Survey Results of the New Health Care Worker Study: Implications ...

143. Demographic Characteristics of Survey RespondentsIn total, 1396 nurses from Hamilton Health Sciences, Kingston General Hospital, and St.Michael’s Hospital in Toronto responded to our survey. In terms of professional qualifications,of these individuals, the majority are Registered Nurses (RNs) and a smaller number areRegistered Practical Nurses (RPNs). In terms of educational background, the vast majority ofsurvey respondents (755 nurses or 54%) reported a diploma in nursing as their highest level ofeducation. About one in five have a university degree in nursing. Additional information aboutthe educational background of survey participants is contained in Table 1.When asked about their primary nursing position in the hospital, most of the surveyrespondents reported that they are employed as staff RNs or RPNs. The most common areas ofpractice among survey respondents are critical care, medical surgical care, and nursingeducation. The majority of the nurses in this sample responded that their primary area ofpractice is the area they would prefer to work in. Additional information about employmentstatus of the sample is contained in Tables 2 and 3.The survey respondents report an average of 18 years of tenure in the profession ofnursing, an average of 13 years of employment at their hospital workplace, and an average of 8years in their current position. The average age of the sample is 42 years. Our sample reflectsthe dominance of women workers in the nursing profession. Given this high percentage offemale workers, it is not surprising that 17% of our respondents have children living with themwho are less than 5 years of age, 26% with children between the ages of 5 and 12 years, and 31%with children13 years of age or older. Only a small number of respondents live with anotherdependent adult. Almost all reported that they do not live alone, and are married or live with apartner [See Table 4].