Report: Second-degree nurses report higher pay, more work-family conflict
Registered nurses whose first bachelor's degree is in a field other than nursing report higher levels of work-family conflict, more job certainty and greater pay than first-degree nurses. However, motivation and attitudes of so-called second- and first-degree nurses tend to be the same according to a new study.Second-degree nurses are typically older than first-degree nurses, and tend to be married and have children, according to researchers at the New York University College of Nursing. There is also a larger percentage of male second-degree nurses compared with male first-degree nurses, researchers note. According to the results of the survey, which is part of a larger 10-year project from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, second-degree nurses earn an average of $2,400 per year more, and work about 1.2 hours per week less than first-degree nurses.
Differences in work motivation and attitude are not quite as pronounced, survey results suggest. In addition, first- and second-degree nurses tend to be equally satisfied with their jobs. Survey results appear in the Journal of Professional Nursing.
