The Alarming State of the National Nursing Workforce and Its Implications
By Jordan C Kabins, Ph.D., MBA
Introduction
The 2024 National Nursing Workforce Survey (Smiley et al., 2025) identifies a nursing workforce facing increasing unsustainability due to rapid aging, elevated attrition risk, and widespread emotional exhaustion. The data indicate that nurses are experiencing substantial fatigue, burnout, and dissatisfaction, which contribute to intentions to leave the profession. Among registered nurses (RNs), 40% report plans to leave nursing within the next five years, with 61.4% citing retirement and 41.3% citing stress and burnout, often exacerbated by understaffing and excessive workload. Comparable patterns are observed among licensed practical nurses (LPNs), with 41.3% planning to retire or leave the profession, 52% attributing their decision to retirement, and 41.5% to stress, burnout, understaffing, and workload pressures.
But why are nurses leaving?
The survey identifies several contributing factors, with COVID-19-related working conditions and insufficient psychological resources emerging as the most significant. The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most transformative forces affecting the public health sector in recent history. Frontline conditions during the pandemic fundamentally altered workplace environments, disrupted supply chains, and diminished job satisfaction. Prolonged exposure to patient suffering, increased infection risk, and ongoing uncertainty directly contributed to nurses leaving the profession, retraining for alternative roles, and, in many cases, developing symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress (Kabins, 2026).
Beyond the immediate pandemic period, the nursing workforce still needs expanded psychosocial and psychological support resources (Kabins, 2026). Despite the transition to post-pandemic healthcare operations, burnout levels remain concerning. More than 43% of registered nurses (RNs) report experiencing burnout at least once per week, while over 42% of licensed practical nurses (LPNs) report burnout multiple times per week. Similarly, fatigue remains pervasive, with over 52% of RNs and 53% of LPNs experiencing fatigue numerous times per week. Emotional exhaustion is equally pronounced, affecting over 53% of both RNs and LPNs, and 57% of LPNs and 58% of RNs report feeling “used up” at least once per week (Smiley et al., 2025).
A Behavioral Solution
Chronic fatigue and emotional depletion among healthcare providers increase the likelihood of behaviors that deviate from professional standards, thereby elevating the risk of occupational failure. In healthcare settings, such failures have significant financial consequences for organizations and physical and psychological consequences for providers. Unchecked fatigue often leads to apathy, which accelerates burnout and disengagement. This cyclical process ultimately undermines individual performance, patient safety, and organizational stability (Kabins, 2026).
Addressing these workforce challenges requires equipping healthcare providers with sufficient psychological resources, psychosocial support, and adaptive coping skills. In response to these findings, this study introduces a behavioral model designed to mitigate burnout, fatigue, and disengagement by enhancing psychological resilience and adaptive workplace behaviors. This model is positioned as a viable solution to the national nursing workforce crisis (Kabins, 2026).
References:
Kabins, J. (2026). The Challenges and Experiences of Mask Compliance among Nurses in Southern Nevada during COVID-19.
Smiley, R. A., Kaminski-Ozturk, N., Reid, M., Burwell, P., Oliveira, C. M., Shobo, Y., ... & Martin, B. (2025). The 2024 National Nursing Workforce Survey. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 16(1), S1-S88.
