Nearly 100,000 registered nurses left the field during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an analysis conducted by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN).
Worse yet, the analysis suggested that nearly 800,000 more nurses could leave the field by 2027. For home health providers already short on staffing, that could mean significant headwinds over the next five to ten years.
“High workloads and unprecedented levels of burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic have stressed the U.S. nursing workforce, particularly younger, less experienced RNs,” the study authors wrote in their conclusion. “These factors have already resulted in high levels of turnover with the potential for further declines. Coupled with disruptions to prelicensure nursing education and comparable declines among nursing support staff, this report calls for significant policy interventions to foster a more resilient and safe U.S. nursing workforce moving forward.”
Overall, the net nursing workforce declined by 3.3% over the past two years, according to the analysis. Specifically, there was a 2.7% decline in registered nurses.
In addition to a general decline in nurses, many have also decided to begin working on a more part-time basis, either for more flexibility or because they have reached retirement age.
That has led to providers like Amedisys Inc. (Nasdaq: AMED) working with companies like connectRN to optimize part-time workers.
“Amedisys is expert at managing full-time employees,” Cora Jaulin, the VP of home health at connectRN, recently said at Home Health Care News’ Capital + Strategy event. “The thing that we do well is support a per diem workforce. We leverage our expertise together.”
More nurses, in general, will be needed to keep up with demand. At the same time, home-based care providers are also looking to attract more nursing talent into the home.
Many nursing schools to not emphasize at-home care enough in their curriculum, which leads to less interest in home health care, especially earlier in nurses’ careers.
Newer nurses were actually the ones more likely to exit the field over the last few years, according to the analysis. Those with 10 or less years of experience accounted for 41% of those that exited the field.
Looking ahead, nearly 45% of those with over 10 years of experience said they are likely to leave the field in the next five years.
“The data is clear: the future of nursing and of the U.S. healthcare ecosystem is at an urgent crossroads,” Maryann Alexander, chief officer of nursing regulation at NCSBN, said in a statement.
Companies featured in this article:
Amedisys Inc., connectRN, National Council of State Boards of Nursing
