Practice nurses say they are “exhausted and burnt out” by the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, with more than a quarter planning to quit in the next five years.

The figures come from a national survey which also found three-quarters of nurses were working regular overtime to keep up with the demands of the rollout.  

Of the 1061 nurses questioned, some 87% reported feeling stressed at work, 80% were exhausted and 79% were feeling burnt out.

Karen Booth,  president of Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association which ran the survey last year, said many factors were to blame.