Community Stories

Moving beyond burnout, together

Written by ShiftKey

May 1, 2026

Burnout has become a catchphrase in our industry. Though it’s wonderful that we’re speaking openly about it, the stark reality is we’re not doing enough to address it.

The lack of change is not due to a lack of effort. At ShiftKey, we work every day with healthcare administrators, nurses and support teams balancing clinician wellbeing with workforce ratios and budgets. Through the stories we hear from both administrators and clinicians, moving beyond burnout isn't about another wellness initiative, thank you lunch or inspirational email. It's about focusing on the mental health of the people doing the work—giving them more freedom, flexibility and time to breathe.

This May, during Mental Health Awareness Month, we're not sugarcoating reality. We’re exposing burnout for what it is — a critical mental health issue that undermines patient care — and providing resources that we hope will help nurses and leaders understand one another.

Flexibility: A human solution to a human problem

We all know there’s a human cost to burnout. In our 2024 "ShiftKey's Solutions to Healthcare Burnout Report," we found that 96% of respondents have missed at least one major life event due to work commitments. That includes:

Major holidays (73%)
Family birthdays (73%)
Vacations (55%)
Anniversaries (41%)
Weddings (38%)
Graduations (34%)
Funerals (33%)

They also struggle to keep up with:

Finding time to spend with family (88%)
Pursuing personal hobbies (87%)
General home upkeep (86%)
Mental health and wellness (85%)

Although those statistics are striking, they don’t provide insight into the stories behind the numbers, and they don’t consider one key point: Many nurses aren’t burned out because of patient care. They’re burned out from the environment around it.

Nurse burnout is multifaceted and systemic, as Tessa, an RN who uses ShiftKey, points out. "Primarily what we experience in healthcare is burnout and fatigue, which doesn't come from our patient care at all. It comes from the corporate environment, the management environment, the staff environment."

Tessa and nurses like her are empowering themselves by using technology to work on their own terms. At ShiftKey, we’ve heard countless stories like Tessa’s from independent professionals who use our platform to shift their stories. Madonna, an LVN from Texas, is one of them:

"After years of being overworked as an ADON, ShiftKey changed everything for me. Now I work four or five days a week instead of seven, choose shifts that fit my family life and make extra money when one of my bills is due. If something important comes up—like when my daughter went into emergency labor—I can cancel directly in the app and notify the facility without stress. I'm finally in control of my time and my life."

Independent professionals can use technology to move beyond burnout. It’s an effective solution to the problem, but it’s not the only one. By using ShiftKey to provide flexibility, not fill just gaps in the schedule, facilities create space for their team members to attend milestone moments like a grandchild’s birth. And in doing so, they reduce the gap between burnout acknowledgement and action.

This shift is the key to building sustainable workforce environments. When folks have choice and flexibility, they are more empowered to show up for both their work and for their lives.

How we're helping healthcare leaders move beyond burnout

It's hard to be present and lead authentically when you’re constantly reacting to the latest emergency. When administrators are firefighting every day, they can't actually listen to what their teams are living through. Since listening is where change starts, they miss out on the information they need to move the needle. That's where technology comes in—not as a replacement for authentic leadership, but as the infrastructure that makes it possible. When a scheduler can fill a shift in minutes instead of hours, they have time to talk to clinicians. When a facility leader can see real-time coverage patterns, they can make decisions grounded in data instead of crisis.

At ShiftKey, we collaborate with leaders who are investing in workforce wellbeing by using our platform. These leaders want to be responsive to their team’s needs. They’re leveraging our platform to reduce scheduling chaos, easily recover from callouts and move out of the constant shift-filling scramble. This gives them space to breathe — and strategize longer-term solutions to team burnout.

How we’re moving beyond burnout awareness this May

This May, for Mental Health Awareness Month, we're not just publishing another article describing burnout. We’re aiming to change the narrative with empathy, community engagement, and resources that can help drive solutions.

We're collecting and amplifying stories. We're hosting real conversations with real healthcare administrators, nurses, CNAs, and support teams — asking: “What does moving beyond burnout look like in your life?” Share your story.

We're sponsoring NAMI Walk North Texas to support their efforts in providing no-cost mental health services and bring our community together for peer support and connection.

We're sharing resources to help healthcare leaders and professionals move beyond burnout:

Burnout Resource Hub for Facilities
Burnout Resource Hub for Professionals

Our hope is this May we inspire some actionable change that can be sustainable year-round.

What facility leaders are saying is changing

We work with facility administrators who manage teams, balance schedules, and ensure quality care for their patients/residents. Here's what's shifting for them:

One scheduler told us: "I work 24/7. I have two phones, and I'm always getting calls because schedules shift all the time. Whether it’s vacation, a last-minute calloff, or something unexpected, we’ve found a better way to keep things running smoothly without burning out the team with ShiftKey. To have that cushion or that comfort to know you can care for your residents — it's needed, and it's important."

A Director of Nursing reflected: "It's not just about saving time—it's about getting to do my job better. I’m spending less time managing the schedule and more time supporting my team and our residents. It’s also helping my team and me to feel less stressed, and I think it’s reducing burnout, too."

Read all of the stories. These aren't revolutionary changes. They're foundational ones based in proactivity and strong leadership.

Your turn: share your story

The research is clear about what healthcare professionals need to move beyond burnout. 97% of healthcare professionals agree they need more scheduling flexibility. When asked what helps them manage burnout, they cite: family time (82%), self-care (70%), exercise (68%), and mental health support like therapy (50%).

So we're asking: How are YOU moving beyond burnout? Did your organization shift policies to support flexibility? Are you a facility leader who found a way to give your team time back?

We want to hear your story, amplify your voice and show others that a different way is possible.

Share your story: Email us at stories@shiftkey.com.

What we're looking for:

Your experience with burnout and what changed
The one thing that made a difference (big or small)
How you're supporting others in doing the same
Your wisdom for healthcare professionals fighting burnout

Your name, title, and location (with permission) will be featured in our ongoing “Moving Beyond Burnout” series.

Beyond May: Making it stick

Real change happens in June, July, and beyond—when you keep listening to your team. When you give them agency in decisions that affect their lives. When you protect your own mental health. The shift from “manage your stress better” to “give people control of their time,” doesn’t happen overnight. But it’s how we build a healthcare profession where people don't have to choose between work they love and a life they want to live.