The nursing profession is in “desperate need of sustained support” lest the workforce continue to decline. That’s according to the results of a mental health and wellness survey released this month from the American Nurses Foundation and research firm McKinsey.
The survey was conducted as part of the Pulse on the Nation’s Nurses Survey Series.
The nursing turnover rate still is higher than pre-pandemic levels as the profession continues to feel the effects of the pandemic, the foundation said.
“According to this study, there are three major reasons impacting nurses’ decisions to leave the profession or change positions: insufficient staffing, feeling unvalued by their organization and inadequate compensation,” noted the authors of a report on the results. “Insufficient staffing was a top reason selected by nurses who have less than 10 years of experience in the profession.”
Although nursing turnover has started to decline from where it was in 2021, it is still above pre-pandemic levels, the authors noted. Approximately 20% of the respondents said they had changed positions in the past six months; roughly 39% indicated that they likely would leave their current positions within the next six months. Forty-one percent of the nurse respondents who indicated an intent to leave provide direct care to people.
More than half (56%) of the 7,419 nurses who completed the survey between April 24 and May 26 reported symptoms of burnout. The survey showed that burnout is highest among nurses with 20 or fewer years on the job.
“Research conducted by both the foundation and McKinsey over the past three years has identified sustained feelings of burnout among surveyed nurses, a trend that continued this year,” according to the authors.
Although the burnout rate remains high, two-thirds of the respondents said that they are not receiving mental health support. Many said they believe that a stigma is attached to mental health needs.
“Reasons cited by nurse respondents for not seeking professional mental health support have remained consistent over the past two years, with 29% indicating a lack of time, 23% indicating they feel they should be able to handle their own mental health, and 10% citing cost or a lack of financial resources,” according to the authors.
Employers can help alleviate burnout and mental health challenges in the nursing profession, the authors noted, by reducing work loads and administrative burdens and by increasing resources for those who need them.
