It’s no secret that the pandemic has turned hospitals upside down - this issue has been widely publicized on TV, social media, and other news media. The virus caused nothing short of a nursing crisis, where healthcare professionals were overworked and burnt out, and needy patients were not getting the care they desperately needed. It also translated to financial issues among healthcare institutions that were forced to pay astronomical fees to fill employment gaps on their staff, and that’s not even the half of it.
Nothing stays constant for long when it comes to this pandemic and even the healthcare system as a whole. The landscape is continually changing. So, it’s reasonable to wonder whether the nursing crisis has ebbed and what to expect going forward. This article will inform you of the current state of the U.S. nursing shortage and what medical facilities can do to stay afloat.
The Nursing Crisis Continues
When the Omicron COVID variant began to taper off in the U.S., and we saw case rates go down, many thought we’d finally see the end of the nursing crisis. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. COVID-19 continues to ravage the U.S. healthcare landscape, leading to mass death, sustained demand for medical services, and the continuation of the nurse shortage.
But, as may come as a surprise to some, COVID isn’t the only driver of the nurse shortage. Here are some of the most influential factors driving the nurse shortage in 2022:
- An aging population. With advanced age comes chronic conditions that require ongoing care in a hospital setting. This drives the demand for nurses.
- More people are eligible for health coverage and are utilizing it. With more people consuming healthcare services, more nurses are needed.
- Many nurses have left their jobs at the bedside, which puts more stress on current nurses.
Current Nursing Crisis Numbers
Currently, there’s a deficit of over 500,000 nurses in the U.S. What’s more, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that there will be more than 100,000 yearly job vacancies for nurses from 2020 to 2029. These statistics gives you a clear picture of the severity of the nurse staffing shortage.
Nurses Are Resigning
Staffing problems abound in the healthcare industry partly because nurses are still resigning. But their reasoning is justified, given that they are often overworked, underpaid, sick with COVID, and/or working at understaffed facilities where stress is over the top. According to the American Nurses Association, it is expected that hundreds of thousands of nurses will retire in 2022, further worsening the current nursing crisis.
The Nursing Shortage in Florida
No state is exempt from the current nursing crisis. In various Florida communities, nurses are sorely needed, and there aren’t enough of them to meet the population's needs. Florida nurses are dealing with the same issues as nurses in other parts of the U.S. They work abnormally long hours at understaffed hospitals and medical facilities, they are getting sick with COVID, and many are looking for a way out. Per the Florida Hospital Association, 70% of Florida hospitals are experiencing nursing staff shortages, and there are no signs of the crisis letting up. By 2030, a shortfall of more than 50,000 nurses is expected in the state.
What Medical Facilities Can Do to Survive the Shortage
As you can see, the nursing crisis shows no sign of improvement, and smaller hospitals or those with limited financial capabilities are being forced to close down. Management at the New York Hospital and California Hospital have already announced the closure of their emergency departments due to staffing problems. These two facilities are not the only ones affected.
Securing your facility’s place in the healthcare landscape is trickier than ever, with all of the odds stacked against medical institutions. To help you out, here are some things that facilities can do to survive the shortage:
- Get in touch with a nurse staffing agency. Keeping sufficient staff on hand is much easier said than done. But it’s much harder to do if management doesn’t have the right resources in place to bring in new talent on short notice. Choose a staffing agency that trains nurses in accountability and can provide talent at a frequency that meets your facility’s needs.
- Make the work environment as pleasant as possible. Though nursing is a stressful career, there are many ways to improve your nurses' work environment. Open communication, periodic celebrations, frequent breaks, schedule flexibility, and more can reduce the number of nurses who retire early or quit abruptly.
- Listen to your nurses. Ensure that your nurses and management personnel have time to collaborate. That way, your nurses will feel heard and have opportunities to get their pain points addressed.
It appears that the nursing shortage is here to stay. But if you keep your nurse’s concerns at the forefront, plan proactively, and partner with a reputable nurse staffing agency, your organization has a good chance of surviving - even flourishing.
