One-third of US nurses looking to quit profession, but why?

A recent survey reveals that nearly 30% of the nurses in the United States plan to quit their profession after the COVID-19 pandemic left them overwhelmed and exhausted.

The survey revealed that 69% of nurses are aiming for raised salaries and 63% of them desire securer working conditions to lower their tension.

The survey was conducted by AMN Healthcare Services Inc in January and included over 18,000 nurses. It showed that 30% of the participants are looking to leave their professions, up 7 percentage points over 2021, when the pandemic-triggered wave of resignations started.

36% of the nurses intend to continue working in the field but may switch workplaces, the survey showed. 

AMN Healthcare CEO Cary Grace said in an interview: "This underscores the continued mental health and well-being challenges the nursing workforce experiences post-pandemic."

This comes at a time hospital operator and sector bellwether HCA Healthcare indicated a recovery in staffing situation.

While a shortage of staff in hospitals has been an issue for a couple of years, it gained traction globally in late 2021 and hit a peak early last year following a large number of resignations due to burnout.

The staffing crisis drove up costs at hospital operators while boosting profits at medical staffing providers such as AMN Healthcare.