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Survey: Many nurses feel overworked, considering leaving the field

On Behalf of | Apr 25, 2017 | Health Law |

The nursing shortage that the U.S. is currently experiencing has the potential to impact a great many people. This includes the nurses that are out there working in the field. For one, the shortage could lead to these individuals facing particularly big workloads. Unreasonably big workloads could lead to nurses feeling burned out or overworked.

A recent survey indicates that feeling overworked is pretty common among today’s nurses. The survey was by the company RNnetwork, and it polled 600 U.S. nurses.

Of the surveyed nurses, 46 percent said they feel more overworked these days.

The survey also suggests that thoughts of leaving the field are very common among nurses. Almost half (49.8 percent) of the surveyed nurses reported that they were considering leaving the field. Many nurses gave feelings of being overworked as the reason they were thinking of exiting the field.

So, it appears that, in this time of nurse shortages, conditions exist that could be driving the nurses that are out there out of the field. What do you think could be done to help reduce unreasonably high workloads and other pressures that could push a person out of the field among nurses?

As one can see, the current nursing shortage can pose many unique challenges and issues for nurses. These challenges and issues can raise their head in many contexts, including in legal matters related to nursing, such as nursing license matters. For example, an unreasonably high workload could be a contributor to events that nurses end up facing disciplinary hearings, and possible license suspensions, in connection to. Whatever has led to a nurse facing such hearings, it can be critical for a nurse to have experienced legal representation when navigating this high-stakes situation.

Source: Healthcare Dive, “Survey: Nearly half of nurses might leave the profession,” Ana Mulero, March 1, 2017

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