Incredible Health

Empowering healthcare professionals to find and do their best work.

Blog

STUDY: 90% of Healthcare Executives Think The Nurse Shortage Will Worsen

At Incredible Health, we are dedicated to our mission: helping healthcare professionals live their best lives and find and do their best work. To achieve this, it’s fundamental for us to deeply understand the challenges faced by both nurses and healthcare leaders. While we’ve highlighted the pressing concerns of 1 million nurses nationwide, we believe it’s important to consider the perspectives of healthcare executives to gain a comprehensive understanding of workforce challenges in healthcare.

Today, we are excited to reveal the findings from our 2024 Healthcare Executive Report. Our latest report offers a comprehensive view of the concerns in healthcare from the perspective of over 100 US healthcare executives and proprietary data from over 1500 US hospitals.

The report paints a concerning picture: 90% of healthcare executives surveyed predict that the nurse shortage will worsen in the coming years. With the U.S. projected to be one million nurses short by 2030, this is an unsettling reality. However, there is a silver lining. This year’s report outlines a promising path forward, offering opportunities for positive change and support for nurses nationwide.

Understanding the Landscape

The pressure on nurses is undeniable and is exacerbated by the difficulty in hiring and retaining nurses. Only 32% of healthcare executives are satisfied with the current patient-to-staff ratios, and a staggering 78% do not feel adequately prepared for a large-scale health crisis.

Additionally, healthcare executives report that:

  • Medical surgical, OR / perioperative, critical care, and emergency nurse specialties are the hardest to hire, further complicating staffing challenges. On the Incredible Health marketplace used by 1 million US nurses and 1500 US hospitals, we’ve seen the largest increase in demand for medical surgical roles, as in the last 2 years new graduate nurses are hired directly into specialized units, resulting in understaffed medical surgical units.
  • Inadequate staffing (43%) and not having enough nurses entering the field (37%) are tied as the biggest concerns for the healthcare industry.

Addressing Burnout and Workplace Violence

Burnout and workplace violence are significant contributors to the current nurse shortage. According to our 2024 State of US Nursing Report, 46% of nurses cite burnout as their primary reason for leaving their roles, and 26% are likely to leave due to workplace violence. These statistics are alarming, but they also highlight key areas where healthcare systems can intervene and improve.

Healthcare executives are increasingly aware of these issues. 66% say that they have seen an increase in verbal and/or physical assaults on nurses by patients or a member of the patient’s family within the past year, and are working to implement measures to intervene and improve nurse experiences. From establishing zero-tolerance policies for workplace violence to investing in security systems that allow nurses to alert when they are in danger, steps are being taken to ensure a safer and more supportive working environment. For burnout, the top strategies leaders are implementing for retention are:

  • Increasing salaries for nurses (36%)
  • Offering career advancement opportunities (20%)
  • Retention incentives (11%)

Pathways to Improvement

One of the most promising aspects of this year’s report is the alignment between what nurses want and what healthcare executives are willing to offer. For example, salary increases have been identified as one of the most effective methods for attracting and retaining nurses. More than 40% of healthcare executives reported raising nurse salaries in the past year, directly addressing the concern of 64% of nurses who feel they are not fairly compensated.

Technological advancements, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI), also offer benefits. Over half (54%) of healthcare executives are exploring AI technologies to reduce the administrative burdens that contribute to nurse burnout. By streamlining scheduling and operational processes, AI can help nurses focus on what they do best—caring for patients. We have seen the benefits of how generative AI can help both nurses and health systems: 

  • Currently, 47% of healthcare executives report using AI for scheduling and administrative processes, with 22% believing AI will improve shift scheduling. 
  • Since we implemented our generative AI features, there has been a 20% increase in nurses accepting interview requests on the Incredible Health platform.
  • More than half (53%) of healthcare executives are asking team members to use AI to increase operational efficiency within their health system
  • Only 12% of healthcare executives reported nurses using AI for recommending patient care

A Collective Effort

Valerie Hernandez, Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, highlights the collective effort required to address the nurse shortage: 

Healthcare professionals, including nurses, play a crucial role not only within hospitals but also across the entire country. Our top priority is to adequately staff our facilities to ensure optimal patient care outcomes. We’re actively implementing innovative initiatives that will empower our teams. However, the ongoing nurse recruitment challenge remains an existential issue that all hospitals must address. We appreciate Incredible Health for working with us, and shedding light on the progress and challenges faced by hospitals and health systems today.

This collaboration to support healthcare professionals, aided by organizations like Incredible Health, is essential in navigating the future of nursing. By highlighting the challenges and solutions being implemented to changing nurses’ lives, we can work together to create a more stable and supportive healthcare system.

Looking Ahead

While the nursing shortage remains an ongoing challenge, the response and steps taken by healthcare executives inspire optimism. The increasing alignment between what nurses need and what healthcare executives are willing to offer, combined with the adoption of new technologies, provides a roadmap for a brighter future.

If your hospital is looking for a better way to hire and retain nurses, click here. Incredible Health’s award-winning marketplace technology helps your talent acquisition and nursing teams hire permanent, experienced nurses in 20 days or less, save an average of $5 million per year per facility, and improve nurse retention. With over 1 million US nurses using Incredible Health to manage their careers, 1,500 U.S. hospital locations trust Incredible Health with finding its most important resource: top, permanent nursing talent to deliver high-quality care.

If you’re a nurse looking to join 1 million nursing peers, and take control of your career, access Incredible Health’s suite of services for free, click here. 

You can download the visual report that includes more data from the 2024 Healthcare Executive Report here.

Methodology

We surveyed executives from 100 hospitals and health systems in May 2024. Proprietary data from over 1,500 hospital locations using our platform was also included. Respondents included employers inside and outside the Incredible Health employer network. While anonymous, the survey included some of the largest health systems in the United States, academic medical centers, regional systems, community hospitals, in both urban and rural areas.

Iman Abuzeid, M.D., is the co-founder and CEO of Incredible Health, the largest career marketplace for permanent healthcare workers, with the mission of helping healthcare professionals live better lives, and find and do their best work. The company founded in 2017, has raised $100 million from top venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and health systems Kaiser Permanente and Johns Hopkins, and is valued at $1.65 billion, making Iman one of the few CEOs to run a “unicorn” startup (a company valued at over $1 billion). Iman is an MD, and holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Iman’s immediate family has 3 surgeons, and as a doctor herself, she understands the importance of choosing the right stepping stones in a clinical career. It’s what drives her belief in Incredible Health and its potential to reliably help clinicians manage their career.

Read more from Iman

Best Hospitals to Work for in South Carolina

Career Resources / Job Searching / Best Hospitals South Carolina

Did you know that the state of South Carolina has become the number one place in the nation for Americans to relocate to? There are plenty of good reasons, including the fact that South Carolina is a wonderful place to live and work. In addition to being family friendly and home to some of the country’s best beaches, vacation towns, and America’s fastest-growing industries, South Carolina’s cost of living is an eye-popping 11.5% lower than the average state in the United States.

South Carolina offers natural beauty, world-renowned hospitality, and a thriving economy, and from a professional perspective, nurses will find a lot to love in the state. It was the first in the nation to form a health data and research collaborative, and several of South Carolina’s hospitals have been nationally and regionally ranked as among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. One of South Carolina’s facilities was recognized for its excellence as a teaching hospital on the Watson Health Top 100 Hospitals.

Incredible Health’s list of South Carolina’s best hospitals includes those that have been recognized as Magnet hospitals by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Earning and maintaining this status and distinction sends an important signal to nurses: it recognizes that they uphold high standards of patient care and that they are dedicated to nursing excellence.

South Carolina’s Top Hospitals

Get job matches in your area + answers to all your nursing career questions

Let's get started

What's your current role?

Best hospitals in South Carolina

Each of the South Carolina hospitals listed below have either been granted Magnet status or been granted other important awards in recognition of the excellence of their care. Inclusion on U.S. News & World Report’s list of best hospitals, high marks for safety records from the government, and feedback posted by current and former employees on employment sites including Indeed and Glassdoor are among the distinctions that these facilities have received: all make it clear that they value the skills and knowledge of their nursing staff and provide supportive, enriching work environments. These honors, benefits, and testimonials from patients —as well as other criteria —are the reason they’re on our list of Best Hospitals in South Carolina.

AnMed Health Medical Center

AnMed is an independent, not-for-profit health system serving Upstate South Carolina and northeast Georgia. In addition to being named one of the nation’s 153 “Great Community Hospitals” by Becker’s Hospital Review, it is one of only 604 health care in the nation to be recognized as a Magnet designated facility by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program. AnMed Health is fully accredited by DNV Healthcare, a nationally recognized certification of commitment to quality performance standards. It also received an “A” safety grade from Leapfrog, with high marks for its support for its nursing workforce. Among other awards it has received are a quality achievement award from the American Heart Association and being rated high performing in four adult procedures and conditions by U.S. News & World Report. It is also located in a town that Travel & Leisure ranked as one of the best places to retire.

Notable facts about AnMed Health include: 

  • Administration: Not-for-profit
  • Acute care hospital
  • Location: Anderson, South Carolina
  • Hospital network: AnMed Health
  • Employees: 3,600+

Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital

Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital is located in Charleston, South Carolina, and traces its history back to 1882. It was the first hospital in the state to have achieved Magnet designation for its nursing program three times, working within a patient-centered nursing culture built upon the Roper St. Francis Healthcare mission statement of healing all people with compassion, faith, and excellence. Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital has also received several other care awards, including Outstanding Patient Experience awards and an “A” safety rating from the Leapfrog Group. The hospital was listed as one of the top 150 Best Places to Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare, one of the “Great Hospitals in America” by Becker’s Hospital Review, and received a four-star overall performance and patient experience rating from Medicare.

 Notable facts about Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital include: 

  • Administration: Non-profit
  • General medical and surgical hospital
  • Location: Charleston, SC
  • Hospital network: Roper St. Francis Healthcare
  • Employees: 5,700+ across the system 

MUSC Health

Medical University of South Carolina delivers groundbreaking education, research, and patient care that benefits communities across the state and the world. U.S. News & World Report has repeatedly ranked it as the top-ranked hospital in South Carolina, noting three specialty areas as among the best in the country. MUSC Health has been recognized as a Magnet hospital and has received of numerous honors and awards for its dedication to patient safety, for its supportive workplace, and for the accomplishments of its various departments and staff members. It received a four-star rating for patient outcomes from Medicare and was ranked among Forbes magazine’s “Best Large Employers” and “Best In-State Employers.”

Notable facts about MUSC Health University Medical Center include: 

  • Administration: Nonprofit
  • Academic medical center
  • Location: Charleston, SC
  • Hospital network: MUSC Health (14 hospitals)
  • Employees: nearly 25,000

Prisma Health-Greenville Memorial Hospital

Prisma Health’s Greenville Memorial Hospital has earned multiple awards and accolades from a wide range of nationally recognized organizations. In addition to being awarded magnet status, the hospital received a safety grade of “A” from the Leapfrog Group. It was named one of the nation’s best maternity hospitals by Newsweek and received Comprehensive Stroke Center certification from the Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. 

Notable facts about Prisma Health-Greenville Memorial Hospital include: 

  • Administration: Not-for-profit
  • Tertiary referral hospital and academic center
  • Location: Greenville, SC
  • Hospital network: Prisma Health
  • Employees: 28,761 across the health system 

Prisma Health Baptist Hospital

Prisma Health Baptist Hospital has received numerous accolades for its high level of service and care. In addition to receiving Magnet designation for nursing excellence, the hospital received a safety grade of “A” from the Leapfrog Group, was named a High Performing Hospital in knee and hip replacement from U.S. News & World Report, and was named a Best Maternity Hospital by Newsweek.

Notable facts about Prisma Health Baptist Hospital include:

  • Administration: Not-for-profit
  • Acute care hospital
  • Location: Columbia, SC
  • Hospital network: Prisma Health
  • Employees: 28,761 across the health system 

Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge Hospital

Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge Hospital received Magnet designation in October of 2020. Additionally, it has received multiple awards and recognitions, including a safety grade of “A”” from the Leapfrog Group and being include on their Top 11 Hospitals list in 2021, a four-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and recognition as a High Performing Hospital from U.S. News & World Report.

Notable facts about Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge Hospital include: 

  • Administration: Not-for-profit
  • Acute care hospital
  • Location: Columbia, SC
  • Hospital network: Prisma Health
  • Employees: 28,761 across the health system

Prisma Health Greer Memorial Hospital

Prisma’s Greer Memorial Hospital’s delivery of patient- and family-focused care has led to several awards and honors.  In addition to having received Magnet recognition in 2016, the hospital has been named a Best Maternity Hospital by Newsweek, was awarded a safety grade of “A” by the Leapfrog Group, a four-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for patient outcomes and overall performance, and an Outstanding Patient Experience award from Healthgrades.

Notable facts about St. Cloud Hospital include: 

  • Administration: Not-for-profit
  • Location: Greer, SC
  • Hospital network: Prisma Health
  • Employees: 28,761 across the health system

Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System

Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System is one of South Carolina’s top-ranked hospital systems according to U.S. News & World Report as well as one of Upstate South Carolina’s largest employers. Its six hospital campuses and over 150 officers employ over 700 physicians and more than 10,000 associates. The system has received awards for its locations, its specific healthcare programs, and workplace and employment recognitions including having achieved Magnet status and the Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award for three years in a row, and Spartanburg’s Pelham Medical Center was chosen by Modern Healthcare as one of the 100 companies and organizations named The Best Places to Work In Healthcare 8 times over a 9-year period including 2024.

Notable facts about Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System include:

  • Administration: Community hospital system serving upstate South Carolina
  • Location: Spartanburg, SC
  • Hospital network: Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System
  • Employees: 10,000+

Get job matches in your area + answers to all your nursing career questions

Let's get started

What's your current role?

What makes a best hospital in South Carolina?

Beyond delivering care, hospitals are major employers. If you’re interested in working at a hospital in South Carolina, you’ll want to know that the facilities you’re considering value the people who work for them as much as they do the patient they provide care for.

Benefits

Hospitals that want to attract and keep top talent offer competitive salaries in South Carolina and generous benefits that make a difference in employees’ quality of life. These vary depending on the individual hospital, but may include health, life, and dental insurance, 401K retirement plans, tuition reimbursement, financial assistance for first-time home buyers, and sign-on bonuses. Other options include referral bonuses, onsite childcare, paid maternity and paternity leave, and the opportunity to take time off to pursue meaningful philanthropic efforts in the community.

Growth opportunity

Every new job represents new opportunities. Not only do you want to learn from colleagues, you also want the chance to advance yourself, to increase your earnings, and to add to your ability to work independently. The best employers encourage career growth and provide a path forward.

Employee satisfaction

Job fatigue is a real and present issue for nurses.,Though the worst of COVID-19 is behind us, the national nursing shortage continues to be a problem, particularly in the face of America’s aging population. Hospitals that provide their nursing staff with emotional support, a healthy work/life balance, and access to wellness counseling earn the highest rankings as being among the best to work for.

High patient satisfaction

Nurses are dedicated to patients. When they choose their careers, they commit to providing compassionate, high-quality care. Many studies have confirmed that working for a facility that delivers excellent outcomes and high levels of patient satisfaction increases job satisfaction for healthcare professionals across the board.

Other factors that make a top hospital

There are so many tangible and intangible elements that add up to a top hospital. These include attention to customer satisfaction, adherence to safety protocols, engagement with the community, and a strong adherence to medical ethics and values.

Safety record is critical

Improving patient safety is an industry-wide goal, and hospitals that make reducing infections and improving patient outcomes a priority are at the top of their field.

Hospital policies focus on customer services

Thinking of patients as their customers leads to improved healthcare overall. Hospitals that stress this in their training and in their attitude lift the attitudes and mood of their organization, creating a more satisfactory work environment for the entire organization.

Latest technology and training improve healthcare

Hospitals that invest in state-of-the-art technology and training not only provide improved delivery of care for patients: they also provide their nurses and other staff members with more effective tools that help them do their jobs. Incorporating advanced hospital vape detectors enhances the safety of both patients and staff by ensuring a healthier indoor air quality and preventing potential fire hazards, thereby creating a more secure and efficient healthcare environment.

Ethics lead the way

Hospitals deal with diverse issues involving staff, patients, and their communities. Overlapping interests can create conflict, and well-run, top quality institutions maintain their values and express their ethics clearly.

Next steps

Nurses who are interested in working for one of the top hospitals in South Carolina need more than skill and experience. To demonstrate your interest and qualifications for a job at a top hospital, you need to be organized, strategic, and meticulous in your attention to detail and your approach. Below you will find helpful steps to help you win the job that you want.

Build your resume

A resume provides a hospital’s hiring manager with a detailed summary of all that you have accomplished in your career. It lists your education, your job titles, your skills, and your strengths. To set yourself apart from other applicants, be sure to echo the terms used in the hospital’s job description within your resume and cover letter and highlight any special awards or achievements that you’ve received.

Join a nurses’ association

Nobody knows the ins and outs of working for a specific hospital – or about who to speak to about a job – then nurses who are already employed there. Joining a local nurses’ association like the South Carolina Nurses Association can help you connect with and network with those invaluable resources. These union organizations can act as powerful advocates, though choosing to join is a matter of personal choice.

Attend industry educational conferences and workshops

Attending professional nursing conferences provides you with several important career advantages. Not only do they expand your knowledge base, they also provide you with an enhanced circle of nurses with whom you can network and from whom you can seek guidance and support.

Keep up with continuing education requirements

Remaining current on all of South Carolina’s continuing education requirements is essential to demonstrating your adherence to all state compliance regulations, and Incredible Health makes it easy for you to do that. We provide free accredited South Carolina CEU courses, as well as immediate access to course completion certificates that you can attach to your job applications.

Search for job openings

There are few things more frustrating than searching for a new job. Though hospital websites and job boards have made openings easier to find than in the old days of searching want ads in newspapers, it can still be a mind-numbing task. Incredible Health’s recruitment tool has turned searching for a job at one of South Carolina’s top hospitals into a pleasure by turning the process around. It allows you to build your own profile and define your career goals so that hospitals can match their needs to your skills and then reach out to you.

Transfer your nursing license to South Carolina

South Carolina is a Nursing Compact State, so if you are currently licensed in a state that is likewise part of the compact, then moving and starting a new career is fairly easy. If your nursing license is from a state that is outside of the Nursing Compact, you’ll need to apply to transfer your nursing license to South Carolina.

Top South Carolina RN jobs on Incredible Health

Get matched with these and thousands more permanent jobs on Incredible Health.

See your job matches

 Sources

At Incredible Health, it's a team effort to achieve our vision: Help healthcare professionals live better lives. Many are licensed practitioners themselves; others are simply passionate writers and leaders dedicated to providing valuable resources to nurses.

Read more from Incredible Health

Incredible Health Reaches 1 Million Nurses and 1500 Hospitals Nationwide

Incredible Health is celebrating two exciting milestones in 2024. Our career marketplace is now trusted by over 1 million nurses and 1,500 hospital locations across the United States, making it the largest healthcare career marketplace in the US.

Founded in 2017 to address the challenges of the national nursing shortage, Incredible Health uses automation, data, and technology to streamline the job search process enabling nurses to find their dream permanent jobs. Incredible Health simultaneously helps hospitals and health systems efficiently hire to deliver care to their communities. 

Nurses embrace the concept of hospitals applying directly to them (instead of the other way around), while hospitals have witnessed a drastic reduction in hiring time, from an average of 95 days to 20 days or less, when partnering with Incredible Health. This has resulted in more nurses finding their dream roles, annual cost savings of $5 million per facility, higher nurse retention, and an elevated standard of care for patients. Nurses have used Incredible Health to advance their careers and skills, get paid more, move into nurse leadership, and nearly 40% of nurses have relocated to a different state for their dream permanent job. We’re proud of our 4,200+ 5-star reviews from nurses across the App Store, Play Store, Google and Facebook.

While these achievements are cause for celebration, our journey is just getting started. Access to a diverse pool of qualified nurses remains crucial for hospitals, and nurses deserve a wide array of hospital employers to choose from – including jobs that advance their career, expand their skills, improve their schedules, and enable relocation. We are committed to continuously enhancing our technology, algorithms, and AI to further refine job matching, making it even more valuable and efficient for users. 

Recently, we introduced exciting new features that let nurses rapidly create resumes in under five minutes, ensuring that the 30% of nurses that start their job search without a resume are not left behind. We’ve implemented generative Artificial Intelligence that enables recruiters to automatically send personalized messages about unique benefits and perks to nurse candidates, helping hospitals differentiate from their competition. Today, resumes and applications are verified and processed instantly using AI, matching positions with the perfect candidates in seconds.

Beyond our platform’s powerful capabilities, Incredible Health provides nurses and hospitals with an up-to-date source of nursing news and trends. Our 5th annual State of US Nursing report, which was published last week and extensively covered by the press, provides valuable insights about how nurses feel about their careers, their workplaces, and plans for the future.

At Incredible Health, we believe the future of nursing is bright. Our mission is to empower healthcare professionals to find and do their best work. As we celebrate these milestones, we look forward to continuing to pursue our vision of helping healthcare professionals live better lives. 

We would not be here today without the amazing Incredible Health team, our 1 million nurses, and our 1,500 hospital partners. Learn more about joining our team here. If you are a nurse looking for your next permanent role, find out more here. If you are a hospital looking for a better way to hire and retain nurses, find out more here.

Iman Abuzeid, M.D., is the co-founder and CEO of Incredible Health, the largest career marketplace for permanent healthcare workers, with the mission of helping healthcare professionals live better lives, and find and do their best work. The company founded in 2017, has raised $100 million from top venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and health systems Kaiser Permanente and Johns Hopkins, and is valued at $1.65 billion, making Iman one of the few CEOs to run a “unicorn” startup (a company valued at over $1 billion). Iman is an MD, and holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Iman’s immediate family has 3 surgeons, and as a doctor herself, she understands the importance of choosing the right stepping stones in a clinical career. It’s what drives her belief in Incredible Health and its potential to reliably help clinicians manage their career.

Read more from Iman

Celebrating Milestones and Inspiring Change: Insights from Incredible Health’s Fifth Annual State of US Nursing Report

Incredible Health has reached a monumental milestone in pursuing our mission to help healthcare workers live better lives, and we couldn’t have done it without you. With the release of our fifth annual State of US Nursing Report, we’re thrilled to announce that our platform now supports over one million nurses and partners with 1,500 hospitals across the United States. This remarkable growth speaks volumes about the strength of our community and the trust nurses and health systems place in us.

This year’s report is more than just numbers and statistics – it’s a testament to the resilience and dedication of nurses across the country. It sheds light on the challenges US nurses face, particularly the ongoing staffing shortages that continue to impact patient care, and also shines a light on bright spots in the profession.

We analyzed our proprietary data of over 1,000,000 nurses (300,000 more nurses than last year) and surveyed 3,300 nurses nationwide.

A positive outlook

Despite the challenges highlighted in the report, there are reasons to be hopeful. Mental health among nurses is improving (up 6% from 2023), thanks to efforts by health systems to combat burnout and foster a sense of community. It’s reassuring to see that the desire to remain in the nursing profession remains strong, with 79% of nurses expressing they will remain a nurse until retirement, pointing to their passion for helping others as the driving force behind this dedication. While this is a similar sentiment from last year’s report (81%), it is an overall improvement from 55% in 2022 when nurses were grappling with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Staffing shortages continue to be a sticking point for nurses

Despite the strides made, staffing shortages remain a significant challenge for nurses. While nurses are slightly less dissatisfied with current staffing levels (48% in 2024 vs. 55% in 2023), overall, they believe that patient care is negatively impacted due to staffing shortages. A staggering 88% of nurses point to these shortages negatively impacting patient care, with 63% feeling stretched thin by caring for too many patients at a time. Additionally, 53% report lacking adequate support from nursing peers or managers – a concerning trend that we’re committed to addressing.

Integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Another area of focus in the report is the integration of AI in healthcare – a topic that sparks both excitement and concern among nurses. While 70% do not foresee AI impacting their roles in the next year, there’s a growing recognition of its potential to support technological education and streamline processes. Of the 11% of nurses who have used AI in their roles, they have used it for recommendations on patient care, during the patient intake process and care summary creation, or through Incredible Health in their job search.

A generational divide

In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, there’s an undeniable generational shift taking place within the nursing profession. On the topic of AI, many nurses expressed that one negative impact of AI adoption in the field is creating an imbalance between younger and older generations of nurses. 69% of nurses 55 years of age and older think that AI will have a negative impact on the industry compared to 44% of 18 to 24-year-olds. Additionally, 68% of nurses expressed a lack of hope for the next generation of nurses, specifically Gen Z.

Other significant findings include:

  • 77% of nurses were not impacted by faculty shortages in nursing school.
  • Cardiac Care, Medical-Surgical, and Operating Room specialty nurses saw the highest spike in demand from health systems on the Incredible Health marketplace
  • 21% of nurses have relocated to a different state for a role through the Incredible Health marketplace.
  • 50% of nurses have been verbally and/or physically assaulted by a patient or a member of the patient’s family within the past year. Over a quarter (26%) of nurses noted they are likely to leave their current role because of this incident.
  • When describing their household’s financial situation, 78% of nurses described meeting their basic needs, with little to nothing left over for extras. 
  • 23% of nurses stated they are very likely to leave their role this year, up 8% from 2023.
  • Factors such as burnout, inadequate staffing, and dissatisfaction with compensation contribute to their sentiment, with 64% of nurses feeling they are not fairly compensated for their work.

As we continue to expand our platform and support more nurses and health systems, Incredible Health remains committed to driving positive change in healthcare and ensuring nurses have the resources they need to thrive. The results of our State of US Nursing Report are proactively shared with over 1,500 hospitals, and engagement with health system leaders inspires action, just like our past reports.


Incredible Health is free to all nurses and helps them plan and manage their careers. One million US nurses use the platform to land roles across 1,500 US hospitals, access resources, and tools, including continuing education and an exclusive community, and receive one-on-one support from coaches regarding career decisions. Incredible Health champions nurses by putting them in the driver’s seat of their careers.

75% of the nation’s top-ranked hospitals trust Incredible Health’s award-winning marketplace technology to quickly hire and retain top, permanent nursing talent while saving at least $5M per year per facility in travel nurses, overtime, and HR costs. Incredible Health also provides analytics to benchmark speed, conversion rates, brand, and salaries of hospitals with their local and national competitors, helping hospitals set themselves apart in attracting and hiring the best talent. Hospitals using Incredible Health hire permanent nurses in fewer than 20 days.


If you’re a healthcare leader looking for a better way to hire permanent nurse talent, schedule a demo here.


If you’re a nurse looking to take control of your career and access Incredible Health’s suite of services for free, click here.

You can download the visual report that includes more data from the State of US Nursing Report here or visit our interactive report here.

Methodology

We analyzed hiring data from more than 1,000,000 Incredible Health nurse profiles as of February 2024. We also surveyed over 3,300 registered nurses in the United States in February 2024.

Iman Abuzeid, M.D., is the co-founder and CEO of Incredible Health, the largest career marketplace for permanent healthcare workers, with the mission of helping healthcare professionals live better lives, and find and do their best work. The company founded in 2017, has raised $100 million from top venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and health systems Kaiser Permanente and Johns Hopkins, and is valued at $1.65 billion, making Iman one of the few CEOs to run a “unicorn” startup (a company valued at over $1 billion). Iman is an MD, and holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Iman’s immediate family has 3 surgeons, and as a doctor herself, she understands the importance of choosing the right stepping stones in a clinical career. It’s what drives her belief in Incredible Health and its potential to reliably help clinicians manage their career.

Read more from Iman

2024 State of US Nursing Report

Want the real reasons why nurses are leaving their roles in 2024?

With proprietary data collected from 1 million nurses and survey results from 3,300+ nurses, Incredible Health’s Fifth Annual State of US Nursing Report offers insights on top challenges, along with positive trends:

Key insights
Patient care negatively impacted: 88% of nurses believe staffing ratios have negatively impacted patient care within their health system.
Brace for turnover: 23% of nurses are very likely to quit their jobs in 2024, with 32% of those looking for work outside of the healthcare industry.
Mental health is improving: mental health has seen a 6% improvement since 2023, with many attributing this to improved work-life balance and stress management tools.

Download the complete 2024 State of US Nursing Report for the latest insights!

Download the report here

At Incredible Health, it's a team effort to achieve our vision: Help healthcare professionals live better lives. Many are licensed practitioners themselves; others are simply passionate writers and leaders dedicated to providing valuable resources to nurses.

Read more from Incredible Health