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There is nearly universal agreement in the health care
community that there is a shortage of registered nurses
(RNs) in the United States and that this shortage will
become more acute in the years to come. Recent studies
indicate that much of the public believes this as well.
Although there is general agreement on the existence
of a nursing shortage, not everyone agrees on the underlying
causes of the shortage or the best way to alleviate
it.
The NurseWeek/AONE Survey of Registered Nurses survey
was conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of NurseWeek
and the American Organization of Nurse Executives' (AONE)
Institute for Patient Care Research and Education to
learn more about the nursing shortage and the issues
that surround it from the perspective of nurses themselves.
RNs were surveyed on their perceptions of the shortage
and its impact, their experiences in their work environment,
and their future career plans.
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| Survey Method and Sample |
The survey was conducted from October 24, 2001 through
March 13, 2002 among a nationally representative sample
of 7,600 registered nurses, randomly selected from a list
of all RNs licensed to practice in the United States.
Respondents were invited by mail to participate in the
survey and given the option of completing the questionnaire
either on paper or via the Internet. The questionnaire
averaged 15 minutes in length.
In an effort to maximize participation, up to seven contacts
were made by mail with each potential respondent. In addition,
respondents were offered 3 hours of free continuing education,
and entered into a drawing to win certificates for free
travel as an inducement to participate. A total of 4108
RNs completed the survey for a response rate of 55%. (177
out of the 7,600 invited to participate were determined
to be ineligible). Figures for age and region of the country
were weighted to align them with their actual proportions
in the nursing population. |
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| Project Responsibility |
A research advisory team of nationally recognized nursing
and workforce researchers was assembled by NurseWeek and
AONE to provide oversight for the study, and to guide
the development of the questionnaire, the research methodology,
and the analysis of the data. This team consisted of Mary
A. Blegen PhD, RN, FAAN; Peter Buerhaus PhD, RN, FAAN;
Karen Donelan, ScD; and Karen Sechrist, PhD, RN, FAAN.
The team also included Karen Haase-Herrick, MN, RN, AONE
board member; Carol Bradley, MSN, RN, Regional Vice President
and Editor, NurseWeek California Edition; and Pamela Thompson,
MS, RN, Executive Director of AONE, representing the sponsoring
organizations. Deloras Jones, MS, RN, served as project
leader, providing overall leadership and guidance.
The Harris team responsible for management of the project
and analysis of the results included Peter Risher, Senior
Project Director and Sandra Applebaum, Research
Associate.
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| Public Release of Survey
Findings |
All Harris Interactive surveys are designed to comply
with the code and standards of the Council of American
Survey Research Organizations (CASRO) and the code of
the National Council of Public Polls (NCPP). Because data
from the survey may be released to the public, release
must stipulate that the complete report is also available.
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