MACON, Ga. — We've told you about staffing shortages in the food and retail industries due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but now there is another major shortage in the U.S. -- nurses.
Michael Dykes has always known he wants to help people.
"Just really been driven to come to work and make people better off in their health."
Now, he's the Director of Emergency Services and Nurse Leader at Coliseum Medical Centers.
He says there was a nursing shortage before the pandemic, but COVID-19 just made it worse.
"The nursing shortage has made it hard on all of us and we're not alone in that challenge, but we certainly want to make sure that the patients are taken care of and that they're safe and we give excellent quality care to our patients."
Some hospitals are even offering signing bonuses for nurses.
Piedmont Healthcare, one of Georgia's largest health systems, is offering up to $30,000.
Locally, Coliseum Health System offers between $3,000 and $10,000 depending on experience and position.
He says they also offer relocation bonuses and help paying off student loans.
"You gotta have the heart, you gotta have the compassion, you gotta have the empathy," says Dykes.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing says there are four main reasons for the nationwide shortage.
- People aren't enrolling in nursing school at a high enough rate to keep up with demand.
- There aren't enough teachers in those schools.
- With over half of the RN workforce over 50 years old, there is a rapid rate of retirement.
- An aging population is driving up demand.
The toll the pandemic took on healthcare workers didn't help either.
"The nursing shortages are certainly impacted by the schools as well because they can't produce enough nurses to kind of keep up with the demands of not only retirement, but just nurses switching careers or moving in other directions," says Dykes.
According to the Bureau of Health Workforce, Georgia has a little over 108,000 nurses, with a population of about 10,620,000.
That's about 10 nurses per 1,000 people, which puts Georgia fifth lowest in the country, but Dykes says their relationships with Wesleyan College, Middle Georgia State University and community job fairs do help bring nurses into their hospital.
He says although there is a shortage, their patients are still receiving quality care and they always have the appropriate amount of nurses working on a patient at a time.
We also reached out to Atrium Health Navicent, Central Georgia's largest healthcare provider, to see how the shortage is impacting them and if they are offering any signing bonuses to get nurses in the door. Instead of answering our questions, they sent this statement:
“Atrium Health Navicent continues to provide high-quality care while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing national need for health care. We are incredibly thankful for our teammates’ daily dedication and hard work across our entire enterprise. We are continuing to employ creative strategies to grow our workforce and promote economic success in the region while ensuring health, hope and healing for all.”