April 15, 2022 – In the third year of COVID-19, inadequate staffing, workplace violence, and moral and mental distress are increasingly challenges for nurses according to the National Nurses United Survey, a national survey of 25,000 nurses.
“We are now more than three years into the pandemic and not only is staffing worse, but workplace violence is increasing,” said Zenei Triunfo-Cortez, RN and a president of National Nurses United. “Nurses are experiencing alarming levels of moral distress and moral injury due to the unsafe working conditions. Since our last survey in September 2021, even more nurses have reported feeling more stress and anxiety as well as feeling traumatized by their experiences caring for patients.”
Here are some of the major findings:
- 9 percent reported that staffing has gotten slightly or much worse recently, a 20.2 percent increase from NNU’s September 2021 survey and a 47.8 percent increase from our March 2021 survey.
- More than a quarter of nurses (26.5 percent) reported being “floated” or reassigned to care for patients in a clinical care area that required new skills or was outside of their competency, up from 17.8 percent reported in September 2021
- Meanwhile, 46 percent of hospital RNs reported that they did not receive any education or preparation before being floated to units outside of their expertise, up from 44.3 percent reported in Sept. 2021.
- 64.5 percent of hospital nurses reported that their facilities are using excessive overtime to staff units, up from 49.3 percent, a significant increase from our September survey.
- 66.8 percent of hospital RNs fear they will contract Covid, a 59.4 percent increase from September.
- Nearly three-quarters (74.6 percent) are afraid they will infect a family member, a 47.4 percent increase from September.
- 68.7 percent feel sad or depressed more often than they did before the pandemic, a 64.6 percent increase from September.
- 83.5 percent feel stressed more often than before the pandemic, a 56.1 percent increase.
- More than half (56 percent) feel traumatized by their experiences caring for patients, a 65.7 percent increase from September.
- Nearly a quarter (24 percent) of hospital RNs reported that their employer notifies them of Covid exposures in a timely manner. Meanwhile, 29 percent of hospital RNs reported that nurses are informed of exposures but not in a timely fashion. Prompt notification is essential for infection control.