U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has issued a new Surgeon General’s Advisory highlighting the urgent need to address the health worker burnout crisis across the country.

Health workers, including physicians, nurses, community and public health workers, nurse aides, among others, have long faced systemic challenges in the health care system even before the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to crisis levels of burnout. The pandemic further exacerbated burnout for health workers, with many risking and sacrificing their own lives in the service of others while responding to a public health crisis.

The Surgeon General’s advisory lays out recommendations that the whole-of-society can take to address the factors underpinning burnout, improve health worker well-being, and strengthen the nation’s public health infrastructure.