Economics Does Work

Imagine a world in which people take a better-paying job for doing EXACTLY the same work. 'They're really tired:' 2nd wave of COVID causes nursing shortage at Triangle hospitals

No it isn't the Twilight Zone, where people choose more pay for the same work, it is the world of nursing, where doctors (and others) who run hospitals have traditionally treated nurses like [expletive deleted].

Hospital administrations seem shocked that people pay attention to their personal economics, and how they are treated at work. And that if they are going to work long hours in a stressful job, they will choose more pay, over less pay.

Oh, and the administrations love to blame everything on COVID. Apparently you don't have to take an Econ class along with Biochemistry to get into medical school.

They finally get around to the subject of Traveling Nurses, who are employed via agencies.

"We have increased our nurse agency use like everyone across the Triangle has," [Jeronica Goodwin, WakeMed's senior vice president of human resources] said. "I don't think any hospital across the nation could function right now without travelers."

But traveling nurse agencies also help increase hospital turnover, because they pay so well. Fuchs says Duke lost 100 nurses in three months last winter to travel agencies.

Now who would take a job for more pay, doing exactly the same work? Especially when doing so makes life difficult for the doctors (and others) who run hospitals? </sarcasm> Just about everyone would make that choice.

Those people who have traditionally treated nurses like [expletive deleted] have been forced - FORCED - to offer more pay, signing bonuses, and flexible work schedules. Oh the horror. And it is ALL COVID-19's fault. Nothing at all to do with low pay, long hours, and a bad working environment.

As for the blame everything on the Delta Variant... Mississippi nurses resigning amidst severe stress. The Delta Variant is playing a role.

"There's not a bed shortage, there's a nursing shortage."

Even the bean-counters won't put people in hospital beds if no one is available to take care of them. They have heard of malpractice, after all.

That decreases the "total beds available" number, and so increases the percentage of occupied beds. See lies, damn lies, and statistics.

They even have a statement from someone who didn't resign, because she couldn't leave her friends unsupported - those being the other nurses, not the hospital administration.