A new survey suggests that staffing shortages, overtime, fatigue, and safety concerns are compounding pressures rather than isolated challenges. Nurses are experiencing record levels of burnout across the industry for a number of reasons. Higher patient acuity, understaffing, and workplace violence are all key factors that CNOs must keep trying to address. According to a 2026 report by Joyce University of Nursing & Health Sciences, 74% of nurses have felt emotionally exhausted multiple times a week over the course of a month. For Gen Z nurses in particular, 28% have felt burnt out from work every day. Brittany Cooper, director of communications at Joyce University of Nursing & Health Sciences, explained that emotional exhaustion isn’t the result of a single difficult shift. “It’s cumulative,” Cooper said. “Nurses are managing emotional labor, persistent staffing strain, and ongoing safety concerns at the same time, and those pressures build day after day.” So, what does this data mean for CNOs? “The takeaway for nursing leadership is that this level of exhaustion reflects systemic pressure rather than a lack of personal experience,” Cooper said. “It also underscores the importance of leadership modeling sustainable practices, because when senior nursing leaders visibly prioritize rest, boundaries, and well-being, it signals that those behaviors are supported throughout the organization.” googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(“dfp-ad-hl_native1”); }); Workforce remedies In addition to Gen Z nurses feeling burnt out, the study also reported that one in four said they chose not to use the mental health resources available to them because they were…
