The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) recently released a new survey that found the national nursing shortage remains a serious challenge.
While rates of burnout, fatigue, and stress have improved since the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are still relatively high—and are contributing to nurses wanting to leave the field.
Key findings from the study include:
- More than 40% of nurses surveyed reported an intent to leave or retire within the next 5 years. Of this group, 18.6% intended to retire, whereas 22.7% intended to leave nursing for other reasons.
- 41.3% of LPN/VNs and 9% of RNs reported an intent to leave the workforce or retire within the next five years.
- Of those who plan to leave the field, 41.5% cited stress and burnout as the biggest contributing factors to their decision. Workload and understaffing were also cited as reasons for many nurses opting to leave the field.
- Since 2022, more than 138,000 nurses have left the workforce, due to retirement, burnout, or stress.
- The percentage of RNs younger than 30 years of age declined from 11.1% in 2022 to 7.9% in 2024. Similarly, the proportion of the LPN/LVN workforce under 30 is the lowest that has been observed since 2015, at 7.0%.
The study acknowledges an upward shift in investments for mental health and other support services for nurses since the pandemic, but structural issues such as short staffing and high workloads remain. These factors may pose a long-term threat to the stability of the nursing workforce. And while some experienced nurses have chosen to re-enter the workforce in recent years, the authors conclude this may be a temporary phenomenon.
Despite these challenges, the industry has shown some signs of improvement. Educational attainment in the nursing profession is increasing, with more than 73% of RNs holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. Racial diversity in the field has also shown steady growth with Hispanic/Latino-origin, Black/African American, and Asian nurses accounting for the largest increases in both the RN and LPN/LVN workforces.
The Healthcare Workforce Coalition continues to promote strategies for alleviating this serious shortage, including tapping into the international workforce and investing in nursing education and training right here in the U.S.
To read the full NCSBN report, CLICK HERE.
To read a summary of the report, CLICK HERE.