MedPage Today September 15, 2021
— Health systems grapple with a widening skills gap as seasoned nurses leave the field
During the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals have closed beds, shut down elective surgeries, and called in federal assistance due to a shortage of a critical healthcare resource — nurses.
Shortages of nurses and other healthcare workers are plaguing hospitals throughout the U.S., especially those in COVID hotspots. Mississippi has 2,000 fewer nurses than it did at the start of 2021. Even before the Delta surge, Louisiana had 6,000 vacant nursing positions. In Tennessee, healthcare worker shortages prompted the state’s National Guard to support struggling health systems.
But the current nursing shortage isn’t just in the numbers. The exodus of experienced nurses leaving...
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