orm_asc_october-2024 - 19

Salary/Career Survey
The favorable job satisfaction is reflected in the percentage
of those planning to leave their employers within the
next year. In 2021, when the question was first asked, 69%
planned to stay (58% in 2022 and 62% in 2023). In 2022
and 2023, when the question was first asked, many respondents
planned to stay with their current employer 5 years or
more (55% in 2022, 50% in 2023). Those who planned to
leave most commonly cited burnout as the reason (participants
could choose more than one answer).
Another first with the 2021 survey was asking participants
to choose what benefits they would like to add to those they
already receive. In all 3 years, the top choices were financially
related: profit sharing, bonus, and tuition reimbursement.
Bonus
Profit sharing
Tuition reimbursement
ASC leader profile
The average age of ASC leaders who responded to the survey
has been fairly consistent in the 50s except for 2022, when
it was 49. In 2023, the average age was 51 years, compared
to 55 in 2014, the oldest average over the past decade. The
highest (53 years) came in 2017 and the lowest (48 years) in
2022. In all instances, the average was higher than that for
RNs in general; the 2022 National Nursing Workforce Survey
reported a median age of 46 years.
In recent years, there has been a slight uptick in the percentage
of ASC leaders with 5 years of experience or less.
In 2023, a quarter of respondents fell into this category,
compared to 21% in 2020. On the other side of the spectrum,
23% had at least 21 years of experience in 2023, compared
to 34% in 2020.
Years of experience
2020
Less than 1 year
1-5 years
6-10 years
11-15 years
16-20 years
21-25 years
26 years or more
www.ormanager.com
4%
17%
23%
9%
13%
8%
26%
2021
2%
31%
23%
15%
8%
8%
13%
2022
3%
26%
24%
24%
11%
3%
8%
2023
2%
23%
19%
15%
18%
10%
13%
Desired benefits
2021
35%
29%
27%
2022
31%
39%
26%
2023
35%
35%
30%
In each of the past 10 years, most respondents worked for
a physician-owned ASC. The percentages ranged from 36% in
2014 and 2017 to 48% in 2022; in 2023, it was 40%. The
second most common setting for most years was joint venture,
with hospital claiming second place in 2018 and 2020.
Over the past decade, more respondents have worked in a
multispecialty rather than single specialty ASC, although the
percentage of single specialty centers has increased in recent
years (28% in 202, 32% in 2021, 41% in 2022, and 40% in
2023).
Ophthalmology has been the most common single specialty
for most years, ranging from 31% to 40% of respondents.
The exceptions came in 2015 and 2020, when orthopedics
took the top spot. An outlier occurred in 2018, when
gastroenterology was first.
The most common specialties in multispecialty ASCs have
tended to be orthopedics, general surgery, and pain management,
but the categories have changed somewhat over the
years, making comparisons more difficult. Interestingly, 44%
of 2014 respondents reported that the number of specialties
they offered in the past 12 months had increased; by the
time the question was dropped, the percentage was only 26%
(2020).
Education preparation has remained stable over the past
decade. Most ASC leaders report a baccalaureate in nursing
as their highest level of education. The lowest percentage
(22%) came in 2014. By 2021, the percentage had risen
to 42% before dropping slightly to 34% in 2022 and 35% in
2023. The percentage of those with a master's degree remains
low; the highest percentage (in 2016) was only 19%.
The highest percentage (21%) of those with an associate
degree in nursing was in 2016, and the lowest was 16% in
2015 and 2016.
The past 10 years have brought little change in diversity.
Since 2014, most (77% to 87%) of respondents have been
female. Participants were asked their race or ethnicity starting
in 2021. Most identified as White (88% in 2021, 84% in
2022, and 86% in 2023), with all other categories either 0 or
in the single digits.
Data collection for OR Manager's next annual survey is
now open. Your participation will help in continuing to identify
trends of interest to OR leaders. Results of the 2024 survey
will be published in September and October. ORM
-Cynthia Saver, MS, RN, is president of CLS Development,
Columbia, Maryland, which provides editorial services
to healthcare publications.
Reference
Smiley R A, Allgeyer R L, Shobo Y, et al. The 2022 national
nursing workforce survey. J Nurs Reg. 2023;14(1):S1S90.
ASC
Leader | October 2024
19
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