Health care worker burnout is nothing short of an epidemic. Sarah Lorenzini, MSN-ED, RN, CCRN, CEN, is the voice behind the Rapid Response RN podcast. Burnout is a topic she's passionate about and often speaks on.

"On the first day of nursing school I recall hearing, 'You need to suck it up. You're doing this for a good cause. You're tough enough. You can do this.'," says Lorenzini. "This mindset no longer works, especially as staffing challenges increase moral distress in health care."

Forward-thinking organizations are taking action to reduce clinician burnout and alleviate pressure on nurses and other staff. From virtual nursing to employee assistance programs, these strategies reduce workload and improve staff well-being.

Health Care Worker Burnout Prevalence and Causes

The financial burden of burnout on hospitals and health care organizations is significant. Some sources estimate turnover costs reach $72,000 per nurse. In 2026, 76% of health care leaders say burnout and employee retention are their biggest challenges.

They have good reasons to be concerned. According to the 2026 State of Nursing Survey:

• 48% of nurses say their mental health or stress is worse than it was last year.
• 42% indicate their working conditions are worse.

While burnout can happen in any field, it's particularly prevalent in health care, especially for nurses. They frequently cite several factors that increase stress and contribute to burnout, including:

• Administrative work: Nurses handle documentation, charting, and managing admissions and discharges.
• Scheduling: Long shifts and mandatory overtime limit rest and recovery time.
• Staffing: Shortages result in longer hours, less flexible scheduling options, and increased patient load.
• Emotional strain: Patient care often involves trauma and crisis.
• Leadership gaps: Extra duties can add to stress and make staff feel undervalued.

Mitigate Health Care Worker Burnout With Proactive Strategies

It's often up to nurses to seek assistance when they're having issues. But organizations can reduce stress by addressing system-level challenges.

These wellness strategies provide support and resources to burdened staff and help reduce burnout:

• Employee assistance programs: Develop opportunities for staff to access confidential mental health support and stress management resources. Early intervention tools help clinicians manage challenges before they escalate into burnout.
• Flexible scheduling: Give nurses more control over schedules and time off. This flexibility helps staff rest and recover.
• Mentorship: "I tell all new nurses to find someone who can be their mentor," says Lorenzini. "And it works both ways. Seasoned nurses get an opportunity to hear about challenges through a fresh lens."
• Nurse empowerment: Include nurses in the decision-making process. Their input improves engagement and leads to better solutions.

5 Tips to Improve Communication and Decrease Burnout in Health Care

"Ignoring burnout or pretending it doesn't exist doesn't help anyone," says Lorenzini. "I'm constantly on the lookout for burnout so I can support my teammates."

While organizational systems help reduce burnout, leadership behavior also plays a critical role. Lorenzini offered these tips:

• Pay attention to cues: "I can see in someone's facial expression and body language that burnout is there," says Lorenzini.
• Check in: When Lorenzini notices the symptoms of stress, she schedules one-on-one check-ins to understand staff needs and how she can help.
• Lead with compassion: Address concerns early and with empathy.
• Act early: Develop early strategies to help address and manage it. "It's impossible to work in health care and not have burnout knocking at the door," Lorenzini says.
• Celebrate wins: "Take time to celebrate the wins, like when a patient gets better or you were part of a beautiful experience," Lorenzini explains. "It balances out the hard days."

At Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, nurses manage discharge and additional duties ancillary departments and specialties push onto them.

"Nurses don't have the bandwidth for everything," says Executive Director of the Medical Division, Michelle Williams-Rivers, PhD, MSN, RN. "For leadership, it's important to set boundaries to protect the nursing staff."

Cedars-Sinai recognized that the extra burden on nurses also created a bottleneck for the hospital.

"There were no beds available because the discharge process was continually behind," Williams-Rivers says. "Patients sat in the Emergency Department for as long as 48 hours before being admitted to an inpatient bed."

Williams-Rivers created a virtual nursing program to support admissions and discharges. The program also helped alleviate the workflow strain for the nursing staff.

Virtual Nursing Program Takes Pressure off Floor Staff

Williams-Rivers started the virtual nursing pilot program in June 2025 with one medical unit and one surgical. Nurses work virtually through video monitoring in the rooms, removing the documentation burden from the floor nurses.

In addition to admission and discharge, the program proved useful for:

• Chart audits
• Medication signoffs
• Skin checks
• Patient questionnaires
• Communication with care teams and family
• Documentation

"If the virtual nurse hears a code in one of the units with cameras, they can appear on screen to be the code recorder," Williams-Rivers says. "They can keep track of everything, so nurses can concentrate on patient care."

Improving Clinical Wellness and Streamlining Hospital Operations

While still in its first year, the Cedars-Sinai program has already improved clinician well-being through:

• Reduced stress: Removing nonclinical tasks allows bedside nurses to focus on patient care.
• New opportunities: "Nurses are excited about this different type of nursing. They use their knowledge, but they also get the opportunity to increase their skills," Williams-Rivers said. "I started getting applications before the position was even posted."

The program also delivered strong results for the hospital:

• Reduced discharge time: Discharge time decreased by 75% — from one hour to only 15 minutes.
• Increased capacity: Bed time decreased because of a streamlined process that moves patients to a discharge lounge.

Cedars-Sinai is currently in the process of expanding the program to all 14 units this year. They have plans to expand to two other locations in Marina Del Rey and Pasadena.

4 Tips to Launch a Wellness Initiative in Your Organization

To start a new program in your organization, Williams-Rivers offered 4 tips:

1. Get buy-in from leadership: "I included leaders early and often," Williams-Rivers said.
2. Evaluate technology needs: There were architectural considerations for the technology that required expertise, so Williams-Rivers worked closely with the Chief Nursing Informatics Officer.
3. Involve staff: "Gather feedback and advice from the staff because they'll be the ones working with the solutions," says Williams-Rivers. "It's especially important that technology helps nurses instead of adding more burden."
4. Build a financial case: Focus on cost-neutral or cost-savings outcomes.

Building a Sustainable Approach to Clinician Well-Being

Reducing burnout requires more than a single solution. Organizations must combine technology, leadership support, and innovative programs to create lasting change.

Focus on strategies that reduce workload and improve staff satisfaction because they'll also strengthen retention and improve patient care outcomes.

Interested in ways to support clinical performance across your organization? RQI Partners works with health systems to implement evidence-based programs that strengthen care delivery and drive measurable results. Explore RQI programs.

To learn more about Rapid Response RN, listen to Episode 2 of the In the Heart of Care Podcast — Burnout to Balance: Reclaiming Wellbeing in Medicine.