What A Dearth Of Nurses Means For The Country And COVID

Nurses are sounding the alarm. As Covid rips through hospitals, nurses who powered through the initial peaks of the pandemic are now at their breaking points.

And it’s led to a dire nursing shortage. Nearly 70 percent of hospitals in Florida are expecting critical staffing shortages according to the Florida Hospital Association. And one hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas, has 230 open vacancies just for nurses.

Nurses are overworked, emotionally exhausted, and fighting what feels like a never-ending war on the frontlines of the pandemic. Now, they are retiring early or leaving the profession all together.

As we see a spike in hospitalizations around the country, beds may be open, but there aren’t professionals to attend to them.