Reflecting on my mother’s decade-long nursing career, I often wonder why so many nurses leave the profession after just a few years.

In the UK, the shortage of nurses has reached alarming levels. Fewer students are enrolling in nursing programs, and nearly half of newly licensed nurses leave within five to ten years.

Meanwhile, demand for healthcare continues to grow, as the UK report highlights NHS Long Term Workforce Planwhich explains how the NHS will ensure there are enough nurses and doctors to support patients.

The problem is not limited to the UK: nursing is facing a global crisis. High turnover of qualified professionals has serious consequences for health systems around the world.

The Netherlands is also experiencing worrying trends, with forecasts of a significant shortage of healthcare workers in the healthcare sector. decades to come.

Burnout is one of the most pressing problems the reasons for this exodus of nurses in the profession.

Culture of self-sacrifice

I interviewed nurses in the Netherlands about their professional experiences, including burnout. for my research.

And I’ve discovered that one of the biggest reasons nurses leave is the profession’s culture of self-sacrifice. Although empathy, compassion, and dedication are hallmarks of nursing, these qualities can cause them to work too hard. Nurses often try so hard to meet the needs of their patients that they neglecting your own health. Nursing often reinforces the culture of self-sacrifice, with an unspoken expectation that nurses should prioritize patient needs.

My research shows that nurses actively seek employment to avoid burnout, but this often involves changing employers, a decision that is personal and organizational. intense and expensive. I argue that, to ensure they remain in the workforce long term, nurses should be trained to set boundaries and prioritize self-care.

Nurses, especially in long-term care, often form strong emotional bonds with their patients, making it difficult to define boundaries between professional responsibilities and personal attachment. Interviews with nurses highlight the emotional toll of this. Several nurses mentioned feeling guilty when they call in sick, knowing that their patients and colleagues depend on them. Some described how the increased workload, due to the absence of their colleagues, ultimately left them too overworked to continue. Others reported being constantly contacted to work extra shifts, even on their days off, due to staff shortages caused by absenteeism and staff turnover.

These stories reflect the relentless pressure nurses face. For many, the instinct to help others is both a source of pride and a path to burnout. When nurses don’t set limits, their bodies often force them to stop, due to illness and exhaustion.

How to change

Although nurses are the backbone of healthcare systems, the profession is undervalued and often considered less professional than others. other medical roles. This perception does not respect the complexity of nursing and discourages young people from entering this field.

To address these issues, nurses need more support from their employers and colleagues, including doctors and HR teams. Public campaigns should celebrate nursing as a highly skilled and indispensable profession, challenging outdated stereotypes.

Preventing burnout also requires systemic changes. Nursing education must teach self-care and setting boundaries as essential skills. Research indicates that nurses often report improvement mental health And job satisfaction after changing employers, suggesting that organizational culture is key to staff retention and that some workplaces are already leading the way.

The culture of self-sacrifice is a double-edged sword. While this reflects the compassion and dedication that defines nursing, it poses a serious threat to the sustainability of the profession. To retain nurses, they must be viewed as true professionals and recognized for the value they bring to overall care processes. By fostering a culture that values ​​personal boundaries, promotes well-being, and elevates nurses’ professional identity, we can ensure that nurses receive as much care as they care for others.

Failure to act will have considerable consequences, not only for nurses but for patients and health systems around the world.

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