A new survey from the North Carolina Nurses Association shares concerns about nursing burnout across the state. The survey received 315 responses, highlighting concerns about staffing and workplace violence.
鈥淛ust got burnt out working 24-hour shifts," said 男人藏精阁Nursing student Emily Kocha. "So nurses work 12-hour shifts, three days a week usually. The money tends to be a little better."
Kocha worked as a paramedic for five years and is now making the transition into nursing. She plans to apply to Mission Health or Transylvania Regional Hospital after graduating.
鈥淧repare yourself mentally and emotionally," she said about the nursing school process. "It鈥檚 going to be a tough process but it鈥檚 definitely worth it."
鈥淲e have to deal with and listen to what our colleagues are saying,鈥 said Meka Ingram, president of the North Carolina Nurses Association.
Ingram said she hopes the new survey of nurses across the state can be a call to action to address ongoing concerns.
According to the survey, 37.5% of respondents reported 鈥渟evere鈥 staffing shortages at their facilities. 48.6% of respondents said they have witnessed violence in the last two years.
鈥淲hat I鈥檓 seeing nurses express is what I say is current traumatic stress disorder," Ingram said. "It just never went away because nurses are on at all times."
Ingram said that violence includes verbally abusive patients and families, and physical violence from patients in some cases.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e having panic attacks going to work, they鈥檙e crying going to work, they鈥檙e looking for other careers," she said. "That鈥檚 serious and that鈥檚 why I鈥檝e been telling people for such a long time and I鈥檝e been telling people our next is now."
鈥淚t鈥檚 a hard profession, it鈥檚 hard to be in, and to not see the joy, I think it hurts us a little bit,鈥 said Christy Andrews, Jack and Carolyn Ferguson Endowed Nursing Chair for A-B Tech鈥檚 School of Nursing.
Andrews said 男人藏精阁has seen a decrease in enrollment in nursing in the last two to three years. She said she believes the stresses of the pandemic on healthcare workers have made it difficult to attract new nurses to the field.
鈥淚 think that鈥檚 hurt us a little bit because it鈥檚 showing a very negative side of healthcare, and we鈥檙e not out there showing the wonderful things that nurses do, the wonderful care that nurses provide,鈥 she said.