Caring, compassionate, hard-working nurses worldwide are overworked, underpaid, and tired. In the United States, one-third of the registered nurses (RN) have considered leaving their hospital jobs looking for more time and energy for themselves and their families and less burnout.
Are you an RN, a licensed practical nurse (LPN), or a certified nursing assistant (CNA)? Have you finally decided to leave your hospital job despite your true vocation to alleviate suffering and nurture the sick back to vigor and vitality? Or are you considering such a change? You are not alone. In the spring of 2021, one-third of the RNs "were already thinking about leaving their jobs, according to a survey of 1,000 nurses, and that percentage appears to have doubled. A recent survey of 6,000 critical-care nurses found that 66% have considered quitting."
A closely related problem is many states' nursing shortage and low nurse/patient ratio. This shortage started before the COVID 19 pandemic and has been growing yearly. In 2019 there was a "5.9 million nurse deficit, with another 4 million nurses expected to retire within the next decade. Now, over two years into the pandemic, The International Council of Nurses (ICN) projects an undersupply of up to 13 million nurses by 2030". As of this year, the states with the most significant lack are New Mexico, Vermont, Rhode Island, West Virginia, and Arizona. Many states need tens of thousands more RN s to staff the hospitals.
Big city hospitals run short of nurses, with dozens of open positions. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows Washington D.C., Dallas, Los Angeles, Houston, and New York City as the cities with the lowest concentrations of employed nurses.
Of course, the deficit is not only due to nurses leaving the hospitals long before retirement. One major factor is the general aging population, including the nursing workforce and the patients requiring health care. The baby boomers are growing older and needing more age-related health services, leading directly to increasing demand for nurses. This aging population also includes health care workers; naturally, retirement drains the workforce.
Why Nurses Say Goodbye to Hospitals
Burnout, Pay, and Family Time
Bedside nursing in hospitals is exhausting due to long hours, often with no break, the stress of attending to patients in critical health, and dealing with sadness and hopelessness, bringing on fatigue and burnout as one of the common reasons found for high percentages of LPN s and RN s voluntarily resigning from their jobs.
Beauty: the mounting importance placed on beauty, allure, and youthful looks moves the flourishing cosmetics industry and increases the demand for aesthetic nurses. The aging population faces social devaluation in later life and dedicates resources to looking and feeling younger. Cosmetic injectables, which include treatments such as Botox and lip fillers, applied by certified RNs are one standard route to avoid wrinkles and go for that beautiful, young face. Cosmetic nursing is an expanding option, with less anxiety and stress and no unexpected overtime. Other professional occupations open to RNs, such as nursing education, school nursing, or aesthetic nursing, offer less stressful job opportunities.
Besides burnout in a demanding and taxing hospital work environment, the pay may also be a factor. The annual median salary for RN s is $71,730, as stated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Comparatively, cosmetics injectable nurses get paid around $90,142 annually. However, salary varies considerably in both cases depending on location, experience, and qualifying degrees and certifications.
Family time is another powerful reason to look for other nursing opportunities. Children need the reassurance of their mother or father's smiling face at school events and time at home to talk and play with their parents. And the parents long to share closely with their children growing up. This takes time and energy and cannot always be scheduled for off-work hours, with a demanding full-time job often requiring overtime after a twelve-hour shift.
What a Dilemma!
You can follow your heart, your calling, and take care of yourself and your family. Nursa offers you the option of picking up healthcare shifts or PRN jobs when it fits in your life, in any state from New York to California using the nursa app. Still and all, most nurses enter the field to save lives and alleviate suffering and find this need more acutely in hospitals. You do not have to choose between your family, your well-being, and your nursing vocation. Build your own life, feel free, and find your balance.
