COVID-19 drastically impacted the nursing profession, with 100,000 nurses leaving their positions due to burnout and stress, according to CNN. This survey also confirmed that 610,388 registered nurses with over a decade of experience, at an average age of 57, want to leave their jobs by 2027. Unfortunately, this is no better for younger professionals, with 189,000 of those with ten years of experience and fewer sharing the same sentiment.
Furthermore, workload increase was the primary reason cited by 62% of the respondents for leaving their careers, while over 50% felt burnt out or fatigued due to the pandemic.
In addition to this data, more research indicates a significant shortage of nurses in the US and globally. Job satisfaction among nurses is also declining, due to an increase in workplace violence (WPV) and individual healthcare institutional changes.
This article will reveal the state of the nursing profession in 2023, the impact of COVID-19 on this industry, and the future of healthcare workers.
Job Satisfaction Among Nurses Has Decreased Since the Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted millions, placing incomparable strain on the healthcare system. Consequently, an estimated 35% of nurses felt depressed during the pandemic. The same research also found that depression was much more prevalent in younger nurses than in their older counterparts. However, it is not only depression among nursing staff that became a concern—over 58% of nurses were more susceptible to PTSD. Moreover, this figure is higher than PTSD rates among US veterans, highlighting the high number of trauma cases nurses experienced during the pandemic.
Another study confirmed that working conditions during COVID-19 had a prominent influence on the job satisfaction of nurses. This research indicates that increased workload, workplace relations, organizational preparedness, organization support, and access to adequate resources were among the reasons for decreasing job satisfaction in nurses.
A second study on NCBI reinforced this information, indicating that older professionals showed less job satisfaction than younger workers because the latter could handle pressure much easier.
A survey by AMN Healthcare found that career satisfaction in nursing has maintained between 80 and 85% for the last decade. However, this figure has dropped to 71% in 2023. In addition, 30% of nursing staff say they are likely to leave their jobs after the pandemic, with only 15% of professionals intending to keep their jobs for the following year.
Nurses are increasingly concerned about the lack of healthcare workers in their fields—94% acknowledge a lack of professionals in hospitals, and 80% expect this crisis to worsen in the following years.
How Increased Workplace Violence Has Contributed to the Crisis
Workplace violence (WPV) has been a concern before the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has become more prevalent and problematic during the health crisis. Research published on NCBI confirms that healthcare workers are four times more at risk of physical, sexual, or physiological assault.
The research suggests that nurses are more susceptible to these attacks than doctors, as some patients may regard them on a lower hierarchy. And while violence in the workplace for healthcare workers has increased, very little has been implemented to address this issue.
Currently, 70% of nurses are constantly concerned about WPV, which negatively impacts their personal and professional lives. Moreover, 57% of WPV consists of verbal abuse, with 33% representing threats, followed by sexual abuse, accounting for 12% of incidents.
Further research indicates that 57 nurses experience WPV every day. This figure equates to 2 cases every hour and 5,217 assaults every quarter.
Healthcare organizations must find sustainable and impactful solutions to protect nurses—the backbone of patient care and healthcare delivery—from WPV. It is imperative to employ these measures to ensure the health and safety of nursing staff while positively impacting their satisfaction through improved working conditions.
The Influence of Individual Organizational Changes
The shortage of nurses is also driven by how healthcare facilities had to adapt to the pandemic. The American Hospital Association (AHA) estimates that American hospitals and healthcare systems lost $202.6 billion during the health crisis, equating to an average of $50.7 billion every month.
This economic impact caused hospitals to lay off 12% of nurses, while 18% quit their jobs. According to the NY Times, many healthcare workers suffered severe financial losses, further discouraging their commitment to the industry.
With the surge in staff shortage, hospitals had to scale back services, resulting in higher waiting times for patients. These facilities have reported that the pandemic has led to low surgery volumes, rising equipment expenses, declining investments, and decreased patient health.
Ultimately, these hurdles forced by the pandemic on hospitals and healthcare systems contribute to uncomfortable working conditions and insufficient resources. As a result, nurses are not as invested in their careers.
What the Nurse Shortage Crisis May Look Like in the Following Years
According to research by The International Centre on Nurse Migration (ICNM), 4.7 million nurses will retire by 2030. However, 10.6 million new nurses are required to balance this labor market. In addition, several US states, including California, Texas, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Alaska, are projected to experience significant shortages. California, for instance, is expected to have 44,500 fewer nurses than it needs, Texas will fall short of 16,000 workers, with New Jersey and South Carolina behind at 11,400 and 10,400, respectively. Alaska will require 5,400 nurses.
Furthermore, the average annual turnover rate for nurses in 2021 was 27.1%—a significant increase since the previous year, at 18.7%. And while enrollment in entry-level nursing programs has improved since 2020, 91,000 qualified nurses were rejected from nursing school in 2021 due to a lack of faculty, classroom space, and finances to educate these students.
NPR confirms a local survey conducted by Dr. Sharon Goldfarb, an expert instructor in the nursing industry. After interviewing 91 community colleges in California, she found that nursing faculty had declined by 30% since the pandemic. While there may be a severe shortage of nurses, and the next generation is interested in gaining the skills for this profession, the lack of educational resources and instructors is a pivotal limitation.
The Bottom Line
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted nursing professionals, with hundreds of thousands of nurses reporting job dissatisfaction due to workplace stress, which made them susceptible to PTSD, depression, and anxiety. In addition, the uptick of WPV has made it more challenging for nurses to enjoy their careers and increased stress in their professional and personal lives. Organizational changes, such as budget setbacks, have also influenced how healthcare professionals perceive their careers.
The shortage of nurses is projected to become a severe issue by 2030 with millions of nurses retiring without new workers to fill these vacancies. While there is an increase in nursing program student enrollments, insufficient faculty and resources cannot support this. Consequently, the future of nursing is a crisis in the US, and healthcare facilities must take urgent and strategic measures to improve workplace conditions and optimize job satisfaction.
