Assessing the dire state of nursing shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic

With the surge of COVID-19, hospitals have been experiencing nursing shortages throughout the U.S. Those who are still working as nurses are experiencing extreme stress, burnout, and pressure from handling sick or noncompliant patients throughout the pandemic. According to the International Council of Nurses, “the Swedish Nurses Association (Vardforbundet) announced the results of a survey showing that 7% of the nursing workforce (5,700 nurses) considered resigning due to the increased pressure and workloads in the pandemic.” 

Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world was experiencing a global nursing shortage especially within regions like Africa, South East Asia, and the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO). But as the pandemic surged, these disparities were furthered with nursing absences due to COVID-19. 

Work Stress

Florida especially has been under nursing shortage distress. According to the Florida Phoenix, “nurses have been leaving Florida because they find better paying jobs elsewhere through nursing temp agencies; the remaining nurses are forced to work overtime as a result.” And due to Florida’s 49% vaccination rate, COVID-19 hospitalizations have increased up to 12,500 within the past month.

The intolerance of such stressful work environments have illustrated the lack of support for nurses throughout the U.S. as nurses would rather relocate for better pay rather than stay within their original hospital. According to CNN, the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) “has about 360 vacancies for health care providers, including 230 vacancies just for nurses,” prompting the hospital to offer a $25,000 signing bonus for nurses to increase nursing staff. Arkansas has been leading the number of new COVID cases along with Louisiana and Florida, exemplifying the detriments of a public health crisis onto healthcare workers. 

Effects on the Hospital Environment

The resilience of nurses is something to be grateful for even before the COVID-19 pandemic, as each nurse carries an essential role within the hospital. Their effects on the hospital environment and process are monumental, so much so that these staffing shortages have resulted in longer wait times, rushed or unavailable appointments, and inadequate care.

According to the NY Times, staffing shortages lead to a large domino effect where those who need less intensive care cannot leave the emergency room, inhibiting other patients from being admitted to the ER. This traffic jam is not only a consequence of understaffing but also causes the consequence of inadequate or nonexistent care.

The inefficiency of current hospitals turn people away from receiving care or decrease the trust that people have with the hospital or their provider. Nursing shortages have illustrated the fostering of an unsustainable hospital environment, prompting the need for a reexamination and transformation of nursing support.

Action Needed

Currently, due to such nursing shortages, there has been an increase of travel nurse positions offering extremely high signing bonuses and wages in comparison to most hospitals who offer significantly less. The decision to stay or find a job with better pay and hours is purely an economic decision that, in turn, affects personal and emotional satisfaction in life.

The burnout that nurses experience comes from a multitude of reasons, including the job’s ignorance of nurses’ needs for good pay, personal time off, and general respect. COVID-19 has illustrated the need to restructure the way we view and treat our nurses, including ways to support nursing staff during this pandemic. Nurses are exhausted and angry, and we cannot blame them. At the heart of the hospital is our nurses; we must treat them as such. 

— Jenny Kim