According to a recent survey of 1,504 healthcare workers and 304 healthcare employers from The Harris Poll, commissioned by Strategic Education, more than half (55%) of U.S. healthcare workers intend to look for new jobs in the next year. A plurality of those seeking a new role (40%) plan to look for a job outside their current organization, a sign of potential turnover for employers at a time when there’s already a serious shortage of healthcare professionals.
The top reasons workers cited for this healthcare exodus include inadequate compensation and benefits (49%), burnout or emotional fatigue (48%), and a shortage of opportunities for career advancement, personal growth, or education (48%).
Other notable findings from the survey include:
- Less than 1 in 3 healthcare employees feel very valued by their current employer or very loyal to them.
- 8 in 10 healthcare employees feel that healthcare workers are taken for granted, and 4 in 10 feel that the general public values healthcare professions more than their employer.
- More than 8 in 10 healthcare employees believe their employers should invest in their education, and nearly 9 in 10 employers agree that they have a responsibility to help employees advance in their careers. However, only 47% of employers use tuition assistance or education benefits as a retention strategy.
This research highlights an alarming reality: five years after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the healthcare system is still reeling, with burnout remaining high, turnover accelerating, and demands on workers increasing. To improve retention, the authors recommend healthcare employers:
- Make education benefits a retention priority,
- Raise awareness that about existing benefits,
- Pair funding and flexibility to remove barriers for employees to further their education,
- Target upskilling so employees feel confident to manage rapid changes in technology including artificial intelligence, and
- Demonstrate long-term career growth opportunities to strengthen loyalty.
To read the full survey, CLICK HERE.