Health care workers feel ‘taken for granted,’ want to leave field: Report

It’s been five years since what could be considered the “peak” of the COVID-19 pandemic — and health care workers are still burned out. Many are planning to leave the field altogether, according to a recent Harris poll. 

According to a press release, 84% of health care employees and employers surveyed said they feel taken for granted, with 55% telling Harris they will likely look for job openings or switch to a new role in the next year. 

“Healthcare is really at a critical juncture,” Adele Webb, a nurse who’s worked for more than four decades, told Reuters. “In my experience, it is worse than it’s ever been. We are losing more staff than we have ever lost. Jobs are harder, patients are older and more chronically ill. We do not have enough staff.”

Still, some health care workers say there are opportunities for education and growth that might convince them to stay, the release said, as 48% are leaving because of a lack of advancement opportunities. 

There were 63% of them who said they would be more likely to stay with an employer who gave them assistance with tuition. 

Health care shortage

The results of this new survey comes at a time when there’s a shortage of health care workers. One study from 2024 found that there could be a shortage of as much as 100,000 critical health care workers in 2028. This is particularly an issue in rural areas, with the United States Department of Health and Human Services saying 66% of rural or partially rural counties face shortages. 

Jennifer Musil, global president of research at The Harris Poll, said in a statement that “this research paints an alarming picture of a workforce at a crossroads experiencing high burnout, accelerating turnover and intensifying demands.”

“Given the unprecedented need for care driven by the aging Baby Boomer population, these findings offer critical insights into how to better retain, support and prepare the people at the heart of our nation’s health care system,” Musil said. 

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Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief

Ella Greene

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