Nearly a third of nurses nationwide say they are likely to leave the profession

[Jilly_in_VA]

Close to a third of nurses nationwide say they are likely to leave the profession for another career due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new survey from AMN Healthcare shows.

This level is up at least seven points since 2021. And the survey found that the ongoing shortage of nurses is likely to continue for years to come.

About 94% of nurses who responded to the AMN Healthcare survey said that there was a severe or moderate shortage of nurses in their area, with half saying the shortage was severe. And around 89% of registered nurses (RNs) said the nursing shortage is worse than five years ago.

Nurses aren't optimistic about the future, either. At least 80% of those surveyed expect that to get much worse in another five years, the report shows.

Unions representing nurses have long warned about the problem facing the profession, said National Nurses United President Deborah Burger and President of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW Jane Hopkins. Both women are also RNs.

https://www.npr.org/2023/05/02/1173107527/nursing-staffing-crisis

Nurses should be treated like professionals and not like disposable parts or slaves. (speaking as a retired RN here)

[TreasonousBastard]

1. I heard that npr story and understand nurses are being...

treated like crap. I've had a few small hospital stays and the nurses were always the first line, but given the work and never the credit.

[Eliot Rosewater]

2. 100% of the blame for this goes to cons.

They lie about Covid, they never support unions. They dont want taxation to pay for healthcare and infrastructure.

M O R O N S

If we had universal healthcare we could afford to pay for education of nurses and docs and pay them appropriately.

This country has SO MUCH money in the hands of SO FEW ...

[cynical_idealist]

3. Probably a large percentage of med professionals got PTSD in the last 3 years

They deserve all available gratitude and resources

[Mariana]

4. I can't even begin to imagine how demoralizing it must be

to have to take care of very sick and dying people who are in that position because they refused to be vaccinated.

[moonscape]

5. They were already stressed working

at for-profit hospitals, at least my local one. Several years ago I spent a lot of time at the bedside of a friend. The nurses complained when they came on shiftnthey were already an hour behind due to reduced staffing. The moved around with their electronic brain, unable to use judgement in care based on experience, just had their nose to the screen andnhad to track down the hospitalist when there was an error. They raced in and out of the room, trying to make up time on their shift but invariably falling further behind.

Care has changed so much since a friend was charge nurse there in ER for 25 years.

Being in the hosp without an advocate has never been riskier.

[Jilly_in_VA]

6. My last job

was in a for-profit (HCA) hospital. Pay was great and bennies were decent, but I felt guilty every single day. I only took the job because the NFP up the road didn't call me first and I needed to be where it was. BUT....staffing sucked pretty much most places I worked, and I worked in a lot of places (mostly NFPs) because a) I would change jobs if I got bored with someplace, and b) I spent several years as a travel nurse, which was actually the best part of my career.

[Bev54]

7. We need nurses in Canada, hope some move up here.