Abstract
(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic posed a great challenge to health care systems worldwide. Health care personnel, including nurses, work under high pressure and are overworked and overwhelmed, which results in a higher prevalence of burnout and workplace bullying, which further increases the intention to leave the nursing profession. (2) Methods: A comparative correlational and cross-sectional study design was adopted, and an online questionnaire was used to collect data between October 2019 and October 2021. Two hundred and fifty-seven newly graduated nurses participated in this study. The studied variable was measured using the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, the Negative Acts Questionnaire, and metrics developed by the authors. (3) Results: The prevalence of bullying and burnout is significantly higher among nurses who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic than among those who worked before the pandemic, but the pandemic has not had an impact on the level of the subjective assessment of bullying. Working as a newly graduated nurse before or during the COVID-19 pandemic is a moderator between person-related bullying and its dimensions and disengagement. (4) Conclusions: Pandemics increase bullying and burnout among newly graduated nurses; however, the current challenges have caused some of this to remain unrevealed, the repercussions of which will appear with double strength later.
Highlights
The shortage of nurses that results from low nurse retention and instability in the nursing workforce due to increased turnover is currently a global concern [1]
One hundred and twenty participants represented newly graduated nurses who worked before the COVID-19 pandemic (Group I), and 92 participants represented newly graduated nurses who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic (Group II)
One hundred and twenty of them represented Group I, and 92 represented Group II
Summary
The shortage of nurses that results from low nurse retention and instability in the nursing workforce due to increased turnover is currently a global concern [1]. Risk factors for the intention to leave the nursing profession have been identified, including workplace bullying and burnout syndrome, which are positively related to each other [2,3]. Health care personnel, including nurses, work under high pressure and are overworked and overwhelmed, resulting in a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and professional burnout or workplace bullying, which further increase the intent to leave the nursing profession [2,4,5]. Raso et al [6] indicated that at least 11% of nurses intended to leave after the pandemic, while about 20% were undecided. Such a situation could intensify the instability in the nursing workforce. There is evidence that more professionals retire than enter the profession every year, contributing to the nurse shortage and increasing the mean nurse age [7]
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