Nurses and Hospital Employees' Top Concerns: Communication, Staffing and Co...( Report findings bring urgency and ins...),Health

Report findings bring urgency and insight into the growing nursing shortage

facing the industry

SOUTH BEND, Ind., Oct. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Nurses and hospital employees report better compensation, staffing levels, and recognition for work done as the top areas hospitals need to improve according to the 2007 Hospital Check-Up Report: Nurse and Employee Perspectives on American Health Care. The report was released today by Press Ganey Associates, Inc., the health care industry's leading provider of measurement and improvement services.

Perhaps most concerning to hospital administrators because of the well-documented nursing shortage in the United States is that registered nurses are the least satisfied hospital employees. In fact, nurse satisfaction itself is tied to the nurse vacancy rate of the hospital.

The national report examines the experiences of more than 193,000 employees -- including nurses, technicians, administrative personnel, and other non-clinical employees -- at more than 370 hospitals across the country. Additional findings from the report include:

-- Opportunities for promotion and senior leadership's attention to

concerns are essential to maintaining employee satisfaction.

-- Office, clerical and administrative personnel report the highest

levels of satisfaction among hospital employees.

-- Hospitals' culture of engagement, a critical indicator of employee

contributions toward an organization's goals, has room for improvement

when compared to other facets of employee satisfaction.

On the whole, hospital employees emphasize the need for hospital leaders' improved attention to their concerns. In fact, from the employee perspective, this is the top priority for hospitals to improve the working environment.

"Maintaining and attracting world-class talent is increasingly important in the face of ongoing staffing shortages," says Dr.
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