Delivery of healthcare services is a critical factor in the administration of workers’ compensation claims. However, a recent poll shows that there might be trouble ahead, and staffing challenges to deliver quality care.

New USA Today-Ipsos research finds that workers in the American healthcare sector are resilient in the face of two years of the pandemic.

However, this survey also finds numerous warning signs of the ongoing strain these workers are experiencing, with half reporting they are burned out and almost a quarter thinking about leaving the field in the near future.

Additionally, optimism among these workers has declined relative to Spring 2021 – as the vaccine was rolling out – as people in the healthcare field widely disapprove of how the rest of the country has handled the pandemic.

The large majority of healthcare workers report being satisfied with their jobs, only slightly down from findings in a Spring 2021 KFF/WP poll.

– – Four in five (80%) of healthcare workers report being somewhat or very satisfied with their current job, down slightly from the 89% saying the same in a Spring 2021 Kaiser Family Foundation/Washington Post poll.
– – Three quarters (73%) agree with the statement “I love working in healthcare”.
– – A majority report feeling “hopeful” (59%), “motivated” (59%), or “optimistic” (56%) about going to work. However, the number saying hopeful (to 59% from 76%) or optimistic (to 56% from 67%) is down compared to last year.

However, there are warning signs about the resiliency of workers in the healthcare sector after two years of the pandemic.

– – About half (52%) report feeling “burned out”, on par with the 2021 numbers (55%).
– – Over a third (39%) report agreeing with the statement “the American healthcare system is on the verge of collapse”.
– – A third either disagree (16%) or don’t know how they feel (18%) regarding if they could pick a career over again, “I would still decide to go into health care”.
– – A quarter of healthcare workers (23%) say they are likely to leave the field in the near future.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between February 9-16, 2022 based on a nationally representative probability sample of 1,170 healthcare workers ages 18 or older.

And the American Nurses Association reports that by 2022, there will be far more registered nurse jobs available than any other profession, at more than 100,000 per year. With more than 500,000 seasoned RNs anticipated to retire by 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the need for 1.1 million new RNs for expansion and replacement of retirees, and to avoid a nursing shortage.