November 2, 2026
Although nurses continue to be in high demand, understaffing and violence are driving many away from the bedside and toward less stressful career options — leaving hospitals with a growing lack of experience, patient safety concerns, and higher financial costs.
Inadequate staffing, violence drives nurses away
As hospitals become more efficient with staffing and hospital beds, nurses are facing more intense and less predictable workloads. They’re also seeing sicker and more medically complex patients who often require intensive monitoring and care coordination with multiple specialists.
Nurses also face mounting frustration from patients as wait times for beds in EDs continue to grow. According to an analysis of records from 1,500 hospitals, ED wait times increased significantly during the pandemic and remained high through 2024, the most recent data available. During winter months, when hospitals are busiest, almost 5% of patients wait over 24 hours for a hospital bed.