While Covid-19 has affected every industry, the nursing sector may have the most heartbreaking case yet. Nurses are leaving the profession, and we must modernize their career paths if we want to keep them engaged.
Our nursing shortages are nothing new, but have been further exacerbated by Covid-19 and the recent emergence of Omicron variants. Nurses are overworked and exhausted.According to the most recent polls, Twenty-nine percent of nurses said they are significantly more likely to leave now than before the pandemic, citing understaffing as the main reason for low satisfaction. The departure of experienced nurses from the front lines has significant long-term implications for our healthcare system.
Our healthcare system is resilient. Over time, it can be expanded to accommodate changing patient needs. This adaptability is critical during a crisis. When the tornado hit Oklahoma, there was an immediate spike in demand for local health care workers. However, the system can be managed as professionals from unaffected neighbouring communities are pulled in to balance the situation. This ensures adequate rotation of healthcare workers.
This tried-and-true approach has been ineffective against a global pandemic with no end in sight. Covid-19 tornadoes aren’t just hitting Oklahoma. It hit every town in every state and has now doubled down through a more contagious variant. The overall worker-to-patient ratio is unsustainable. The pandemic is effectively stretching our healthcare system and its workers to the brink of collapse. And because of the altruistic nature of nurses, they simply don’t make their patients the first to bear the brunt. Stress, pain and exhaustion have weighed on the nurses’ shoulders.
This is nothing new, but it’s getting worse now. I have many years of clinical experience working in the critical care unit. Sometimes I know I need to take time off to take care of myself, but I also know that if I choose not to take the extra shift, someone could die because there is no one else to take care of them. The pandemic has expanded that sense of responsibility — and frankly, guilt — to a whole new, unhealthy level.
So, what can we do?
Throughout the pandemic, we have changed the way we practice medicine out of necessity. I believe we can use these new practices to create a better system that provides more support and focuses on nurse well-being, career development and collaboration without sacrificing patient care. Here are three actions we can take now.
support and appreciation
“The day a patient’s death doesn’t bother you — when it’s sweeping you and you don’t feel affected by it — that’s the day you should get rid of healthcare.”
Here’s a conversation I had with a nurse through my organization’s Covid-19 support line. One of 17,000 calls to date. Like many, she struggled with constant pain. It’s always been a tough profession, but Covid-19 has opened up a gap in the support nurses need. Hopefully one day soon, the pandemic won’t be the focus of our lives, but nurses will still take the emotional toll of their patients. In some organizations, certainly in mine, mental health professionals have been hired to support nurses. The reaction was profound. As a leader in charge of so many nurses, it’s a tough pill to swallow: We should always have someone there.
Nurses need to be heard and have a voice in paving the way for the future of nursing. Giving these professionals a voice will enable healthcare professionals to shape, develop and redefine the profession of nursing.
Whether it’s around cross-training opportunities or mental health care, the urgency of support isn’t going away as we progress. It has to be built into the work itself to ensure 100% wellbeing of our providers as they return 100% directly to the patient when they are fully supported. Nurses always have a sense of responsibility towards their patients, and we must never let their numb day pass.
modernization requirements
One of the few positives brought about by the pandemic is rapid innovation. Seemingly overnight, we found our way around the outdated model of care. For generations, the only way to see a health care provider was to make an appointment and come in person. Telemedicine was quickly adopted with great success among patients. Historically, nurses have been tied to the state in which they were licensed. But the pandemic requires every available nurse to travel to hard-hit areas. We created a state licensure that allows nurses to practice across states. This is done quickly without compromising care.
These are two examples of the many advances made in recent months. Now is the time to embrace progress and enable nurses to work in new and modern ways.
cross training
Elective and preventive care procedures are being halted after an influx of patients. This has marginalized a large number of healthcare professionals with diverse skills and prestigious backgrounds. This siloed practice leads to a nursing shortage because even though these are experienced professionals, they don’t check every box of RNs.
As an industry, we work together to remove the red tape that prevents patients from accessing treatment. But it takes time. As we move forward, we need to incorporate new forms of cross-training into healthcare. Hospitals and other healthcare systems should encourage nurses to participate in a variety of cross-training opportunities whenever possible. For example, nurses in progressive care units are allowed to be temporarily transferred to intensive care units. Nurses will gain new skills, build confidence, expand and better understand another field. Nurses will learn to communicate and coordinate and provide new insights and understanding across departments. In the long run, this will eliminate lag time in crises while opening up new opportunities for nurses interested in different fields of medicine.
This is especially important for nursing students. We know that the heroic actions of thousands across the country have inspired a new generation of students to attend or further their studies in nursing, with 2020 enrollments increasing across the board. American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). We have a responsibility to innovate and forge new avenues in healthcare.
We must accept that change starts with teamwork, support and collaboration. These problems will continue if we don’t act quickly to better support nurses. We have the power to modernize the field of nursing. I believe we can achieve lasting change through open communication, acceptance of new ideas and voices, and embracing teamwork. This must be a collective effort across medical disciplines and verticals. Nurses deserve our full attention.
Photo: SDI Productions, Getty Images
