The COVID-19 pandemic, for which nurses were on the front lines of response, was a major factor in the mass departure. According to a poll conducted by Incredible Health in February 2022 among more than 2,500 U.S. nurses, many contracted the disease themselves and felt pressure to get back to work right once. Additionally, according to the report, 34% of nurses want to leave their positions before the end of the year. Two out of every five people wanting to change occupations intended to work in nursing again.
Nursing During Pandemic
This high turnover coincides with the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ prediction that, until 2031, more than 200,000 additional nurse positions would become available year, widening the supply-demand imbalance if the labor force doesn’t expand at the same rate.
Since 2021, nursing programs have been offered without tuition at Chamberlain University in New Orleans, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and the University of Rochester School of Nursing in New York. For the purpose of receiving student loan forgiveness or scholarships, graduates of all three programs are required to work at connected hospitals for a minimum of three years. ARCAMAX.
During the pandemic, Michigan created the Future for Front-liners and Michigan Reconnect programs, two free community college programs that allowed persons without college degrees to obtain an associate’s degree in nursing. Free tuition opens up nursing to a larger, more varied applicant pool.
Nurses Leave Their Jobs During the Pandemic
Nurse preparation schools are developing accelerated programs in addition to lowering tuition prices to speed up the entry of nursing students into the workforce. Because they concentrate on patient care skills rather than general studies classes, accelerated nursing programs can be finished in less than two years. With 135 nursing programs debuting or expanding countrywide in 2022, the number of chances to get a nursing degree is rising to keep up with demand.
The scarcity of nurses can also be addressed through federal action. government legislators reauthorized Title VIII of the Public Health Service Act, which provides government funding for nursing education programs, as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020. The Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program, which aids in the repayment of student debts for registered nurses, is also funded by the Department of Health and Human Services. The Future Advancement of Academic Nursing Act would spend an additional $1 billion in the nursing workforce if it were to pass. EDITIONCNN.