Staffing Shortages Push Nurses to the Brink, With Nearly Two-Thirds Considering a Departure from the Profession in Next Two Years

ShiftMed's Annual State of Nursing Report zeroes in on key issues which are top of mind and affecting caregivers across the country

MCLEAN, Va., Sept. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ShiftMed, the first on-demand workforce marketplace delivering scalable, cost-efficient, and sustainable labor to in-home, acute, and post-acute care providers, released today the findings from their second Annual State of Nursing Report, conducted in partnership with Wakefield Research.

The ShiftMed Annual State of Nursing Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among 500 US nurses, including 400 RNs, 50 LPNs, and 50 CNAs, between August 4th and August 15th, 2022, using an email invitation and an online survey. The data was weighted. 

The report unearthed significant concerns among nurses and other professional caregivers on the frontlines, with nearly two-thirds (65%) of nurses indicating that they are likely to leave the profession within the next two years – a significant increase from the 49% that reported the same intentions in 2021. In addition, the report affirmed the challenges which nurses and facilities are currently navigating across the country when it comes to staffing shortages.

"With nursing shortages exacerbated by the pandemic and still affecting healthcare facilities coast-to-coast, it's alarming but not shocking to hear that so many of these frontline heroes have been pushed to the edge and are considering leaving the profession," said Todd Walrath, CEO of ShiftMed. "We take great pride in listening to caregivers of all specialties and diving deep to explore what matters most to them and what would keep them on the frontlines. Better pay is of course a driver, but just as important as we've found with this year's Annual State of Nursing Report, is control over their schedules. It validates what our mission is at ShiftMed and why our platform has experienced the growth it has, now crossing the 100,000 mark of allied health professionals."

According to the Annual State of Nursing Report, the vast majority of nurses who are considering leaving the profession (93%) say having the ability to control their schedule would make them more willing to stay. Also, in line with many of the challenges American families are facing due to various economic factors, the report found that most nurses who are likely to leave in the next two years (61%) said that higher pay would convince them to stay in the profession, directly tied to the concern voiced by 43% which flagged that their current pay is not keeping up with the cost of living.

Additional findings in the ShiftMed Annual State of Nursing Report include: 

• More than half of nurses surveyed (52%) say there is a considerable or severe staffing shortage at their workplace, with nearly all nurses (99%) reporting a staffing shortage of some degree.
• In regard to nurses affected by staffing shortages, nearly half (49%) reported that they're concerned their patients aren't getting the adequate care needed while 40% report a negative impact on their overall mental health.
• 20% of nurses believe that an unwillingness to comply with COVID-19 vaccination requirements is keeping people from pursuing a career in nursing with fear of burnout topping concerns at 29%.
• Nurses are becoming less likely to recommend the profession to friends and family, with 36% saying they would not recommend it, an increase from 28% in 2021.

ShiftMed is currently meeting the needs of over 1,500 healthcare providers across 110 markets and is growing its platform daily, with a network that's now surpassed 100,000 caregivers. By the end of 2022, the platform expects to be available nationwide and will be expanding the unique offerings it presents to its workers, building on the success it has experienced with innovations such as Next Day Pay® and Guaranteed Shifts®. These non-monetary benefits have proved to be highly successful tools in bolstering a provider's ability to bring additional attention to the open shifts they need to fill and attract qualified and skilled professionals to their facilities.

ShiftMed is a next-generation workforce management platform that connects hospitals, assisted living providers, and skilled nursing facilities to the highest quantity and quality of allied healthcare professionals(CNAs, LPNs and RNs). As the #1 nursing jobs mobile app on the App Store, ShiftMed serves more than 1,500 enterprise health care partners across the country by offering software tools and direct access to labor for shift scheduling. The ShiftMed on-demand platform dramatically streamlines the delivery of care services and enables health care providers access to compliant, credentialed workers to fulfill their staffing needs faster than any other solution. For more information, visit http://www.ShiftMed.com. 

Media Contact: 
Kyle Kappmeier 
JConnelly for ShiftMed 
973-850-7366 
[email protected] 

SOURCE ShiftMed

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