Study: Nurse leader, staff discrepancies on work environment linked to burnout

Nurse leaders who ranked their work environments and patient safety culture higher than their staff nurses ranked them led hospitals with higher staff nurse burnout rates, according to a study published in Nursing Outlook. The link between staff nurse burnout and assessment gaps of patient safety culture was significantly weaker in Magnet hospitals, suggesting Magnet recognition and its more positive work environment may protect against burnout. The authors analyzed data from 13,381 staff nurses and 1,722 nurse leaders at 80 hospitals who participated in the U.S. Clinician Wellbeing Study and RN4CAST-NY/IL Study in 2021. The authors believe addressing assessment gaps between leaders and staff nurses is critical to reduce burnout. Leaders should prioritize transparent, open communication; staff empowerment; psychological safety; and shared decision-making. (Nurse Outlook article, 9/13/25)