The effects of the nursing shortage during the pandemic

Nurses fulfill an integral role in the support and delivery of quality healthcare. Hospitals adequately staffed with nurses experience decreased medical errors, lower patient morbidity and mortality, and far less job burnout than hospitals with high patient-to-nurse ratios[1]. However, a nursing shortage has affected the U.S. since 2012, requiring 1.2 million new registered nurses (RNs) by 2030 to address the shortage[2].

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the existing nursing shortage; up to one in five healthcare workers have left their jobs due to overwork, stress, and trauma caused by the pandemic[3] [4]. Moreover, a 2021 NSI Nursing Solutions report found the RN vacancy rate increased to 9.9% in 2020, and 62% of hospitals have an RN vacancy rate above 7.5% due to the pandemic.