a global pandemic. Many have worked long hours, seen changes in their job duties and have experienced anxiety about their own health and safety and that of their families. 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. Despite all these obstacles, 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. “This has been a challenging year and nurses should take great pride in the care they gave,” said Kathleen Winston, Ph.D., RN, dean for the College of Nursing at University of Phoenix. “Often nurses are seeing people during the most vulnerable moments in their lives. In the pandemic, patients were even more vulnerable as they were isolated from loved ones. Those drawn to the nursing profession have a desire to serve others, and that mindset likely saw many of them through this difficult time.” According to the survey findings, the majority of nurses see their job as more than a vocation. OPENING L INES