Why Are So Many Younger Nurses Leaving? Across Canada and beyond, the numbers tell a difficult truth: For every 100 nurses under 35 entering the workforce, 40 are leaving. (Source: Hospital News, Oct 2025) Yes,pay and staffing level’s matter. But something deeper is often left out of the conversation: The emotional weight nurses are asked to carry, without space, tools, or permission to set boundaries. Many early-career nurses describe: • Taking on emotional responsibility for everyone around them • Feeling unsure how to say I need help, without being judged • Carrying distress, blame, and unfixable dynamics • Wondering: “Is it me? Or is this just how the job is?” This isn’t a lack of resilience. It’s what happens when boundaries become unsafe, and emotional labour goes unacknowledged. 🛠️ So what does help look like? System change is essential. But so is support following the shift — or whenever emotional weight needs to be processed. That’s why we created Nurse Interrupted™, and built FloN™, a trauma-informed reflection companion designed specifically for nurses by nurses. Not therapy. Not coaching. Just a quiet, grounded tool that meets nurses where they are. FloN™ helps nurses feel seen, regulate safely, and reconnect with their core selves. That’s what trauma-informed practice looks like in action. 🧭 With FloN™, nurses can: • Recognize when they’re carrying more than they have capacity for • Practice small, doable boundaries —even in high-pressure systems • Release emotional weight before it turns into burnout • Reconnect with their values, not just their tasks Because boundaries aren’t about saying no to others, They’re about saying yes to what keeps you whole. Let’s change the story, not by telling nurses to be tougher, but by giving them tools to stay honest, grounded, and validated. 👉 Curious how FloN™ works? Message me for a quick demo, or to explore how Nurse Interrupted™ can support the nurses on your team. #NurseInterrupted #FloN #NurseWellbeing #BoundariesWithCare #EmotionalLabour #BurnoutAwareness #NextGenNursing #TraumaInformedSupport #HealthcareCulture
This applies to all nurses. If you are a seasoned nurse you absolutely need boundaries- otherwise you will find yourself doing double your job. You would be asked to mentor unpaid and with a regular work load. We are all trying to de- stress and set boundaries and learn to say no without being ashamed. But nursing is bad at this Changes that would make a difference for everyone woukd be compensation for mentoring ( to the mentor) and lighter patient load when mentoring. I also think the schools have a role but not sure how. Maybe having dedicated mentors who do little else would work.
Younger nurses aren’t leaving because they can’t handle the job; they’re leaving because the system often forgets they’re human while doing it. Creating space for reflection and emotional safety — like what FloN™ offers — isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. If we want to keep nurses, we need to care for the people behind the profession. Thank you for bringing this to light and for building something that truly understands the nursing experience. 💙