New Study Finds Some Resilience, Some Burnout in Health Care Workers

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New data shows that although health care workers seem resilient after 2 years of working through a pandemic, there are numerous warning signs about the long-term future of the workforce.¹

Specifically, the survey found 52% of the health care workers were burned out, compared to 55% in 2021. In addition, almost a quarter of those surveyed are considering leaving the health care field in the future. Optimism declined compared to Spring 2021, as health care workers widely disapprove of how the rest of the country has handled the pandemic. In fact, more than a third (39%) agreed with the statement, “The American health care system is on the verge of collapse.”

Fortunately, the survey found some positive data. For instance, a majority of health care workers said they were satisfied with their jobs, with the number holding relatively steady compared with last year. Of those surveyed, 80% report being somewhat or very satisfied with their current job, down slightly from 89% in 2021. Three quarters agree with the statement, “I love working in health care.” A majority report feeling hopeful (59%), down from 76% last year. Those feeling optimistic fell from 67% to 56%.

The study was conducted February 9-16, 2022, with a nationally representative probability sample of 1170 health care workers aged 18 or older. Data were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race/ethnicity, education, Census region, metropolitan status, household income, and health care worker category. The majority (38%) of those surveyed worked in hospital settings.

A version of this story appeared with Psychiatric Times' sister publication Medical Economics.

Reference

1. Ipsos. American Healthcare Workers Persevering, but Remain Stressed. February 22, 2022. Accessed February 24, 2022. https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/news-polls/usa-today-ipsos-healthcare-workers-covid19-poll-022222