About 100,000 registered nurses in the U.S. left the workplace due to the stresses of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the results of a survey published by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing.
Another 610,388 registered nurses, who had more than 10 years of experience and an average age of 57, said they planned to leave the workforce by 2027 because of stress, burnout or retirement. The same was true of 189,000 additional nurses with 10 or fewer years of experience and an average age of 36.
The survey found that there were over 5.2 million active registered nurses and 973,788 licensed practical nurses or vocational nurses in the U.S. in 2022. The researchers analyzed data from 29,472 registered and advanced nurses and more than 24,000 licensed practical or vocational nurses across 45 states. More than a quarter of those surveyed said they plan to leave the industry or retire in the next five years.
About 62% of the nurses surveyed said their workload increased during the pandemic, and 50.8% said they felt emotionally drained at work.
Almost half of nurses said they felt fatigued or burned out. These concerns were seen most in nurses with less than 10 years of experience. Authors of the study are concerned that soon healthcare will rely on nurses with less than 10 years of experience to act as mentors, managers and leaders in nursing care.
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