Nationwide demonstrations highlight the strain of staff shortages on caregivers and their impact on patients.
Nurses at Veterans Affairs hospitals recently participated in nationwide protests to regarding needed improvements for medical facilities facing staff shortages. The largest union of registered nurses in the country organized the demonstrations involving caregivers from 18 medical centers across the nation. The nurses emphasized the burdens placed on medical personnel and the compromised quality of patient care due to the shortage of staff.
“If we’re paid less, and we have less support staff, and we’re not following a nurse-to-patient ratio like other hospitals, it makes it hard to hire and keep good nurses here,” said Erin McLeod, a local union director with 15 years of nursing experience. “We want to serve those who have served and give them the best care we can, but it’s hard when our hands are constantly being tied.”
The issue of understaffing in VA medical facilities has persisted since the early 2010s and was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. All 139 Veterans Health Administration facilities surveyed reported acute vacancies in at least one occupation. Despite efforts to recruit and retain nurses, many facilities continue to struggle.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Undersecretary Shereef Elnahal as he oversees the Veterans Health Administration.
- For discernment for Secretary Denis McDonough as he heads the Department of Veterans Affairs.
- For the nurses and administrators at VA hospitals across the nation as they deal with staff shortages.
Sources: MilitaryTimes, Federal Times
