Survey: Healthcare worker burnout rates particularly high for women

Editor's Note

Although burnout rates are high for all healthcare workers, females are particularly susceptible, according to a March 8 report in The Hill detailing a recent survey.

Conducted by nursing marketplace firm ShiftKey, the survey found that 86 percent of all women in healthcare reported experiencing burnout, with 64 percent indicating they were at risk of burnout “right now.” For men, the same figures were 66 percent and 55 percent, respectively. Among female nurses, 53 percent indicated they have considered leaving the field, compared to 32 percent of male nurses.

The Hill notes that other research supports the same conclusion, citing American Medical Association data showing that 57 percent of female healthcare providers (including physicians, which were not covered in the ShiftKey survey) experienced burnout in 2022, compared to only 47 percent of male respondents. Last month, an analysis of 71 international studies from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences Resiliency & Well-Being Center showed similar gaps between men and women.

Reasons for the gap could include gender inequity. lack of autonomy in the workplace, and poor work-life balance, with researchers and nurses interviewed by The Hill testifying that women face comparatively greater pressure to succeed at home and at work.