Nurses must navigate through complex systems, combating burnout and engaging in behaviors that impact the care they provide.
COVID-19 presented the nursing profession with a confluence of challenges, often referred to as "the perfect storm.” Some of these issues include nurse well-being challenges, generational changes, early retirements, high turnover, insufficient staffing, increasingly violent patients and visitors, and younger nurses leaving the profession (Sherman, R. 2021). Burnout, depression, anxiety, and suicide are now urgent concerns. The U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory on health worker burnout, emphasizing its impact on public health.
In response to this silent crisis, a transformative shift is unfolding on a national scale, moving beyond crisis intervention to actively champion the health and well-being of nurses and healthcare professionals.
Adejoke Bolanle Ayoola, PhD
Dean, School of Health
Professor of Nursing, Calvin University