The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the need for 1.1 million new nurses by next year, and the American Nurse Association anticipates that there will be more available jobs for registered nurses in 2022 than for any other profession.
That might mean a lot of opportunity but it's also a sign of a longstanding problem in the medical field — a notable lack of trained nurses in hospitals and healthcare facilities.
The pandemic certainly hasn't helped. While there's no accurate count of how many nurses left South Carolina during the pandemic, Judith Thompson, CEO of the South Carolina Nurses Association, says more than enough did.
The reasons why are as varied as anything — the search for more money, the chance to start over somewhere else, the need to go someplace that appreciates you more.
That last one turns out to be a big reason. And for hospital administrators like McLeod Health COO Michelle Logan-Owens, it's a glaring neon opportunity for hospitals and healthcare organizations to build better care services for healthcare professionals straight into the job.
For nursing educators like Mary Foster Cox and Joy Deupree, both professors at the University of South Carolina, it's also an opportunity for schools to develop emotional and career support services from the ground up.
This story is part of a series exploring the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on nursing and health care in South Carolina. In Part 4, we'll step slightly off the path to discuss the press' role in shaping how you think about this subject.
