Elsevier Health released the third installment of its series,  “Clinician of the Future 2023: Education Edition,” on October 30, 2023. The series seeks to examine the experiences and perspectives of nursing and medical students, particularly considering the ongoing pressure on the American health care system.

According to the report, which included responses from 2,212 nursing and medical students from 91 countries, 23% percent of students are considering quitting their undergraduate studies, while 54% are worried about their mental health. Already, 57% of students believe they will suffer from clinician burnout and 65% worry about clinician shortages.

Most alarming is that 58% of respondents view their studies as a “stepping-stone toward a broader career in health care that will not involve directly caring for patients,” said Sherrie Dornberger, executive director of the National Association of Directors of Nursing Administration. “Many of today’s students are more interested in pursuing an advanced practice nursing degree than bedside nursing. They want to skip bedside nursing due to shortage of staff, and getting beaten, threatened, and harmed by patients, residents, and family members. They are getting their APN so they can set their own hours and get paid more for their worth. Many are also getting Master’s [degrees] in Administration to be nursing home administrators, and vice presidents of nursing, chief nursing officers, or work as legal nurse advisors, consultants or whatever else they can do working remotely. It’s very sad, but I can see why they are pushed in this direction.”

Elsevier’s report also looked at the potential that artificial intelligence (AI) systems could have in health care and found that 62% of students are excited about the advanced technology, but understand the need for caution. The data also found 56% said they have “fears” about the impact generative AI could have on the health care community, and 60% said that digital health technologies could be a burden on clinicians.