News: Report shows 31% of nurse leaders plan to leave workforce by next year

Thirty-one percent of nurse leaders say they plan to be in a different role a year from now, according to a new report released by AMN Healthcare. From those surveyed, another 17% will be looking for a new place to work, 9% will leave nursing, 3% will stay in a non-administrative position in nursing, and 1% will retire. The top three contributing factors to nurse leader dissatisfaction were recruitment and retention, staff burnout, and labor shortages, HealthLeaders reported.

Several different kinds of nurse leaders participated in the survey at various levels of health systems, chief nursing officers making up 36% of participants, while 37% were nurse managers, 20% were directors of nursing, and 4% were certified nurse educators. Other findings from the survey showed that 81% of nurse leaders consider themselves moderately to extremely involved in their facility’s strategic mission, and 72% experience burnout sometimes, often, or always. About 34% of nurse leaders agreed they have “a great deal” or “a lot” of financial resources to address nurse workforce needs, and 33% said they have “a great deal” or “a lot” of technical resources to address nurse workforce needs.

The top three most useful workforce management and support tools chosen by respondents were telehealth, medical interpreter services, and recruitment process outsourcing. The top three methods identified as most useful in enhancing nurse retention were recognition programs, favorable nurses-to-patient ratios, and leadership development.

“Like the nurses they lead, nurse leaders require resources and support to enhance their effectiveness and to promote their health and well-being,” the report stated.

Editor’s note: To read HealthLeaders’ coverage of this story, click here. To download the full AMN Healthcare report, click here.