Physicians: Experienced nurses' assessment of new doctors

Nurses of the Baby Boomer generation say that newly minted doctors make better work partners than physicians they encountered earlier in their careers. That was one finding of a nationwide survey of nurses 45 to 60 years old to better understand their professional concerns and level of satisfaction. Specifically, 58 percent of the 1,831 respondents agreed that physicians coming out of training today are "more respectful and collaborative with nurses" than those who trained 10 or 20 years ago. While that's certainly encouraging, a majority of nurses (43 percent) said that the overall quality of medical care has declined since they first entered the profession. Nearly 39 percent said quality had improved; 18 percent thought it had remained the same.

The survey was conducted by AMN Healthcare, a national medical staffing firm that places physicians, nurses, and allied personnel.