As hospitals see surging demand, some health care workers are deciding to walk away from the job.
It's a trend that started well before the pandemic, but also one experts fear has accelerated because of it.
A 2009 workshop from the National Academy of Sciences predicted potential shortages of physicians, nurses and other health care workers.
Experts saw the aging Baby Boomer population and longer life expectancy as being some of the key drivers, but Mary Ellen Glasgow, dean at the Duquesne University School of Nursing, said the pandemic has done nothing to help those concerns.
"They've lost a half million workers in health care because of the pandemic," she said. "The 22 percent of remaining nursing workforce will leave their positions in the upcoming year, according to a study by McKinsey & Company."
UPMC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Donald Yealy said he's witnessing mass burnout and frustration among health care workers.
"This is a group of people that have been under duress for two years now," he said. "We don't have the same numbers that we once did."
A study by consulting firm Mercer projected a significant health care worker shortage in the coming decade, including a shortage of more than 400,000 home health aides and 29,400 nurse practitioners.
Glasgow said leaders need to react quickly to prevent the issue from getting worse. She recommends schools admit more students and invest in faculty, while health care organizations offer better benefits and support for those already in the field.
She fears if the problem is not reversed, care could ultimately suffer.
"You're hearing (now) in some hospitals, people have to wait a really long time in the emergency room before they can be seen," she said. "I think we'd see longer wait times for all care."
Shortages are predicted to be most severe among physicians, nurses, healthcare educators and midwives.