Becker's Healthcare May 25, 2023
The strike earlier this year by 7,000 nurses at two large New York City hospitals shines a light on the crisis caused by persistent nurse staffing shortages, not due exclusively to the pandemic. Nurse vacancy rates are at all-time highs with most hospitals (51.4%) reporting rates over 15%. The industry knew well before the pandemic that the shortage was coming as the number of nurses reaching retirement age outpaced the number of nurses entering the profession. Add to that the swell of aging baby boomers, and the U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the U.S. needs more than 275,000 additional nurses from 2020 to 2030.
The growing crisis accelerated when the pandemic hit as nurses retired or left in droves...