Ascension has identified four critical factors in mid-career nurse burnout that are often overlooked.
Mid-career nurses, defined as those with five to 15 years of experience, are now the most burned-out group, a finding that comes as no surprise to nurse leaders. Being that go-to person in personal and professional life, as well as dealing with increased workload, workload inefficiencies, pace of change and complexity of care is a recipe for burnout. Nurse leaders across the country are utilizing a number of tools and programs to combat burnout, but Rob Rose, DNP, RN, senior vice president of nursing and chief nursing officer of St. Louis-based Ascension Health, told Becker’s there are four factors that many leaders do not account for.
These factors are:
1. Career plateauing and professional stagnation: “Most hospital career advancement pathways are binary,” Dr. Rose said. “You can stay at the bedside indefinitely or move into direct administration and management. Mid-career nurses often crave non-traditional growth like leading clinical quality projects, shaping product selection, or designing workflows. They want this growth without giving up bedside practice. When systems offer no lateral mobility, nurses experience professional stagnation.” For nurse leaders, the burden of mentorship and cognitive load can also be a concern.
2. Moral injury caused by systematic micro-frictions: Operational failures can create moral distress by preventing nurses from delivering the care “they feel called to provide,” Dr. Rose said. “Removing these barriers requires breaking down traditional organizational silos. Supply chain, operations, IT and clinical leadership must actively partner. We collaborate across disciplines so that every tool, technology, and workflow serves the clinician. We are focused on stewarding their time so they can return to direct caregiving.”
3. A mismatch between life stage and work schedules: Mid-career nurses are often balancing children, aging parents and physical shift work. This combination often forces nurses to choose between leaving hospital nursing or suffer chronic exhaustion.
4. The burden of mentorship and cognitive load. “Over time, the cognitive burden caused by these factors can directly accelerate emotional burnout,” he said.
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