Amid nurse burnout, attention turns to educators

Amid nurse burnout, attention turns to educators

2022-07-15T14:49:35-04:00July 14th, 2022|Healthcare, Palm Beach|

Writer: Ryan Gandolfo

2 min read July 2022 The future of healthcare carries a weight of uncertainty as a significant shortage of nurses is only projected to widen in the coming years due to burnout and low job satisfaction.

A May 2022 Mckinsey report estimated that the United States could have a gap of up to 450,000 nurses “available for direct patient care,” or a 20% shortage, by 2025.

“When we think of the nursing shortage, most people think of the bedside nurses. But, it’s way beyond that. There’s a shortage not only of nurses at hospitals but also nurses in primary care settings and, definitely, a shortage of mental health providers. To address the nursing workforce shortage, we need more nursing faculty. Colleges and schools of nursing don’t have enough faculty because for decades there’s been a nursing faculty shortage,” Safiya George Dalmida, dean and professor of FAU’s Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, told Invest:.

At the end of 2021, an FAU survey on the current state and outlook of nursing showed 66% of nurses were considering leaving the profession, with low staffing levels and burnout cited as major contributors to growing discontent.

The study was in collaboration with Boca Raton-based workforce solutions firm Cross Country Healthcare.

“Every year, we survey nurses in conjunction with the FAU Lynn School of Nursing. We are working together with a local university on a national level to help bring solutions to the nursing shortage. We have partnered with FAU through educational webinars on topics such as COVID and the mental health of healthcare workers, lessons learned on the frontlines, diversity in nursing and the vision of Nursing 2030,” John Martins, president and CEO of Cross Country Healthcare, told Invest:.

Since the pandemic, there has been an uptick in traveling nurses, a concept started in the 1970s following an earlier nursing shortage in the country. At the height of COVID-19, a travel nurse could be making as much as $10,000 per week, as cited by NPR. 

“Travel nurses have always been there and never faded but the public has just not been as aware of it. Travel nursing will likely remain part of the strategy for specialty areas such as ICUs and telemetry which tend to have shortages and great need for experienced nurses,” said George, who has worked as a travel nurse during her career.

“I know that a lot of healthcare institutions are paying more money each month to pay traveling nurses and it tends to be very attractive because it’s usually the only time that they are compensated at the level that they should be in terms of having a competitive hourly salary and additional perks and benefits that are available. They show the worth of a bedside nurse.”

In July, healthcare jobs marketplace Vivian showed the average travel nurse weekly pay was $2,690, tallying over 580,000 active jobs over the past 90 days. While the pay rate is generally higher compared to permanent nurses, the additional costs from living accommodations to time on the road are factors impacting nurses’ decisions.

Martins noted that despite the complex issue regarding the nursing shortage, the Florida educational sector shows promising signs for training future healthcare professionals. “Palm Beach County has been a great place for us to find talent. Many schools in Florida create a large pool of highly qualified people between Palm Beach and Broward County,” said Martins.

George echoed those sentiments, while adding that funding will be paramount.

“In the state of Florida, we’ve seen nursing-specific regulations that have been passed to

help the nursing workforce by providing additional funding. We know funding is key and you can’t make change without it. We have the PIPELINE fund, which provides funding to colleges and schools of nursing to support scholarships, leadership faculty, center enhancements, simulation and so on,” said George.

For more information, visit: 

https://www.fau.edu/

https://www.crosscountryhealthcare.com/

 

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