Nurses in Georgia face a special set of barriers: They have to report seeking treatment to the state’s Board of Nursing, which can jeopardize their license or put long-term restrictions on their practice and job prospects.
Nurses have been telling lawmakers that hospital understaffing is putting patient lives at risk. They want Michigan to follow California and Oregon and institute mandatory staffing ratios.
Thousands of nurses at two New York hospitals are on strike for a third day. Their staffing shortages and other problems predate the pandemic, says the president of the American Nurses Association.
In areas overwhelmed by COVID cases, hospitals must rely on traveling nurses to operate ICUs. Hospitals pay a premium for that temporary help, while also struggling to keep their staff nurses happy.
