Examining Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Nurse Burnout, Intent to Leave, and Student Debt Burden: A Cross-Sectional Study

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-2025

Publisher

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.

Source Publication

American Journal of Nursing

Source ISSN

0002-936X

Original Item ID

DOI: 10.1097/AJN.0000000000000003

Abstract

Background:

A racially and ethnically diverse nursing workforce can only enhance the profession's ability to serve the widely diverse U.S. population. Embracing differences allows nurses to develop a broader understanding of each other and of their patients. Yet many nurses of color face unique challenges that can adversely impact their well-being and their longevity in this profession.

Purpose:

The purpose of this descriptive cross-sectional study was to examine levels of burnout, intent to leave the profession, and student debt burden among nurses who self-identified as Asian, Black or African American, or Hispanic, and compare these to the levels reported by their White counterparts.

Methods:

A survey of U.S. hospital nurses took place from January through March 2023, measuring levels of burnout, intent to leave the profession, and student debt burden. Differences regarding self-identified race and ethnicity were then examined using regression analyses.

Results:

Asian participants had significantly higher burnout scores and were more likely to report intent to leave the profession than their White counterparts. Hispanic participants were also more likely to report intent to leave. Black and African American participants reported significantly higher student debt burdens than participants from other groups.

Conclusions:

This study's findings attest to racial and ethnic disparities regarding nurse burnout, intent to leave the profession, and student debt burden. They raise concerns about the long-term retention of Asian and Hispanic nurses and about barriers to entering the profession among Black and African American nurses. Failure to effectively address racial and ethnic disparities in the workplace jeopardizes workforce diversity. It's our hope that the study findings will spark a larger conversation about how the experiences of nurses of color differ from those of their White counterparts and how disparities can be effectively redressed.

The nursing profession can only benefit from having a diverse workforce, one truly capable of serving various populations. In recognition of this need, in 2023, the American Nurses Association (ANA) and two sister organizations jointly released the ANA Enterprise 2023-2025 Strategic Plan, which prioritizes the advancement of “diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and anti-racism to improve nursing practice and work environments.”1 To successfully advance these laudable goals, it must be acknowledged that nurses of color—those belonging to racial and ethnic minority groups—often aren't afforded the same opportunities and face more adverse circumstances compared to their White counterparts. For nurses of color, examples of inequity include less availability of mentorship, fewer promotional opportunities in both clinical and academic arenas, and experiences of discrimination in the workplace.2-4 In this study, we examine three variables that might reflect inequity: nurse burnout, intent to leave the profession, and student debt burden.

Comments

American Journal of Nursing, Vol. 125, No. 10 (October, 2025). DOI.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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