Balancing life's choices--all dressed up and too many places to go

Serendipitous findings from an Illinois ED nursing educational survey reflect a crisis in emergency nursing

INTRODUCTION

A survey conducted by the Research Council Of Illinois ENA was intended to assess educational needs, but it revealed some very important serendipitous findings. This survey gave a voice to the frustrations of emergency nurses.

METHOD

A 31-question survey was distributed to 900 Illinois ENA members requesting information about their educational needs. The last question, which formed the basis of this report, asked respondents to list the 3 biggest challenges they face on a daily basis.

RESULTS

In addition to the information regarding educational offerings, the survey revealed that ED nurses were overburdened and frustrated in their jobs. Specifically, the nurses identified 7 areas of greatest concern: (1) insufficient and inexperienced staff; (2) increased responsibilities; (3) lack of administrative support; (4) lack of rewards or incentives to stay; (5) low morale among staff; (6) difficulty balancing work and family; and (7) increasing violence in the emergency department.

DISCUSSION

The first step toward addressing a growing crisis in emergency nursing is to listen to the voices of emergency nurses themselves and let their frustrations be heard. The spontaneous comments of emergency nurses point to serious, pervasive, systemic problems in emergency nursing. Such problems will not be solved by "quick fixes" such as sign on bonuses, but rather by listening carefully to the concerns of experienced nurses.