The physical and mental health of nurses is often ignored, leading to burnout among many nurses across the United States.
There are many factors contributing to the nursing shortage crisis. Retirement, burnout, exhaustion, stress, poor working conditions, overwork, understaffing, noncompetitive wages, concerns about quality of care, and lack of respect are all factors contributing to the nursing shortage across the United States.
“There is zero question that safe patient limits are the foundational solution to the nurse staffing crisis,” according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association, MNA President Katie Murphy said. “Until we ensure that nurses can provide safe patient care without burning out and suffering moral injury, nurses will continue to flee the bedside.”
Murphy argues that establishing mandatory safe-patient-limits is the best solution to the nursing crisis at hand. She highlights that assigning nurses unsafe workloads leads to burnout and moral injury. This directly forces nurses to leave the profession and can endanger patient safety, further fueling the ongoing staffing shortage.
Mrs. Lynne Merriman has been working at Heywood Hospital for 25 years as a Registered Nurse. Merriman shares similar sentiments to Murphy in terms of the pressures nurses face. Merriman explains that nursing jobs are often very hard on the body, mind, and spirit. She says there comes a point where nurses can no longer handle the emotional burden, and that the healthcare field is asking too much of workers while failing to provide adequate resources and support.
“[The] nursing shortage is so much more than a lack of physical bodies,” says Merriman. “In nursing jobs, it is also the lack of necessary resources and support that make[s] nursing a [non] desirable career choice.”
When a nurse is forced to stay for another shift, it can significantly affect their mental and physical health due to lack of sleep. This is one of the primary causes of nurse burnout and traces back to the overall nurse shortage and the lack of sufficient staffing and support.
Mrs. Jessica Heffernan, the School Nurse at Oakmont Regional High School, notes that in her current role, she does not face as many pressures and challenges, but when she worked in a hospital before her current role, they were always short-staffed. Heffernan shared that when this occurred, they would be forced to pick up more patients.
Mandation, commonly known in hospitals as Mandatory Overtime (MOT), refers to when a nurse is required to work beyond their scheduled shift and contracted hours. The purpose of mandatory overtime is often to address staffing shortages, high patient volume, or emergencies. MOT regulation varies state-by-state. For instance, Massachusetts hospitals limit nurses’ shifts to no more than 16 hours in a 24-hour period.
Mrs. Kimberly Fuller, a Per Diem nurse who has been working at Heywood Hospital for 25 years, believes safety is another possible reason behind the shortage. Fuller believes “nurses are simply burnt out and sick of being assaulted and not supported by management.”
According to the Massachusetts Nurses Association, nurses and other healthcare workers face physical or verbal violence every 36 minutes in Massachusetts hospitals. Healthcare workers experience violence at a rate five times higher than that of other professions. Trends indicate that this longstanding crisis has become even more severe since COVID 19.
According to the National Institutes of Health, the pandemic amplified many long-standing issues like burnout and stress within the U.S. nursing workforce, and some renewed concerns of projecting staffing shortages. Understanding how these issues can affect nurses’ intent to leave the profession is critical to accurate workforce modeling.
Mrs. Annette Calder, a BSN, RN, has been working for Heywood Hospital for 27 years. A BSN, RN is a registered nurse who holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.
Calder began working at Heywood Hospital in 1999 as a phlebotomist before moving into the role of staffing coordinator and later becoming an RN. In 2017, Calder became the nurse manager for Med-Surg and later advanced to director.
In her role, she oversees the overall operation of multiple hospital units. Her title includes Director of Med-Surg/Telemetry, Nursing Float Pool, Maternity, Care Transitions (Case Management and Social Workers), and Interpreter Services.
Calder explains that the nursing shortage is a serious and ongoing issue that affects not only healthcare professionals but also patient safety and quality of care.
“From my perspective, it is the result of multiple factors–burnout, increased patient acuity, aging workforce, limited nursing school capacity, and the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Calder.
In her position, she sees that the shortage creates strain across every department within the hospital and makes it more difficult to maintain safe staffing ratios.
“While healthcare systems are trying to respond with incentives and recruitment efforts,” says Calder. “I believe long-term solutions must include better retention strategies, mental health support, competitive pay, and improved working conditions.”
The nursing profession will continue to be seen as less desirable unless staff receive the accommodations and support they need to keep up with the high demands of the field. Providing mental health support, better working conditions, and the respect nurses deserve are essential. Without these changes, the number of nurses will continue to decline.
Calder makes it clear that the shortage affects not only her role but also increases the workload for bedside staff and leadership alike.
This often means bedside nurses take on a heavier patient load each shift, work additional hours to fill staffing gaps, and manage with fewer ancillary staff. These conditions significantly increase stress levels and contribute to burnout.
“For my role, it also comes with a heavier workload,” said Calder. “The staffing affects everything–staffing grids, overtime management, staff morale, onboarding, and quality of metrics.”
Calder explains that this requires her to be more involved in daily staffing decisions than usual, as ensuring safe coverage is critical.
This often disrupts her regular responsibilities, and beyond the logistical challenges, it increases the emotional labor associated with leadership.
“My staff is working harder than ever, and part of my role becomes advocacy, making sure they feel supported, heard, and protected from burnout.”
In this role, it is Calder’s responsibility to look after her staff and ensure their safety, along with prioritizing patient safety above all else.
There are hundreds of thousands of nurses across the United States who work tirelessly every day to provide patients with the care they deserve. They are tired, they are overworked, and they do not have nearly as much respect as they deserve.
It is time for nurses to receive the recognition, respect, and support they need to continue doing their jobs—not only for the safety of their patients, but for their own well-being as well.
Nadalee Madhere • Apr 8, 2026 at 9:05 am
Such a great article, nurses deserve so much respect for what they do!