COVID-19 and the Health Workforce 5/26-6/7

(06/05/22 ) ‘We Are Absolutely Destroyed’: Health Workers Facing Burnout, Even As COVID Levels Ease
Even though COVID-19 case numbers are dropping, the workload and stress facing health-care workers has not lessened. After years of increased workloads due to the pandemic, doctors and nurses in Canada and the US are experiencing more burnout and physical exhaustion than they have ever experienced. As a result, some health workers are re-thinking their career options.

(06/02/22) US Health-Care Crisis: Physician Burnout and Shortage
Physician burnout and shortage is a major crisis in the healthcare industry. According to this National Review article, the cause of these shortages is primarily population growth and retirements. Physicians are experiencing burnout for several reasons, including long working hours, extensive electronic medical record-keeping, and the process of prior authorization.

(06/02/22) Most of the COVID-19 Workforce Were Women of Color. What Happens Now As Those Jobs End?
According to experts, women of color conducted the majority of new jobs created by the pandemic (including contact tracing, COVID-19 testing, and vaccination administration). However, as COVID-19 cases decrease and the need for these positions dwindles, the future of this workforce is uncertain. This article interviews several of these women of color who put their lives on the line to help Americans during the height of the pandemic.

(05/31/22) Gender Pay Gap For Registered Nurses Widened During Pandemic
This Health Care Dive article reports that the gender pay gap widened significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Median salaries for male RN’s was $14,000 more than female RN’s in 2021. This report comes as hospitals continue to face staffing issues and trouble recruiting and retaining new staff.

(05/31/22) Doctors, Nurses Risked Their Lives to Battle COVID. Now They’re Facing a Mental Health Crisis
Although COVID-19 hospitalizations have declined, health care workers are facing another crisis—a mental health crisis due to burnout, exhaustion, and workforce shortages. In addition to these issues, early retirement and career changes will likely lead to more nurse and doctor shortages in the near future.

(05/22/2022) Clinician Shortage Exacerbates Pandemic-Fueled “Mental Health Crisis”
This article examines the driving factors behind clinician shortages and how this issue has contributed to the mental health crisis in the US during the pandemic. The article also discusses ways to increase well-being in the workplace and better recruit and retain the clinician workforce.

(05/12/2022) Resident Physician Wellness Postpandemic—How Does Healing Occur?
This article from JAMA discusses the possible strategies to relieve the increasing emotional exhaustion and occupational stress among resident physicians during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. One possible way is to allow for more personal space, limit work hours, and create a better work life balance.

(05/31/22) US Senators Release Draft Telehealth Policies for Mental Healthcare
Four US senators have released a new draft for telehealth policies to improve mental healthcare during the pandemic. Policies mentioned in the draft include, removing Medicare requirements for in-person visits before telehealth, urging Medicaid and Medicare providers to support telehealth users, and calling for states to use CHIP programs to improve-in person and virtual behavioral health services in schools.

(06/1/22) Burned Out by COVID and 80-Hour Workweeks, Resident Physicians Unionize
Resident physicians in California and other states are unionizing to demand higher wages and better working conditions and benefits due to burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. They join a large group of health workers, across many professions, who are unionizing and threatening to strike as a result of low wages, workforce shortages, lack of sufficient COVID-19 vaccines, and low quantities of personal protective equipment.