A survey of more than 2,000 U.S. nurse practitioners found nearly a third are considering leaving healthcare, according to Medscape's first report on nurse practitioner burnout and depression published Aug. 18.
The report is based on online survey responses from 2,084 practicing nurse practitioners polled from April 5 to May 20.
Thirty-one percent of respondents said they are considering leaving the profession, and 34 percent said they've considered it in the past.
Four more findings:
1. Overall, 30 percent of respondents reported feeling both burned out and depressed. A slightly higher proportion of full-time NPs reported being both burned out and depressed compared to part-time NPs.
2. Too many bureaucratic tasks is the top contributor to burnout among NPs, the findings showed. Forty-nine percent of respondents selected this as what contributes most to their burnout.
3. Nearly half of burned out NPs said they participated in meditation or other stress reduction techniques at work to alleviate burnout.
4. Forty-one percent of respondents overall said their workplaces don't offer programs meant to reduce stress and/or burnout. Thirty-nine percent said their workplaces do offer such programs, while 20 percent were not sure.