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Nurses are the backbone of every healthcare system. Today, healthcare organizations work hard to attract and retain their nursing staff throughout the ongoing and worsening nursing shortage. An exceptional shift scheduling software can help keep your nurses healthy and happy at your healthcare organization.
Nurses Are Appreciated, but May Be Burned Out
For the 24th consecutive year, nurses have been ranked the most trusted professionals by Gallup’sannual Most Honest and Ethical Professions Poll. In this recent poll, 75% of respondents rated nurses’ honesty and ethical standards as “very high” or “high,” outpacing all other professions. It’s clear that most patients value and appreciate nurses.
Unfortunately, patient appreciation may not be enough to keep nurses working in the profession. The work that nurses do is physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting, which can all contribute to stress and burnout. In fact, more than half (53%) of nurses who responded to the 2026 Nurse Salary and Work-Life Report survey by Nurse.com reported experiencing burnout in the past two years, and 62% said they felt overwhelmed.
Burnout can worsen nurse vacancy rates. The national RN vacancy rate is 8.6%, with a third of hospitals reporting a vacancy rate of 10% or more. RN turnover is currently 17.6%, according to the 2026 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report. Nurses working in behavioral health, telemetry and emergency services reported the highest turnover rates, while those working in pediatrics, surgical services, and women’s health reported the lowest.
Turnover can stress diminishing margins. It costs $60,090, on average, to replace an RN, according to the survey, and the average hospital loses $4.2 to $6.2 million.
Time is also an issue. It takes about 2.5 months or more to replace an RN, and the absence of even one nurse can leave giant holes in scheduling. During this time, the remaining nurses have to work longer and harder to fill in the gap, which can increase the chances that these nurses will leave due to burnout.
Flexible shift scheduling to the rescue!
Age and career stage can shape nurses’ experience with stress, job satisfaction, and burnout. According to the 2026 Nurse Salary and Work-Life Report, flexible scheduling was the #1 factor motivating Generation Z to stay in nursing, demonstrating the importance of work-life balance to nurses moving forward.
Flexible scheduling is important to nurses of other ages and career stages too. This type of shift scheduling can improve work-life balance, reduce burnout, and decrease turnover because it gives nurses and organizations more control over schedules.
Using a shift scheduling program is also beneficial to the healthcare organization. Happy, well-rested nurses are more likely to stay with an organization, and they make fewer mistakes. What’s more, reducing nurse turnover can improve an organization’s bottom line
For more information on the benefits of flexible shift scheduling, contact ByteBloc. Introduced for emergency medicine scheduling and physician scheduling in 1989, ByteBloc Software now helps healthcare organizations in all 50 states, Canada, and other countries to attract and retain healthcare professionals.
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