Employee burnout, aging population, and to some, it's the lack of training. These are some of the common problems fueling America's nursing shortage.
In Nevada, it's no better. Reports say that the state is in need of more than 4,000 nurses. Nurses in Nevada are said to be suffering from overfatigue as they are forced to work long hours.
"A lot of our nurses suffer from anxiety, depression and most of them suffer from PTSD," Dr. Rhigel Tan, former president of the Nevada Board of Nursing, said.
Tan asserted that while a nurse's salary is more than the average wage, patient care is priceless.
"Of course, nurses need money because you have to live and you also need to sustain living but the effort of giving your heart to take care of that life. It's not the bonus; it's not the monetary. Those are just tips of the iceberg in nursing."
Liza Gamboa, a Philippine Nursing Association of Nevada (PNAN) adviser, also noted, "unfortunately, we are aging. I'm in my 50s and a lot of the nurses are in their 50s and 60s, ready to retire and some of them, they just got burned out. The aged quit the profession and then of course we can't produce that many pipelines in the US."
Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, stakeholders have said that nursing shortages have hit America's health system.
The Nevada Board of Nursing said that although they are not responsible for the staffing and recruiting of new nurses, they agree with the sentiments of the healthcare personnel and express willingness to help.
"We have such a very good collaborative relationship with the Philippine Nurses Association. As a licensing board, we are responsible for making sure that people got the appropriate credentials. So if we can help smooth that transition or remove barriers to make it an easier process in getting more nurses... that's what we are all about," Cathy Dinauer, Nevada Board of Nursing Executive Director, said.
PNAN president Flora Sayson is advocating for the Nurse Licensure Compact. According to her, this will allow nurses to have one multistate license that will enable them to practice in all compact states. Sayson believes that this will remove the barriers for nurses from other states to work in Nevada and help mitigate the staff shortage.
Members of PNAN and other organizations are set to hold a march at the Carson City Legislature Office on February 23rd.