Consequences of Burnout on Horizon.

• Position: NURSING

The study "Rx for RNs" sheds light on the challenges that today's nurses are facing as they try to manage increasing professional demands and family responsibilities, with nearly 80% of clinical nurses saying they know someone who has left nursing because of the struggle to balance work and family responsibilities, and 65% say turnover related to burnout is a problem at their organization.

The survey was conducted by American Nurse Today and Health-corn Media, Doyleston, Pa., and commissioned by Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Watertown, Mass.

While much of the nursing industry has been focused on the impending retirement of more than half of the nation's nurses who currently are over age 50, the other half of the nursing workforce are finding themselves in the role of 24-hour caregiver. Many millennial and Gen X nurses are balancing patient care with parenting, while others are sandwiched among children, careers, and caring for aging parents.

According to the study, more than half of respondents found it difficult to keep up with their shifts in the last six months. Those with children under age six named child-care issues the top cause: 85% have missed a shift; 83% have turned down a shift; and 70% say they missed a shift because their child was sick or they could not find care.

Many of the same nurses caring for small children also are caring for an adult family member. Among those employees, more than one-third of respondents sandwiched with care have missed a shift due to their adult caregiving responsibilities.

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