Nurse Burnout Is Fueling a System-Wide Crisis in Healthcare

Nurse burnout is reaching a breaking point. Across hospitals and health systems, nurses are leaving the profession in record numbers. Emotional exhaustion, unsafe staffing levels, and moral distress are pushing even the most committed professionals to the edge. This crisis is not isolated to individual units or facilities. It is part of a larger, systemic breakdown that threatens the stability of the entire healthcare workforce. 

Our new infographic, “Healthcare Burnout by the Numbers,” reveals the measurable impact of burnout across clinical roles. It highlights just how serious and far-reaching healthcare burnout, including nurse burnout, has become. 

Scroll down to view the infographic.  

Nurse Burnout Is Widespread - and Getting Worse 

Burnout among nurses has reached alarming levels. According to McKinsey & Company, 31% of nurses plan to leave their roles due to emotional exhaustion and lack of work-life balance.¹ The American Nurses Foundation reports that 56% of nurses frequently feel burned out, citing stress, staffing shortages, and lack of recognition as key drivers.² 

Nurse burnout is more than just fatigue. It leads to depersonalization, disengagement from patient care, and a diminished sense of purpose. Left unaddressed, burnout contributes to clinical errors, mental health struggles, and high turnover rates that destabilize care teams and compromise patient outcomes. 

Nurse Burnout Is Fueling a System-Wide Crisis in Healthcare 

When nurses leave their positions, hospitals lose more than just staff. Nursing turnover leads to increased patient risk, operational disruption, and significant financial costs. Research from NSI Nursing Solutions estimates that each nurse who resigns costs a hospital an average of $52,000.³ The cumulative cost across units quickly adds up. 

Nurse burnout also reduces team morale, decreases productivity, and makes it harder to maintain continuity of care. Yet, the impact doesn’t stop with nurses. Burnout spreads across departments, fueling broader healthcare burnout and threatening the performance of the entire organization. 

Health Systems Must Prioritize a Culture of Safety and Support 

Nursing burnout does not start with the individual. It stems from the environment in which nurses work. Unsafe workloads, ineffective communication, and limited resources are core contributors. Addressing these conditions requires leadership accountability and system-wide change. 

Hospitals must stop viewing nurse burnout as a personal failure. Instead, they need to treat it as a critical safety issue. Building a culture of psychological safety in heathcare⁴ is essential, as is investing in tools and strategies that help nurses feel supported, heard, and empowered in their roles. AI-enabled clinical intelligence platforms can help by surfacing early signs of healthcare burnout, improving workflows, and enabling timely interventions. 

See the Data Behind Healthcare Burnout 

Nurse burnout, and healthcare burnout holistically, is not just a workforce issue. It’s a patient safety and performance issue. Explore our latest infographic to understand the full scope: 

Want to learn more about addressing burnout and building more resilient teams? Review our many resources on the topic: 

• White Paper: Under Pressure: Addressing Burnout and Building Resilience in Surgical Teams 

• Fact Sheet: 10 Questions Surgical Leaders Should Ask to Address Clinician Burnout 

• Blog Post: 3 Cultural Shifts That Can Prevent Provider Burnout in the OR 

• Infographic: The Vicious Cycle of Medical Burnout 

Recommended Reading  

1. Berlin, G., Burns, F., Essick, C., et., al. (2023, May 5). Nursing in 2023: How Hospitals are Confronting the Nursing Shortage. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/nursing-in-2023   

2. American Nurses Foundation. (2023, November 7). The American Nurses Foundation Says Action is Still Needed to Address Serious Nursing Workforce Challenges [news release]. https://www.nursingworld.org/news/news-releases/2023/the-american-nurses-foundation-says-action-is-still-needed-to-address-serious-nursing-workforce-challenges/ 

3. NSI Nursing Solutions, Inc. (2024). 2024 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report. https://www.nsinursingsolutions.com/Documents/Library/NSI_National_Health_Care_Retention_Report.pdf  

4. Surgical Safety Technologies. (2025, May 8). Psychological Safety in Healthcare Drives High-Performance Teams - and AI Should Support It [blog post]. https://www.surgicalsafety.com/blog/psychological-safety-in-healthcare-ai-should-support-it