As you can imagine, workload is a very hot topic. In response to, “What else affects your job satisfaction?” the greatest number of comments related to electronic charting and data collection. These activities are felt to demand so much time and effort that it takes away from patient care. The survey responses support this: Compared to last year, although the number of hours worked is the same this year, NPs now spend 1 hour less per week on patient care (direct and indirect) and 1 hour more on other duties (administrative and teaching). As one clinician put it, “…every year the administrative tasks increase but the admin time allowed to do these tasks does not.”
Aside from work hours, clinicians told us they seek positions that allow them “input on all issues related to practice” and flexibility on “what /who I am allowed to treat.” According to the survey, when providing patient care,
- 87% of NPs assess, treat, and manage decisions independently
- 22% collaborate with a physician
- 8% consult with a specialist
supporting the fact that 61% of NPs satisfied with your job most of the time; 11% are always satisfied.
A side note: Of the 68% of NPs who responded that they are involved in teaching students (82% of whom are NPs), they spend approximately 7 hours a week
- Either as a clinical preceptor (52%)
- In the classroom (3%)
- Or both (13%).
CE REIMBURSEMENT
As we know, NPs earn continuing education (CE) credits in order to maintain certification. Therefore, we asked you to indicate how much financial reimbursement you receive annually for CME; answer choices range from $0 to > $2,000 per year (in $500 increments). We also queried you about how much time you are allotted annually for CME; choices were from “None” to “More than 5 weeks.”
To see what your colleagues said, go to the next page