The nursing workforce crisis has improved slightly since the pandemic, but it is far from over. New research from the National Nursing Board (NCSBN) shows that nurses are still struggling with high levels of burnout and job dissatisfaction – so many people plan to leave the field as a result, therefore, therefore.
The report is based on a survey of 800,000 American nurses. It found that nursing employment levels have rebounded slightly since 2022, with 87.7% of RN licensees and 70.6% of LPN/VN licenses being actively employed.
NCSBN's research also found that more than 138,000 nurses have left the workforce since 2022 – they reported the same reasons as when NCSBN investigated them two years ago: stress, burnout and retirement.
Looking ahead, the survey results show that 40% of nurses plan to leave the industry within the next five years. This raises concerns about the country’s nursing shortage in the future, especially as the population ages.
NCSBN Research Director Brendan Martin noted that burnout and understaffing workloads have been the main factors that have led to nurses’ exit from the scene over the past five years or so. He noted that the new report shows that workplace violence and underpaid have also become key factors.
Martin said the problems predated the pandemic, but exacerbated them because of it – provider organizations are still proposing strategies to address them.
But in this regard, providers seem to have made some progress, Martin said, noting that older nurses appear to be returning to the workforce.
After a high decline in the pandemic (2020-2022), the share of nurses over the workforce rebounded from 2024 – from 31% in 2022 to 40%. Martin said more than 100,000 experienced nurses have returned to the industry.
He declared that this trend shows that working conditions have improved enough to make many experienced nurses feel safe and supportive again.
“But there is a parallel trend – their intention to cancel over the next five years has increased significantly. That's our pause because we take into account the sustainability of this balance,” Martin said.
He also noted that among people of all ages, not just older nurses, the intention to leave the nursing community is still high. Martin warned that if this trend continues, it could lead to decades of failure of young nurses and promote long-term workforce instability.
He pointed out that recruitment is not a problem.
150,000 to 200,000 nurses enter the workforce every year. In his opinion, the key challenge is retention, especially among experienced nurses.
“The supply at the front end of the labor channel is very strong and very sustainable. I think there is a need to focus more on the current workforce – that’s where you get into policies at the employer level, federal and state level, addressing violence and bullying in the workplace, salaries, salaries, salaries, high jobs, staff, low staff, etc.,” Martin explains.
He believes this moment is a cautious turning point. There are promising reasons, but only intentional, cooperative efforts – providers, policy makers, regulators and educators – can restore caregivers to last.
Otherwise, nursing staff levels could reach crisis levels within a few years as retirement accelerates and unresolved stressors continue.
Photo: Hiraman, Getty Images
