The story is the whole world over. The European Union is cutting back on COVID-19 hazard pays; the United States faces such shortages in healthcare facilities that nurses and allied workers do not even have proper protective equipment. The nursing shortage is a decades-old crisis that has resulted in unfair conditions for many healthcare workers and patients.
This has led to a mass exodus from hospitals, long-term care facilities, and emergency rooms. During the pandemic, nurses have resigned from hospitals in huge numbers, citing burnout, stressful working conditions, and other workplace problems as reasons for leaving.
Nurses Speak Out
But despite all of the layoffs, mass downsizing, and significant changes to how protocols and healthcare facilities approach new pandemics, shortages, and constant changes, nurses are making their voices, feelings, and frustrations known. Nurses have faced extra stress from extra hours, lack of staff, and additional patients not typical under normal conditions. Recently, a report was released about nurses and the effects of long Covid-19. The study reveals that nurses face higher amounts of hair-loss and erectile dysfunction. The list of symptoms keeps growing, adding to the fact that nurses are being subjected to increased harmful situations. The revelation of these findings sheds light on the importance of nurse and healthcare worker safety.
How Nurses and Healthcare Workers Cope With These Changes
One of the first problems for many workers worldwide was the closure of childcare facilities. But for front-line workers, including nurses in many fields, this was not an option and one very difficult to deal with. An employer program that covers child care costs, either on or off the job site, is available to only about 1 in 10 workers nationwide, according to a report published last year by the Department of Labor.
Furthermore, according to the report, U.S. hospitals and healthcare facilities are performing better by averaging around one-third of U.S. hospitals offering child care benefits, care centers, or educational programs.
Another remarkable statistic from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) states that the nursing field is expected to gain job growth of more than 52% by 2030. This trend is on the rise and looks to become a new standard when trying to attract new and experienced, much-needed nurses. If you would like to read a little more about the future of benefits businesses, especially hospitals, are starting to implement, read here.
Another way this shortage of nurses is being filed is by travel jobs and PRN shifts. These nurses can fulfill shifts and assignments that would otherwise go unfulfilled. Traveling and PRN nurses have rigorous onboarding processes as they are not trained over months for hospital procedures; they are expected to hit the ground running and learn super quickly and efficiently. This is one of the main reasons both traveling, and PRN shift nurses often make higher salaries than permanent nursing staff.
Actions Taken During the Nursing Shortage
Nurses worldwide are coming together to collectively represent their local hospital administration, unions, and legislative government members. Other hospital unions, nursing organizations, and healthcare workers are coordinating efforts to reach the congressional representative for an overhaul of the current systems and trying to make their voices heard, primarily through the upcoming midterm elections.
How To Find The Best PRN or Travel Nursing Jobs?
Nursa is an application that has been helping hospitals, healthcare facilities, and medical campuses fulfill the shortages, gaps, and empty assignments, PRN shifts, and per diem contracts. With Nursa, local, new, experienced, and traveling nurses can connect with the perfect PRN assignments in most U.S. cities. It is a great way to explore a new town, earn extra money, and learn new experiences and skills.
Nursa is easy to download onto any iPhone or android device. Once the application is installed, a profile will need to be completed with credentials and necessary paperwork depending on experience and skill sets. Once the profile is complete, nurses, healthcare workers, and allied job seekers can start applying for PRN jobs near them.
For more healthcare news, read our article about the ban on noncompetes, which frees up healthcare professionals to take control of their careers and ultimately, destinies.
