Salary Survey: Nurses want tuition and flex schedules
Are you offering nurses bonuses or life insurance? You’re better off giving them tuition reimbursement and a flexible work schedule, according to the most recent ED Nursing Salary Survey results.
Respondents rated the following benefits as important or extremely important:
• medical coverage, 95%;
• dental coverage, 85%;
• 401k or other savings plan, 85%;
• tuition reimbursement, 80%;
• pension plan, 80%;
• some freedom to choose work schedule, 80%;
• life insurance, 60%;
• eye care coverage, 55%;
• maternal/paternal leave, 35%;
• profit-sharing plan, 27%;
• annual or semiannual bonus, 20%;
• child care, 15%;
• elder care, 10%.
The vast majority of ED nurses are experienced and dedicated, according to the ED Nursing Salary Survey results, which show that 80% of respondents are over 40, and 60% of respondents have worked in the health care field for 25 or more years. "This shows the dedication and traits of that generation of nurses," says George D. Velianoff, RN, DNS, CHE, executive vice president of nursing for the Emergency Nurses Association in Des Plaines, IL.
Education is priority
After health benefits, tuition reimbursement is an increasingly crucial benefit for nurses, says Michelle Regan Donovan, RN, BSN, president of Millen-nium Strategies, a health care consulting firm in Charlottesville, VA.
Nurses need this benefit more than ever before, because hospitals have cut out most educational reimbursement, says Velianoff. "This has become almost extinct. So it becomes even more important to get education as a benefit," he explains.
Since the advent of managed care and other cost-reduction efforts by hospitals, nursing education often has been the program slashed by administration or fallen by the wayside in many hospitals, Donovan reports. "Its value in incident prevention and ongoing benefits in such a dynamic health care industry often is not recognized by the bean counters or other business-oriented hospital administrators," she says.
Nurses need new competencies, says Velianoff. "They may want to move into less stressful environments and need to learn new techniques, strategies, or even to cope with the current environment that changes continuously," he explains.
Another benefit widely recognized for managers and staff alike is recognition for certificate for emergency nursing (CEN) status and payment for course and exam applications, says Donovan. Tuition reimbursement for CEN, advanced cardiac life support, advanced trauma life support, pediatric advanced life support, or emergency nursing pediatric course is significant for nurses, says Donovan. "While each of these courses offers specific benefits, they should be tailored to the organization and department population and risk factors," she advises.
While many hospitals require some of these certifications, administrators often have no interest or foresight in their value for nursing practice or hospital risk aversion, stresses Donovan. "Administrators who should require these certifications for ED and critical care employees often do not. Thus, they lose the specialty information and practice parameters required for this highly specialized department."
Course recertification costs are exorbitant and require travel and personal time off, says Donovan. "Most require recertification every two years. "Courses are normally offered off site and are frequently not even paid time off."
Often, the required education programs or competency certifications are left to an already overwhelmed nursing manager or a general education director who is often unaware of the needs of the ED nursing staff, says Donovan.
As the nursing shortage escalates, the value of staff education will become more obvious, "not only in advancing the practice of certified emergency nurses, but also in training new graduates and inexperienced medical surgical nursing staff for emergency care practice, and technicians who will be called upon to assist in this growing and high-risk practice," predicts Donovan.
Reimbursement for college courses related to ED nursing is valuable, both as a nursing recruitment item and a practice complement, says Donovan. "It cannot help but add to the practice or responsibility level of the individual longer term," she says. "As a recruitment tool, it tends to attract a higher level of nurse. That is, one who is interested in furthering their education."
Overworked, underpaid
Are you putting in more hours than ever? If so, you’re not alone, according to the ED Nursing Salary Survey results, 45% of respondents put in more than 50 hours a week. These hours could partly be due to anxiety over their future, suggests Velianoff.
"Uncertainty over their viability in their position might cause nurses to try to compensate by overachieving," he says. "They may feel a need to make sure everything is just right or be reluctant to leave the department because something may happen."
Long hours are one reason nurses increasingly are demanding a more flexible work schedule, suggests Velianoff. "ED nurses are tired," he says.
Salaries are "keeping up with the rest of the world," with 45% of respondents reporting a salary increase of 4% to 6% in the past year, says Velianoff. "It should stay higher than other sectors in the future, but will depend on the reimbursement capabilities of hospitals," he notes. "Any Balanced Budget Act [BBA] relief dollars will also help." At press time, the BBA was in legislative limbo, awaiting Congress to act on it, he reports.
Sources
For more information about salary trends in the nursing field, contact:
• Michelle Regan Donovan, RN, BSN, Millennium Strategies, 977 Seminole Trail, Suite 274, Charlottesville, VA 22901. Telephone: (540) 923-4799. Fax: (540) 923-4045. E-mail: [email protected].
• George D. Velianoff, RN, DNS, CHE, Emergency Nurses Association, 915 Lee St., Des Plaines, IL 60016. Telephone: (800) 900-9659 or (847) 460-4000. Fax: (847) 460-4004. E-mail: [email protected].
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