Nearly a third of nurses thinking of leaving direct patient care

Editor's Note

A recent survey by McKinsey & Company finds that more than 30% of US nurses are thinking of leaving direct patient care for other roles.

Reasons cited by nurses for leaving, include:

• ongoing demands of the COVID-19 pandemic
• hiring and retention incentives at other workplaces
• desire for support and recognition.

To make things better, some believe nursing should move away from thinking about rebuilding and shift instead to improving areas, such as:

• workforce health
• workforce flexibility
• reimagining care-delivery models
• strengthening talent pipelines.

These findings highlight an urgent need for employers to address nurses' concerns and improve their working conditions, the authors say.