Nurse sabbaticals could address burnout

Front-line nurses and other health workers could benefit from paid sabbaticals, a STAT op-ed suggests. Health care organizations could set eligibility criteria based on length of continuous service and performance evaluations, as well as require a project aligned with the nurse’s clinical interests or organizational priorities. Nurses ideally could become eligible after five to seven years of service. The sabbatical would last three months, providing an opportunity to reduce burnout and enable nurses to return to work refreshed and recharged. Since little research is available on health sabbaticals, the op-ed calls for health care organizations to evaluate their effectiveness. (STAT opinion article, 3/20/24)