Challenges Faced by Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The impact of COVID-19 on the state might be more significant than is usually considered. The problem is that the pandemic became a severe challenge to nurses who faced various circumstances in providing care to a vulnerable population (White et al., 2021). They faced increasing stress, fear, and other adverse effects on their mental health (Turale & Nantsupawat, 2021). As a result, the pandemic resulted in critical nursing shortages and a lack of specialists.
Uneven Distribution and Critical Shortages in the Nursing Workforce
The shortages are not evenly distributed across the United States of America, meaning it is difficult to estimate the exact number of required nurses (Xu et al., 2020). Finally, serious concerns exist about whether the profession will attract sufficient workers in the future (Turale & Nantsupawat, 2021). For this reason, I am writing to draw public attention to the problem and emphasize the necessity of resolving it.
Proposed Measures to Address Nursing Shortages and Support the Profession
Considering the scope of the issue mentioned above, using the federal budget to react would be an effective way to secure the nation’s future and ensure its health. The research shows that, along with COVID-19-related factors, many other barriers impact the nurses’ motivation and desire to work. For instance, they suffer from financial issues that might impact their performance. Securing financial health would allow the state to address the problem of nursing shortages (Xu et al., 2020).
Moreover, although nurses are considered heroes who work in complex conditions, this does not lead to the improvement of the professional image of the occupation (Turale & Nantsupawat, 2021). For this reason, additional measures to engage new students and reduce pressure on already working professionals are required. These might include financial support for would-be nurses, special programs, and media campaigns. If accepted, these measures would help address the problem of nursing shortages and help nurses face new challenges in the future.
References
Turale, S., & Nantsupawat, A. (2021). Clinician mental health, nursing shortages, and the COVID-19 pandemic: Crises within crises. International Nursing Review, 68(1), 12–14. Web.
White, E. M., Wetle, T. F., Reddy, A., & Baier, R. R. (2021). Front-line nursing home staff experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 22(1), 199–203. Web.
Xu, H., Intrator, O., & Bowblis, J. R. (2020). Shortages of staff in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic: What are the driving factors?Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 21(10), 1371–1377. Web.