The American journal of nursing
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The worsening state of the nation's nursing shortage has drawn attention to the need for more effective ways to recruit and retain nurses. For this reason, VHA West Coast (a regional division of VHA, Inc., a national network of community-owned hospitals and health care systems) conducted the targeting nurses, physicians, and executives in a large network of hospitals. VHA designed the survey to assess how these disparate groups viewed nurse-physician relationships, disruptive physician behavior, the institutional response to such behavior, and how such behavior affected nurse satisfaction, morale, and retention. ⋯ The findings suggest that the quality of nurse-physician relationships must be addressed as facilities seek to improve nurse recruitment and retention. A survey shows that relations with physicians greatly affect nurses' job satisfaction and morale. Disruptive behavior on the part of physicians is a chief issue.