One third of US nurses consider quitting: Poll

Almost a third of nurses in the United States are considering leaving their job as they feel overwhelmed and tired, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, a survey shows.

The survey conducted by AMN Healthcare Services Inc of over 18,000 nurses in January, shows 30% of the participants are looking to quit their career.

The figure is up 7 percentage points from 2021, when the pandemic-triggered wave of resignations began.

The survey also showed that 36% of the nurses plan to continue working in the sector but may change workplaces.

“This really underscores the continued mental health and well-being challenges the nursing workforce experiences post pandemic,” said AMN Healthcare CEO Cary Grac on Monday.

The survey showed there are various changes needed, with 69% of nurses seeking increased salaries and 63% of them seeking a safer working environment to reduce their stress.

This comes as a shortage of staff in hospitals has been an issue for a couple of years in the country. The pandemic has exacerbated these shortages to crisis levels. Healthcare experts, however, had already anticipated a significant nursing shortage before the pandemic.

Staffing shortages often lead to higher patient-to-nurse ratios, puting more stress on the staff and resulting in poorer patient outcomes, experts say.