78% of Massachusetts Nurses Report Quality of Care Has Declined Over Last 2 Years

Massachusetts nurses are sounding the alarm over worsening conditions in hospitals across the Commonwealth, according to the “2025 State of Massachusetts Nursing Survey” released in early May. Conducted by Beacon Research and commissioned by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), the findings paint a grim picture of the state’s healthcare system, especially from the perspective of those providing frontline care.

Unsafe Staffing and Patient Risks

The survey, which gathered responses from over 500 registered nurses, most of whom are non-union, revealed deep concerns about hospital staffing and patient safety. Nearly eight in ten RNs (78%) said the quality of care has declined over the last two years, with almost half (49%) stating it has “gotten much worse.” Although this shows a modest improvement from 2023 (when 85% reported a decline), the sentiment remains significantly worse than pre-pandemic levels.

Time constraints are a critical issue: 67% of nurses reported insufficient time to properly care for patients, up 22 percentage points from pre-COVID-19 conditions. Additionally, 49% of nurses worry weekly that their hospital’s staffing conditions could jeopardize their professional licenses. Alarmingly, more than a third (37%) said they would not feel safe admitting a family member to their own unit.

Mounting Workplace Pressures

The report highlights a rise in systemic issues nurses face daily:

• Reduced ancillary staff support (65%)
• Lack of available patient beds (62%)
• Barriers to discharging patients to external facilities (52%)
• Workplace violence or abuse (47%), which saw a 10-point increase
• Inadequate health insurance offered to nurses (44%), rising 14 points
  
  

These challenges contribute not just to workplace dissatisfaction, but to attrition. Nurses who left hospital positions cited unsafe staffing (24%), unreasonable scheduling demands (18%), and burnout (12%) as their primary reasons for exiting.

A Call for Legislative Action

MNA President and ICU nurse Katie Murphy emphasized that while the pandemic may have receded, its aftershocks continue to destabilize the profession. "Post-pandemic, nurses are experiencing acute problems with the Massachusetts healthcare system – unsafe staffing, workplace violence, and care access – that have grown worse, threatening patient safety and the health of the nursing profession," Murphy warned, referencing the persistent staffing crises and increasing incidents of violence on the job. Nurses overwhelmingly support regulatory solutions—59% now favor increased regulations to ensure safe care, up five points from 2024.

The MNA is urging lawmakers to act on a suite of proposed reforms, including mandatory safe staffing ratios, stronger protections against hospital closures, and comprehensive policies to prevent workplace violence.

As the profession grapples with this ongoing crisis, nurses across Massachusetts are demanding more than applause—they’re calling for action.

 

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