I have to say that, as a hospital administrator, my first priority would be patient care, and I want enough nurses taking care of me. But as a nurse, I would want mandated overtime eliminated from the job requirement. To help combat the shortage, the workplace has responded with higher salaries and more flexible schedules for nurses. Warfel will find out in June, when the first wave of 450 nurses to receive the bonuses will complete their 18 months. For many nurses, however, the rewards of nursing aren't grounded in bonuses or salary.
Nursing is very hard.
You earn every penny you make. You have to really love what you do. Margaret O. Kirk's Work Life column appears every other week in Career Builder.