What Nurse Leaders Are Talking About

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

What is happening in other places is a question I often get asked. Although many trends continue, new ones continue to emerge. So what are nurse leaders talking about now as we enter the 4th quarter of 2022? Below are 15 things I am hearing now that are part of the nurse leader’s circle of concern:

1. Patient volumes remain high, and lengths of stay have increased due to a lack of community health services.
2. Travel nursing costs have decreased, but health systems still use significant numbers of travel nurses to supplement core staffing.
3. Younger nurses refuse to rotate to night shifts, citing concerns about mental health and wellbeing.
4. Despite signage and other efforts, patients and family continue verbally and physically abusing staff.
5. Nurse staffing remains a “hot mess.” Nurses want to work fewer hours, and leaders flex to accommodate scheduling requests. Leaders now ask whether we have gone too far.
6. Nurse tenure in acute care environments continues to decline, leaving most units with 70% of staff with two years or less of nursing experience.
7. Some new graduates moved directly from academic programs into ambulatory care, bypassing acute care entirely.
8. This year’s new nursing graduates are the least work-ready group of professionals ever to graduate from nursing programs.
9. Nurse leaders report sharp spikes in the number of new nurses failing to pass the NCLEX exam on their first try.
10. Frontline nurse leaders are resigning, citing burnout and inadequate compensation for work responsibilities.
11. Union activity has skyrocketed across the country as nurses rebel against increased nurse-to-patient ratios.
12. Health systems plan for new services despite their inability to staff their current programs.
13. Younger nurses demand greater transparency in salaries paid in their health systems.
14. Clinical and support staff are in short supply care making delivery redesign a significant challenge.
15. Housing costs, commute times, lack of childcare, and parking fees are impacting recruitment.