Nurses remain passionate about patient care amid ongoing industry challenges, with 66% citing helping people through meaningful work, according to a survey of nursing professionals and students conducted by Cross Country Healthcare.

However, the report also highlighted areas of dissatisfaction and ongoing industry challenges. Pay rates/compensation was the top career dissatisfier facing the profession, cited by 86% of nurses surveyed, followed by staff shortages, 53%; stress, 39%; and burnout, 35%.

The survey also found that 45% of student nurses are most concerned about stress, 35% are worried about staff deficits in meeting demand, and 27% feel overworked. 

“Nurses are passionate but exhausted, and there is room for meaningful changes. The demand for patient care is increasing exponentially,” said Michael Skovira, chief medical officer at Cross Country Healthcare. “We must change how we educate, train, hire, manage and treat our nurses. We have all the tools to start now, but we cannot implement these practices if we continue to blame the pandemic for a situation that has been growing for years. We need to come together as an industry and start now.”

Other findings: 

• 28% of nurses indicated their desire to leave the profession had increased dramatically since the pandemic. Conversely, those who said their desire to stay had increased since the pandemic dropped from 24% to 4% this year.
• 48% of currently employed nurses said they would not become nurses again if they could talk to their former selves or did not know if they would.
• 30% of nurses said they plan to work in the profession for the foreseeable future, 23% plan to look for a new career in one to two years, and 13% plan to retire in another one to five years.

The survey was conducted between May 11 and June 24 in partnership with Florida Atlantic University's Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing. It includes responses from 1,780 nursing professionals and students at healthcare and hospital facilities.