HEH survey: Most workers happy despite long hours
Most said job burnout is not a big problem
Despite staff shortages and long hours, hospital employee health professionals have a high level of job satisfaction, according to a survey of Hospital Employee Health readers.
Of 268 respondents to the survey, 37.7% said they were "very satisfied" with their jobs, and 43.3% reported being "somewhat satisfied." And while 23% reported that job burnout is a moderate to big problem in their employee health department, 37% said it was not a problem at all.
Some 70% of respondents said they work more than 40 hours per week, including 13% who average more than 50 hours per week.
"We’re an independent group of professionals, self-motivated, and we want to do a good job," explains Mary Ann Gruden, MSN, CRNP, NP-C, COHN-S/CM, executive president of the Association of Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare in Reston, VA. "You end up working all these other hours to try to get the job done."
Employee health also tends to be a stable field. About 68% of respondents to the HEH survey said they plan to stay in their current jobs indefinitely. About one-third (35%) reported salaries in the $41,000 to $50,000 range. (See salary chart, above.)
"It is a rewarding specialty, but demanding at the same time," concludes Gruden.
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