More than three-quarters of care workers are considering a job change and 45% are considering changing careers entirely, according to the results of a new survey. Top concerns were short staffing and clinical workloads that keep workers from providing meaningful, individualized care, they said.

The survey of nearly 3,000 nurses and nursing assistants highlighted concerning trends, care workers’ priorities, and advice for providers looking to retain and attract workers during an ongoing staffing crisis. 

Staffing concerns were, unsurprisingly, a widespread issue for respondents, with 46% reporting working in an understaffed environment and 84% working additional shifts every week. Notably, addressing staffing shortages was ranked as more important than increasing salaries by respondents. Survey results were released Wednesday by IntelyCare, a healthcare sector career platform.

The survey also showed related concerns about clinical workload. Asked if they were responsible for nine or more patients per shift, 63% of registered nurses and 76% of certified nursing assistants agreed.

The survey highlighted that COVID-era workplace issues are here to stay despite the end of the pandemic’s peak, according to Danielle Roques, RN, and Katherine Zheng, PhD, who drafted a report on the survey. 

“While the pandemic highlighted workplace challenges for nursing professionals and facilities alike, it was not the cause, as many of these longstanding problems continue to persist with no apparent end in sight,” they wrote.

Provider takeaways

The survey highlighted that, despite these concerning trends, 74% of care workers were hopeful they could spend more time on individual interactions with residents in the coming year. 

That hope may be due to an expectation of more care workers on the way if a proposed federal staffing mandate is finalized, according to Amy Stewart, chief nursing officer for the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing.

Despite the challenges of the job, care workers say they are still finding meaning in their work and looking for more opportunities to impact residents through their care.

“When asked what’s the most meaningful part of nursing,” Roques and Zheng wrote, “respondents ranked caring for patients, helping people, and working as part of a team as the top factors that helped them persevere through each day.”

The survey’s results might indicate that time is a primary resource employers should be trying to provide their workers. Without the ability to deliver high-quality care, workers may become increasingly discouraged and be further tempted to leave the sector, 

“If a nurse or nurse aide feels they can’t provide adequate care due to the workload, they would be more likely to leave,”  Stewart told McKnight’s Wednesday. “It’s possible that respondents are seeing a decrease in the quality of care delivered because there is such a staffing crisis in long-term care. That, too, will take a toll on staff who come to work in order to help patients and leave feeling like they didn’t do a good enough job.”

Stewart said she was concerned about how long the long-term care sector can sustain these staffing trends in an already strained workforce.

“This survey shows that leaders need to be more engaged with staff,” she said. “Conduct a root cause analysis to determine why employees leave and make changes necessary to fix those issues.”

She also recommended daily check-ins with staff, as well as conducting stay interviews to find out what care workers love about their work and what they need to feel equipped for providing care.