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Nurses' Preferences for Employment-Based Benefits

In recent years, nurses have complained loudly about the lack of benefits offered by their employers. Registered nurses often do not receive vacation, sick leave, health insurance, dental insurance, and other benefits enjoyed by skilled workers. In response to the nursing shortage, employers are increasingly offering these benefits to nurses. Labor unions that represent licensed nurses also are bargaining to guarantee benefits to their members.

While these efforts to improve the benefits received by nurses seem likely to benefit nurses, little is known about nurses’ preferences for benefits. Many nurses work part-time or on a per-diem basis voluntarily and thus forego benefits. Nurses may value some benefits, such as sick leave, more than other benefits, such as dental insurance. Employers of nurses and nursing unions need more information about nurses’ preferences to better meet nurses’ needs.

The principal objective of this project was to learn about how registered nurses (RNs) view employment-based benefits. Which benefits do they prefer? Do they have a choice to receive benefits? How do their benefits compare to those of their spouses/partners? How do benefits vary by employer and type of employer? We engaged in four activities: literature review, focus groups in two states, key informant interviews, and data analysis.

Publications

Spetz J, Adams S. (2006) How Can Employment-Based Benefits Help the Nursing Shortage? Health Affairs 25(1):212-218.
Abstract

Contact: Joanne Spetz, PhD