Issues Facing the Post-Pandemic Nursing Workforce in Oregon – Stress and Emotional Health

On February 28, 2020, the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported in Oregon, and less than a month later, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic. Early in the pandemic, much concern was focused on an adequate supply of COVID-19 testing supplies, inventories of personal protective equipment (PPE), and the disruption of the nursing education pipeline as clinical education sites restricted access. Many nurse leaders worried about stress and burnout among nurses related to the shortages of PPE and the potential of hospitals being overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. However, as the pandemic continued, and the number of cases rose across Oregon, more long-term impacts on frontline nurses’ emotional health and well-being emerged. While many of the short-term issues causing stress and anxiety (e.g., adequate supplies of PPE and testing materials) were resolved or reduced, concerns about the long-term emotional health and burnout among Oregon’s nursing workforce remain. Unfortunately, there is a lack of state-specific data and most of what we know about the stressors affecting nurses in Oregon is anecdotal. Many of the studies in the published literature are based on national or international samples of healthcare workers.

Download and read the entire article published by the Oregon Center for Nursing. LINK