Nurses: Trusted Messengers in the Public Health Response

Largest share of health care workforce: Nursing Fact Sheet, American Association of Colleges of Nursing

3.8 million nurses: Nursing Fact Sheet, American Association of Colleges of Nursing

Gender & Racial/Ethnic breakdown: Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

• Note: breakdown includes 3.3 million registered nurses as counted by the Current Population Survey

Trust: Honesty and Ethics 2020 poll, Gallup

Projected shortage: Nursing Shortage, American Association of Colleges of Nursing

2018 survey on leaving nursing workforce: Shah MK, Gandrakota N, Cimiotti JP, Ghose N, Moore M, Ali MK. Prevalence of and Factors Associated With Nurse Burnout in the US. JAMA Network Open. 2021

• Note: data collected from supplemental material

PPE Shortages & Staffing Challenges:

• March & April Survey: Survey: Nurses Fear Going to Work Due to Lack of Protection from Virus More than 32k Nurses Share Experience from the Front Lines, American Nurses Association

• May & August Survey: Update on Nurses and PPE: Survey reveals alarming conditions, American Nurses Association

Shortages & Traveling Nurses: Need a COVID-19 Nurse? That’ll Be $8,000 a Week, Kaiser Health News

Survey, Positive Progress: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Nursing Profession in the U.S., American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL)

Burnout: A Pandemic’s Toll on Nurses, NurseGrid in collaboration with the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN)

• Note: 22% statistic calculated by summing percent of nurses that said they will either leave bedside care (18.0%) or completely change their career (4.1%). This does not include nurses that will retire early or already planned to retire.

Mental Health: The Mental Health of Healthcare Workers in COVID-19, Mental Health America

Physical Health, COVID Numbers: Lost on the frontline, An Investigation by Kaiser Health News & The Guardian; data collected 3/4/2021

Immediate Strategies:

• Increase access to personal protective equipment: Keep Yourself and Your Family Safe, American Nurses Association

• Provide education on COVID-19 preparedness

  • Considerations for COVID-19 Preparedness and Response in U.S. Schools of Nursing, American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)

  • Recommendations for Improving National Nurse Preparedness for Pandemic Response: Early Lessons from COVID-19, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Health Security

• Support immediate mental health needs: Mental Health Help for Nurses, American Nurses Association

• Address vaccine hesitancy in health care workers: “It’s essential to understand why some health care workers are putting off vaccination,” Vox

Long-term Strategies:

• Burnout:

  • “Top Tips From Nurses on Dealing With Burnout,” Nurse Journal

  • “The looming health-care crisis: A shortage of health workers would be disastrous,” The Conversation

  • Note: The World Health Organization recognizes burnout as a syndrome that is a measure of chronic distress associated with one's job.

• Competency: AONL Nurse Leader Competencies, American Organization for Nursing Leadership

• Workforce: Enhancing Diversity in the Workforce, American Association of Colleges of Nursing

• Culturally Competent Care: Enhancing Diversity in the Workforce, American Association of Colleges of Nursing

• Leadership: “Insights from Nursing: Through the COVID-19 Lens,” Presentation by Mary Ann Fuchs, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN during a NIHCM webinar titled, Nurses on the Frontline: Strengthening America’s Health Care Workforce

• Media: “Why Nurses’ Voices Matter,” Presentation by Diana Mason, PhD, RN, FAAN during a NIHCM webinar titled, Nurses on the Frontline: Strengthening America’s Health Care Workforce