Highlights from the Workplace Pulse Survey
2025 Workplace Pulse: What Nurses Are Really Saying About Staffing, Safety, and Pay
The most recent Workplace Pulse Survey, conducted in March 2025 and completed by more than 14,000 registered nurses, delivers a clear message: while the peak pandemic years may be behind us, frontline nurses are still facing overwhelming stress, short staffing, and unsafe working conditions. These issues continue to drive turnover and threaten the long-term stability of the U.S. nursing workforce.
Key Findings from the 2025 Survey
- 61% of nurses reported chronic short staffing in their units.
- 57% worked at least one extra shift per week due to vacancies.
- 74% said the skill mix was unsafe, often lacking experienced or specialty-trained staff.
- 30% of nurses under 35 felt unprepared for the complexity of patient care.
- Bullying and workplace incivility remain widespread:
- 68% experienced bullying or microaggressions
- 44% reported being physically or verbally assaulted by patients or visitors
- 29% felt unsafe at work due to inadequate security or response procedures
Despite the easing of COVID-19 case volumes, nurse mental health and burnout remain at crisis levels. Nurses gave their hospitals an average score of 2.8 out of 5 on overall support, and just 2.5 out of 5 on leadership responsiveness.
Compensation Is Now the Top Concern
Where work environment used to dominate conversations, compensation is now the #1 issue influencing whether nurses stay or leave. According to this year’s data:
- The average hourly expectation for a travel RN to consider a permanent job is $64/hour, up from $61 in 2023.
- 89% of current travelers say they would consider switching to permanent roles if the salary and benefits were competitive.
- In 2025, permanent nurses hired through Goodwork reported an average 18% salary increase compared to their prior job and a 12% reduction in commuting time.
Nurses Are Leaving—But They're Not All Over 50
The misconception that only older nurses are retiring is outdated. The latest survey found:
- Nearly 40% of nurses who left the profession in the past year were under 45.
- Key reasons included burnout (76%), lack of flexibility (58%), and feeling unsafe (42%).
- Over 100,000 nurses exited the workforce in 2024 alone, a figure expected to grow if workplace conditions don’t improve.
What Nurses Say They Need in 2025
To rebuild trust and retain skilled caregivers, hospitals and health systems must go beyond generic well-being programs. Nurses outlined the five most important improvements they want to see:
- Fair, transparent compensation structures
- Zero-tolerance enforcement against workplace bullying and violence
- Regular mental health check-ins and protected time for self-care
- Real input into staffing decisions and scheduling flexibility
- Career development and access to leadership pathways
What Hospitals Can Do Now
Organizations looking to reverse turnover trends and attract clinicians back should start by taking the following steps:
- Audit your salary bands and benefits: If you're not offering at least $64/hour for med-surg RNs, you're likely below market.
- Reinforce security measures and de-escalation training: Nurses need to feel physically and psychologically safe.
- Publicly report on your progress: Transparency builds trust and signals real commitment to change.
- Work with purpose-built marketplaces like Goodwork: Our AI-driven system helps hospitals hire permanent nurses 3x faster than traditional job boards, while splitting fees with the nurses to boost engagement and retention.
A healthy workplace is not just a nurse benefit, it’s a patient safety mandate. If your team is ready to improve retention and rebuild trust, now is the time to act.