by Cori Ritchey

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“By the time I am done with my 12 hour shift, it feels like an eternity,” a nurse reflects on her work. “The last thing you want to think about is having to return the next day and do it all again.”

 

Alessia Smith* is a registered nurse on a medical surgical and telemetry floor at a hospital outside of Boston. She is a recent graduate, and has only been in the field for about seven months. To her, however, it “feels like a lifetime”.

 

“Being understaffed affects everyone at work- the patients, the nurses, the secretary; sometimes even the families of the patients we are taking care of,” says Smith.

 

The nursing shortage is rattling hospitals, long-term facilities, and outpatient doctors offices alike. The lack of workers creates a heavy burden on the few remaining, as patients pile up through the coronavirus pandemic, amongst other illnesses.

 

The factors that link to the current nursing shortage seem endless. On top of a worldwide pandemic that is building on already problematic burnout, there’s already a whole generation of healthcare workers that are getting to the point of retirement.

           

“Baby boomers”, those born between the years of 1946 and 1964, are currently hitting retirement age. According to a study done by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2018, 47.5 percent of RNs are over the age of 50.

 

Because of these new retirees, not only are we losing more and more nurses to retirement, there is also an increasing number of senior citizens with aging bodies that need more healthcare. According to the National Library of Medicine, the 65+ population has increased by nearly 73 percent from 2011 to 2019, from 41 million to 71 million.

 

Some areas have been hit harder than others in regards to demographics. Texas, California, South Carolina, and Nevada have the worst nurse to population ratio. South Carolina ranks the lowest with only 7.9 registered nurses per 1000 people, according to a 2020 study from the University of Saint Augustine.

 

As the shortage continues, what can patients expect?

 

Patients should expect to be waiting a little longer for common needs, such as a pitcher of water or a blanket. The nurses that remain have to focus on prioritizing patient needs when there are less hands on deck.

 

“People are flooding the hospital with covid and their symptoms are very crucial and sometimes we need to prioritize who we see first,” Smith says. “My patients are very sick and I tend to the ones that I feel need me the most.” 

 

Because of the lack of nurses, patients can also expect shortened length of stays. Doctors and hospital administrators will aim to discharge patients right when they are independent enough to be safe at home, to relieve the ratio of patients to nurses.

 

Another thing patients need to expect is less small talk then normal.

 

“We aren't running out of [our patients] room while they are mid-sentence telling us stories about their life or family just because we don't want to take the time to get to know them,” Mary Zellhart, registered nurse at the University of Vermont hospital, tells. “We are running because we heard someone yell for help from another room or a crisis ‘high alert’ alarm is going off which means a patient might be in critical condition and needs to be assessed quickly.”

 

Patients will need to harness their patience through these times.  They can help by keeping nurse calls to a minimum- asking for multiple things in one go rather than calling each time they need something.

 

“If [patients] can make a list of things they need the next time we come around to them for us to address instead of ringing multiple times in a short time span,” Zellhart says. “This allows us to manage our time better and provide better quality of care.”

 

The nurses who remain do their best to promptly accommodate patient needs and wants. Through this shortage, patients must respect longer wait times, and prioritize what is important to ask for.