August Lunchtime Presentation- "Nursing Shortage is Complicated" with Dr. Jacquelyn Manning Dantis

Nursing shortage and personnel issues are plaguing most of healthcare, from hospitals to skilled nursing facilities. There is an overarching question of how to fix the issue of personnel shortage? Currently, hospitals, nursing homes, rehab facilities, and even some clinics are offering employees hefty incentives such as scholarships, bonuses, registry work, and increased wages to come work for them; yet it appears to not be enough to fill the gap. It is especially not enough for nursing homes that incur significant loss of personnel due to challenging working environments and the inability to compete with employment agencies and hospitals that offer higher wages.
Unfortunately, because of personnel shortages in nursing homes, there is an increase in violations stemming from falls, neglect, abuse, and disease prevention-bedsores top the list of issues related to nursing home care, and hospital-acquired (healthcare overall) infections. Additionally, the past two years with COVID have fostered a heightened level of disdain for care work. The disregard some feel from corporations, management, and board members about their safety has increased the likelihood of nurses leaving those organizations.
Findings from an autoethnographic study as a nursing home assistant will be reviewed. It is concluded that there is no easy fix to this complicated problem. The issue will continue to get worse, at least for nursing homes and low-income communities. Options to improve individual organizations and create culture change will be discussed.