PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The omicron wave of COVID-19 is further exposing the country's nursing shortage. Many experienced nurses have left the profession. Many of those who remain are pulling longer, more grueling hours.
An industry group says the trend is only getting worse. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing says the demand for nurses will grow as Baby Boomers get older.
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“I’ve been in nursing for 30 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” said Margaret Harkins, dean of Holy Family University’s School of Nursing and Health Sciences.
The number of positive COVID-19 cases remains high, as hospitals continue to deal with the omicron surge. She says nurses and her students have been experiencing burnout at the bedside.
“You need to show them you appreciate them, and give them the resources that they need,” she said. “Because nurses do not get paid what they’re worth.”
The pandemic is talking a toll on every manner of health care worker.
“This is all of those employees who are in the hospitals. The housekeepers, the janitors, the dietitians, the people who work in the cafeterias, the radiologists, the nurses aides.”
Nurses are finding new options, she said, with opportunities in remote telehealth or working as a traveling nurse. For many, this could mean a pay bump, a chance to work from home, or an opportunity to see the country.
It represents a new chance for nurses, but it is pulling from hospitals at the local level. Harkins says, to get nurses to stay put, something needs to change.
“We’re losing good nurses because we’re not setting ourselves up to retain the nurses we have.”
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In the meantime, she says Holy Family has graduating students eager to get into the field.
“These are going to be the energetic people at the bedside. My concern, as an academic institution, is: We have to make sure they’re ready to go out there.”
Students have been learning virtually, she said, and when they do get to a hospital, many of them are getting longer orientations to make sure they are prepared.