93% of Healthcare Workers Report Burnout: What We Learned in One Powerful Day

Last week, I had the privilege of leading my very first full-day conference on burnout. Walking into a room full of healthcare professionals, I could feel both the weight of their responsibilities and their hunger for real solutions. By the end of the morning, one thing was clear: nearly everyone in that room had felt the sting of burnout. In fact, 93% of participants said they had experienced at least one characteristic of burnout in the past year.

That statistic doesn’t surprise me anymore, but it still stops me in my tracks. Burnout isn’t just an occasional challenge—it’s the room we’re all sitting in. And yet, when we gather to talk openly about it, something powerful happens: relief, connection, and the beginning of recovery.

A Day of Conversations, Not Just Content

This wasn’t just another lecture. Throughout the day, we talked. I built time into each session for “Table Talk,” five-minute conversations at every table where coworkers could process what they were hearing and apply it to their own experience. The room came alive in those moments. Leaders, nurses, social workers, and other professionals leaned in, asked questions, and reflected honestly on their struggles.

We also experimented with live polls and Q&A. What stood out was how eager people were to engage. Anonymous questions poured in. Real, raw concerns about leadership, team support, and how to keep going when exhaustion sets in.

What Stood Out

For me, this day marked the first time I presented on some new topics like management tactics, difficult conversations like discipline and even firing, and how grief support intersects with burnout recovery . These aren’t easy subjects, but they are real, and people in the room knew it. Many of the attendees were leaders, and they weren’t shy about voicing their need for guidance.

The feedback confirmed that vulnerability matters. Over and over, participants wrote that hearing personal stories—my own experiences with burnout, as well as stories of others—was what made the day meaningful. It reminded me why I keep telling my own story: not because it’s comfortable, but because it opens the door for others to tell theirs.

How Attendees Responded

At the end of the day, we asked people to rate the presentation on a scale of 1 to 5. The average score came back at 4.94 out of 5. But more than the number, it was the comments that encouraged me most.

When asked which practices they planned to use for recovery, the most common responses were striking. Many people said they would start by making a bucket list; a reminder that burnout recovery isn’t only about reducing stress but also about rekindling joy. Others committed to adjusting expectations of themselves, paying attention to their nervous systems, and drawing boundaries. These are simple, human practices, but they create real change.

Why This Matters

If there’s one headline from the day, it’s this: burnout is common, but it’s not inevitable. When 93% of people in the room say they’re experiencing symptoms, we have to pay attention. And when leaders and coworkers have the courage to talk about it together, we can start to change the culture.

Burnout doesn’t go away because we hope it will. It requires awareness. It requires solutions. And most of all, it requires conversation. That’s what this day was about—opening the conversation and then moving toward practical steps for both personal recovery and organizational change.

Looking Ahead

As I reflect on this event, I’m grateful for the people who showed up with honesty, for the conversations that sparked courage, and for the hope that continues to rise when we take burnout seriously. This wasn’t just a one-day conference. It was a glimpse of what can happen when organizations choose to talk about the hard things and equip their people with tools to recover and thrive.

My hope is that this kind of conversation doesn’t stay contained to one room on one day. It’s needed everywhere because the people doing the hard work of caring for others can’t afford to burn out themselves.

Closing Thought
If your organization is ready to raise awareness about burnout and explore real solutions, I’d love to be part of that conversation.

Written by Patrick Riecke, Burnout Awareness Advocate