Nursing Research and the Current Nursing Workforce Shortage

In 2025, the profession of nursing is at a critical juncture, facing a continuing workforce shortage that threatens healthcare systems and patient safety across the United States and beyond. The COVID-19 pandemic, along with an aging workforce, have placed systemic challenges for healthcare institutions that need to be addressed immediately. The American Nurses Association, along with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the need for new Registered Nurses (RNs) continues to outpace supply. There is an anticipated need for over one million new nurses by the year 2030 to cover the aging and retiring workforce. In addition, many RNs are leaving the bedside for less strenuous and stressful positions or leaving the profession all together. Reasons cited for this include burnout, moral distress, lack of support, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2022 and 2025, over 138,000 nurses left the workforce [1].