I am a nursing student in Connecticut, and I believe the public does not fully understand the level of burnout and moral distress nurses are experiencing across our health care system.
Nurses enter this profession to provide safe, compassionate care. Yet many are placed in situations where they know what patients need but are unable to provide it due to chronic understaffing, time constraints, and systemic pressures.
This gap between what should be done and what can be done creates moral distress that is deeply damaging to nurses’ mental health and professional identity.
Health care organizations often emphasize resilience and gratitude, but these messages overlook the reality at the bedside.
Burnout is not caused by a lack of dedication; it is caused by working in conditions that make safe care increasingly difficult. Nurses are leaving not because they no longer care, but because caring under these circumstances has become unsustainable.
If we continue to ignore burnout and moral distress, Connecticut risks losing experienced nurses and discouraging future ones from entering the profession. Supporting safe staffing, realistic workloads, and healthy work environments is essential not only for nurses, but for patient safety and the future of health care.
Nurses do not need to be called heroes. We need systems that allow us to practice ethically and safely.
Nora Ukaegbu, Manchester