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.
“Over time, the cognitive burden caused by these factors can directly accelerate emotional burnout,” he said.
These factors are:
1. The burden of mentorship and cognitive load.
2. Career plateauing and professional stagnation: “Most hospital career advancement pathways are binary. 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.”
3. Moral injury caused by systematic micro-frictions: “When operational systems fail, it creates moral distress because nurses are prevented from delivering the care they were called to provide. Operational friction isn’t just a supply chain or technology issue. It is a spiritual and cultural barrier to our Mission. 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.”
4. A mismatch between life stage and work schedules: “The mid-career window frequently aligns with our workforce having to balance young children and aging parents alongside physical shift work. Mid-career nurses are often forced to choose between leaving hospital nursing entirely or suffering chronic exhaustion.”
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