I spent years at the bedside, caring for patients. I know what it feels like to love the work, but feel stretched thin by the long shifts and daily challenges that come with being a nurse. Today, I support workforce strategy across health systems. In this role, I hear the same themes from nurses across the country. They want flexibility, purpose, and support. And they’re not alone.
Across the industry, we’re facing a critical moment. Staffing challenges are real—and persistent. If we want to build a future where nurses thrive—not just cope—we have to rethink what support really looks like. And that means looking at the health of the workforce with the same compassion we show our patients.
The Health of the Workforce Is At Risk
In recent years, the emotional and physical demands on nurses have stretched nurses to the limit. Burnout, turnover, and disengagement have become more than buzzwords—they’re daily realities in units across the country. According to Hallmark’s 2025 Workforce Trends Survey, 95% of healthcare leaders say they’re concerned that staffing shortages will impact quality of care. That’s not a small ripple—it’s a systemwide alarm in need of intervention.
We’ve all seen it play out. Nurses are leaving the bedside, schedulers are scrambling to fill open shifts, and a tired team is left trying to hold it together with fewer hands. These aren’t just staffing issues. They’re signals of deeper problems that affect everything from patient safety to financial sustainability.
A 2023 Gallup poll found engagement declined seven points among U.S. healthcare workers – the biggest drop of any field surveyed. Nurse turnover remains high at 16.4% according to a 2025 report. If this were a patient chart, we’d say things are critical.
Flexibility is No Longer Optional
Just like in clinical care, early intervention matters—and that starts with rethinking how we organize and support our teams. One of the most powerful tools we have is flexibility.
For years, compensation topped the list of job satisfaction drivers. But that’s changing. Hallmark’s survey shows flexibility now rivals pay as the top reason nurses choose—and stay in—a role. A full 78% of healthcare leaders now cite flexibility as the most important factor influencing nursing decisions, compared to just 17% who still prioritize pay.
Nurses aren’t asking to do less. We’re asking for different ways to do what we love. From gig-style shifts and per diem work to shorter rotations and new team-based models, flexibility gives us the breathing room we need to keep showing up—whole, present, and engaged.
It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. What flexibility looks like for a new grad is different from what a nurse balancing caregiving responsibilities needs. But when we build options into the system—rather than forcing nurses to fit into rigid molds—we support retention, morale, and ultimately, better patient outcomes.
It’s Time To Treat Workforce Health Like Patient Health
Too often, conversations about workforce change get stuck in fear—fear that loosening schedules or introducing new staffing models will compromise care. But what if we flipped that thinking? What if we saw flexibility not as a risk, but as a treatment?
When used thoughtfully, flexibility alleviates symptoms of burnout, improves engagement, and helps retain experienced nurses who might otherwise leave the profession entirely. A 2023 survey by the American Nurses Foundation found that 56% of nurses reported symptoms of burnout, highlighting the urgent need for supportive measures. Flexibility also enhances the quality of patient care by ensuring the appropriate number and mix of skilled clinicians are available at the bedside. With the right resources in place, organizations can respond more nimbly to patient demand without burning out their core teams.
In other words, flexibility is good medicine. Health systems are beginning to understand this and are rethinking their approach to staffing. Many are leveraging new technology to build Internal Resource Pools – or ‘float’ pools – to give nurses the flexibility they want. Nurses can choose the shifts they want across multiple units and even facilities, so they can work when and where they want to. This flexibility allows health systems to fill more shifts with internal talent before turning to staffing agencies, resulting in improved patient safety and significant cost savings.
Embracing A New Future
It’s tempting to want to return to “how things used to be.” But nursing has evolved, and our systems must evolve with it.
The future of nursing doesn’t have to be about recovering what we lost—it can be about building something better. Something that honors our skills, our humanity, and the incredible complexity of what it means to care for others. That future will look different, and that’s not a problem. That’s progress.
Let’s make space for those conversations. Let’s bring the same urgency, innovation, and compassion to the health of the workforce that we bring to every patient interaction. Because the well-being of our teams isn’t separate from the care we deliver. It is the care we deliver.
Now is the time to advocate for one another. To name what’s not working. To try something new. And to believe—truly—that the next chapter of nursing can be not just different, but better.