quarter (23%) indicated that their health was Good. Only 4% indicated that their health was Fair or Poor. However, when asked about their physical health, including physical illnesses and injury, the LPNs’ responded on average that their physical health was “not good” 2.2 days per month; 35% indicated that their physical health was “not good” on at least one day per month. When considering issues associated with their mental health, such as stress, depression, and emotional problems, a total of 53% of the LPNs indicated that they experienced mental health issues at least one day per month. On average, LPNs indicated that they experienced mental health issues an average of 3.5 days per month. During the month previous to the survey, respondents reported that poor physical or mental health had kept them from doing their usual activities, such as self-care, work, or recreation, for an average of 1.9 days. Overall, the LPNs who were surveyed reported moderate levels of stress, with 43% finding their job stressful About half the time while 32% found their jobs stressful Most or All of the time. One quarter said that they found their jobs to be stressful Seldom or Never. Job satisfaction and plans. When the LPNs were asked how satisfied they were overall with their current job, their satisfaction was quite high. Overall, the respondents rated their mean satisfaction 4.1 on a five-point scale (where 1 = very dissatisfied and 5 = very satisfied). In fact, 37% were very satisfied and 48% were somewhat satisfied with their current job and less than 10% were somewhat or very dissatisfied. When asked if they would recommend practical nursing as a career choice to a friend or family member, 73% responded that they would. The most frequent comment about this positive recommendation was that being an LPN is a rich career filled with opportunities for ongoing learning. The 28% who would not recommend the career frequently commented that they would rather encourage a friend or family member to become an RN instead.
Applied Research and Evaluation Page 69 of 193
Final Report: Understanding Licensed Practical Nurses’ Full Scope of Practice September 28, 2012