The majority of your peers gave an enthusiastic thumbs up to NP practice as a profession choice. Knowing what you know now, 84% of you agreed that you’d follow the same career path today as when you entered practice, which is up 2% from last year. Educational preparation came in for a ringing endorsement, increasing substantially since last year’s survey results (a 9% increase) and of practice setting up 4%.
Of NPs in practice between < 1 and 5 years, 62% felt their educational training was adequate; 74% felt their current responsibilities matched their expectations fairly accurately; and they were evenly divided on whether or not their career expectations were met.
“I enjoy being an NP and working with patients from all ethnic groups who are mostly uninsured.”
WOULD YOU TAKE A NEW JOB TODAY?
Continuing to probe about your level of satisfaction, we asked how you feel about changing your job. The answer choices were, “I would…”
- Change my job if I could get a better one (ie, better paid)
- Take any other job in which I could earn as much as I do now (ie, Yes, to leave the profession)
- Change both my job and my occupation (ie, I am burned out)
- Not make any changes (e, No, not for any reason)
We also asked you how many times have you’ve changed jobs since graduating from your PA program. The 4 answer choices ranged from “None” to “More than 3 times.” The final question asked which factors influence your decision about seeking/accepting a new position, allowing more than one choice from the list below.
- Salary/compensation
- Options for supplemental income
- Greater independence/more autonomy
- Opportunities for professional growth/development
- Formal career ladder for advancement
- Defined career path
- Recognition and appreciation
- Schedule flexibility
- Geographic location
- Access to and subsidy for more educational opportunities
- Employer reimbursement of school loans
- Specific state scope of practice and licensure law
- Work-life balance, including addressing burnout
- Working conditions
- Avoid toxic coworkers
- Top-of-the-line tools
- Telecommuting Cost of living
- Opportunity for outdoor activities/lifestyle
To see what your colleagues said, go to the next page