The New Republic
As many as two-thirds of nurses, by some estimates, have said they’ve considered leaving their jobs over the past few months. Given the various horrors of the last year and a half, it’s easy to understand why: Stories of crowded city pandemic wards and medical staff sourcing their own personal protective equipment are impossible to shake. In The New Yorker, a nurse described ending most days by walking into her apartment, sliding down onto the floor, and crying…
…Jean Moore, the director of the Center for Health Workforce studies in Albany, New York, said that her department is waiting for better data to determine whether this particular crisis, exacerbated by the pandemic, portends a true shortage. “We suspect that some of what is happening in nursing reflects some broader issue around labor force participation,” she said. “What kids of jobs are doable, and which aren’t.” Anecdotally, she’s been hearing from colleagues that the staffing shortages are uneven. Hospitals in New York are saying they’re having trouble finding specialized nurses with experience in the intensive care unit or emergency department…