AI-proof profession in demand? People are leaving bedside nursing in droves as workloads and violence take a toll

Bedside work grows more demanding

Bedside nursing turnover has climbed over time, according to NSI Nursing Solutions: the rate reached 18 percent last year, compared with 11 percent 15 years earlier. A 2024 survey of 800,000 nurses found that about 40 percent expected to retire or leave the workforce within five years, with stress and understaffing among their concerns.

Jeff Doucette, chief nursing officer at Press Ganey, told The Wall Street Journal that the issue was not a lack of nurses, but a lack of nurses willing to work under current conditions. Dustin Bass of the Emergency Nurses Association said experienced nurses once managed triage and recognized serious conditions quickly.

Some nurses leave the bedside

Paige Campbell, 33, worked in an emergency department in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, after becoming a nurse during the pandemic. She said she was kicked, spat on and shoved, and left bedside work last year after an aggressive patient strangled her when she offered him a blanket.

Christian Stone, a Washington, D.C. nurse, moved to an urgent care clinic after five years in emergency rooms. He had regularly faced yelling and was bitten once by a patient. Nurses are also shifting toward telehealth and outpatient clinics.

Turnover carries financial costs

Omid Razmpour, an Emory University researcher and former ICU nurse, estimated that losing one nurse costs Emory Healthcare about $78,000 in recruitment, training and temporary contract labor. Emory invested $150 million in pay increases, mainly for nurses, and former chief nurse executive Sharon Pappas said the spending saved money by lowering turnover.