The global pandemic has strained health care delivery systems and the workforce running them. Amid this landscape, nurse burnout has reached an all-time high.1  Although the nursing shortage was already at crisis levels before the pandemic, COVID-19 exacerbated the emotional exhaustion nurses faced, contributing to what is now dubbed the “Great Resignation.”2  According to the 2022 NSI National Health Care Retention and RN Staffing Report, the registered nurse (RN) turnover rate increased by 8.4%, to an average of 27.1% in 2021, outpacing hospital turnover at 25.9% for the first time since the survey was conducted.2  Moreover, a study of over 5000 nurses found that at least 11% of nurses intended to leave the profession at the height of the pandemic, and another 20% were undecided.2 

With such a significant decline in nursing supply, it is clear the nursing shortage cannot be resolved overnight. However, nurse leaders...

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