RN, CCRN
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the capabilities of our healthcare system. It has impacted every aspect of our lives, prevailing a global feeling of fear, apprehension, and disquiet.
Amid the pandemic, the nurses were called upon to put their education, training, and expertise into action. As there was no cure or vaccination available early on, the patients were only dependent on healthcare professionals, especially nurses.
The nurses had to set aside their fears and step forward to the frontline to provide critical care to the COVID-19 patients.
The valor and devotion of the American nurses were appreciated throughout the nation. The front pages of the newspaper were full of brave nurses’ stories. However, the pandemic was a huge strain on us.
We faced a lot of defies amid the pandemic. Fear of getting infected, system-level barriers to safe and effective care, lack of personal protective equipment, a potential shortage of ventilators, long shifts, and longing for their families were major stressors for nurses during pandemic.
Seeing our patients dying in front of our eyes, extreme workload, and limited resources put us at risk of PTSD, moral distress, and burnout.
I have witnessed the worst period of my career during the pandemic COVID-19. During the pandemic, I was working in the intensive care unit. I was taking care of severely infected COVID-19. During the peak time of COVID-19, I literally felt the symptoms of fear, anxiety, and severe burnout, which made me want to leave my profession.
The nursing shortage has always been a major concern of the United States since the early 1900s. However, the magnitude of the nursing shortage substantially increased after 2012 and is predicted to last till 2030.
Increased patient care demand and low supply have contributed to the current nurses’ shortage. During the pandemic, the nurses were not provided with sufficient resources and emotional and moral support.
We have borne to witness staggering losses over the past 2 years. The growing number of patient death has hit nurses’ breaking point.
Now, the situation is quite under control owing to vaccines and antiviral treatments. But still, media reports show that many people are not vaccinated especially in some regions of the country.
The virus threatens the nurses, and they avoid providing bedside care to the patients. If the situation stays the same hospitals will not be able to provide care to critically ill patients with health emergencies.
According to a survey from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN), about two-thirds of critical care nurses are considering leaving the field. Around 66% feel their experiences during the pandemic lead to nurses leaving the profession. 76% of nurses say that unvaccinated people threaten their physical and mental well-being. Another survey of the US healthcare workforce reports that 18% of healthcare workers had quit their jobs since February 2020.
AACN president-elect, Amanda Bettencourt says that nurses’ “leaving their profession will bring healthcare system to the knees. Your loved ones will suffer alone without a nurse at their bedside providing care” she adds.
Nurses leaving the profession, letting patients suffer, as president of AACN, Beth Wathen says, “Hospitals can have all the beds and all the rooms and all the equipment they want, but without nurses and others at the front lines to provide that essential care, none of it matters, whether we’re talking about caring for COVID patients or caring for patients with other health ailments”.
Constrains beyond control, chronically understaffed ICUs, fear of death, and social stigmatizations have instigated nurses’ burnout. Nurses, like myself, are now looking for non-bedside nursing jobs after COVID-19.
They are more interested in switching their jobs toward management and administration-related jobs such as nursing informatics and nurse case manager etc. Some nurses leaving the profession altogether.
Due to increased demand and pay for temporarily hired nurses, there is an upsurge in travel nurses.
According to a survey among nurses, 77% of nurses said that they have seen a substantial rise in travel nurses. 33% of nurses said that the rise in travel nurses in the past 2 years has caused dissatisfaction among permanent staff.
Change in the culture of the unit, compensation differences, and communication gaps are the leading cause of this dissatisfaction. This same study also predicts that 34% of nurses will leave their job by the end of the year 2022.
As you can see nurses are needed for the longevity of our healthcare system. Nurses leaving the profession will be a serious issue. It’s not IF, but WHEN, unless corporations and organizations change the system.
Nurses want fairer compensation, benefits, safe staff ratios, and to be heard and supported. If we don’t stop nurses leaving the profession today, it may be too late.
If this feels like you, if you been thinking of leaving, weigh out all of your options. There’s more you can do besides leaving nursing altogether. If this isn’t you, if you’ve been out there grinding and pushing through, we see you, we hear you, we support you. We will get through this together.
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