Uploaded November 2021 | Updated September 2026, 6 days ago
Take the 2023 PBS Survey: to.pbs.org/pbssurvey2023c
Workers everywhere are fed up with stress and tough conditions, and nurses are no different. The problem is, a nursing shortage means closed ERs, patients turned away, and long waits for urgent appointments. Is this the new normal, with burnout and COVID pressure driving nurses away from the bedside? Alok and Sheena hear from nurses who are near the breaking point and ask just how we can make things better.
🩺🥼 Vitals is a series that’s taking a new approach to health and medicine. Hosts Alok Patel, MD, and Sheena Williams RN are going beyond the headlines to answer your questions on the latest health topics. No judgment, no taboos. Just 100% science-based information. Whether you want to improve your wellness or just want to tackle questions you’re too embarrassed to ask, we’re here for you.
Please SUBSCRIBE! ►► bit.ly/pbsvitals
Let’s Connect:
IG: instagram.com/pbsvitals
Twitter: twitter.com/pbsvitals
Facebook: facebook.com/pbsvitals
Find our experts and hosts:
:: Dr. Alok Patel ::
Website: alokpatelmd.com
Twitter: @AlokPatelMD
Instagram: @alokpatelmd
:: Sheena William, RN ::
Twitter: @Keepingitkinky1
Instagram: @keepingitkinky
MORE from our special guests:
Instagram: @shesinscrubs
Twitter: @shesinscrubs
Instagram: @asknursealice
Twitter: @asknursealice
Website: asknursealice.com
Instagram: @nurse_allie
🦴Bone up on more info:
Nursing is one of the five most in-demand jobs in the U.S., but nursing schools are not producing enough nurses to care for an aging population.
https://www.usa.edu/blog/nursing-shortage/
The U.S. is projected to experience a shortage of Registered Nurses (RNs) that is expected to intensify as Baby Boomers age and the need for health care grows.
aacnnursing.org/news-information/fact-sheets/nursing-shortage
The nursing shortage: a state-by-state breakdown:
nursejournal.org/articles/the-us-nursing-shortage-state-by-state-breakdown
A survey of 6,000 critical care nurses, by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, found that 66% have considered leaving their jobs because of the pandemic. webmd.com/lung/news/20210920/survey-critical-care-nurses-consider-quitting-due-covid
Morning Consult, a data and intelligence company, found that one in five health care workers quit their jobs during the pandemic.
beckershospitalreview.com/workforce/18-of-healthcare-workers-have-quit-jobs-during-pandemic-morning-consult.html
There are 3.5 million to 4 million registered nurses in the U.S., but not all of them work full-time. About 60 to 65 percent have jobs in acute-care hospitals.
washingtonpost.com/health/some-places-were-short-on-nurses-before-the-virus-the-pandemic-is-making-it-much-worse/2020/11/16/8d3755a0-25c4-11eb-a688-5298ad5d580a_story.html
The health care industry is the largest employer in the U.S., with 9.8 million jobs as health care technicians and practioners.
census.gov/library/stories/2021/04/who-are-our-health-care-workers.html
California is the only state in the country to require by law specific number of nurses to patients in every hospital unit. For example, it requires hospitals to provide one nurse for every two patients in intensive care and one nurse for every four patients in emergency rooms.
modernhealthcare.com/providers/california-bypasses-nurse-staffing-ratio-rules-amid-virus-surge
Take the 2023 PBS Survey: to.pbs.org/pbssurvey2023c
Workers everywhere are fed up with stress and tough conditions, and nurses are no different. The problem is, a nursing shortage means closed ERs, patients turned away, and long waits for urgent appointments. Is this the new normal, with burnout and COVID pressure driving nurses away from the bedside? Alok and Sheena hear from nurses who are near the breaking point and ask just how we can make things better.
🩺🥼 Vitals is a series that’s taking a new approach to health and medicine. Hosts Alok Patel, MD, and Sheena Williams RN are going beyond the headlines to answer your questions on the latest health topics. No judgment, no taboos. Just 100% science-based information. Whether you want to improve your wellness or just want to tackle questions you’re too embarrassed to ask, we’re here for you.
Please SUBSCRIBE! ►► bit.ly/pbsvitals
Let’s Connect:
IG: instagram.com/pbsvitals
Twitter: twitter.com/pbsvitals
Facebook: facebook.com/pbsvitals
Find our experts and hosts:
:: Dr. Alok Patel ::
Website: alokpatelmd.com
Twitter: @AlokPatelMD
Instagram: @alokpatelmd
:: Sheena William, RN ::
Twitter: @Keepingitkinky1
Instagram: @keepingitkinky
MORE from our special guests:
Instagram: @shesinscrubs
Twitter: @shesinscrubs
Instagram: @asknursealice
Twitter: @asknursealice
Website: asknursealice.com
Instagram: @nurse_allie
🦴Bone up on more info:
Nursing is one of the five most in-demand jobs in the U.S., but nursing schools are not producing enough nurses to care for an aging population.
https://www.usa.edu/blog/nursing-shortage/
The U.S. is projected to experience a shortage of Registered Nurses (RNs) that is expected to intensify as Baby Boomers age and the need for health care grows.
aacnnursing.org/news-information/fact-sheets/nursing-shortage
The nursing shortage: a state-by-state breakdown:
nursejournal.org/articles/the-us-nursing-shortage-state-by-state-breakdown
A survey of 6,000 critical care nurses, by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, found that 66% have considered leaving their jobs because of the pandemic. webmd.com/lung/news/20210920/survey-critical-care-nurses-consider-quitting-due-covid
Morning Consult, a data and intelligence company, found that one in five health care workers quit their jobs during the pandemic.
beckershospitalreview.com/workforce/18-of-healthcare-workers-have-quit-jobs-during-pandemic-morning-consult.html
There are 3.5 million to 4 million registered nurses in the U.S., but not all of them work full-time. About 60 to 65 percent have jobs in acute-care hospitals.
washingtonpost.com/health/some-places-were-short-on-nurses-before-the-virus-the-pandemic-is-making-it-much-worse/2020/11/16/8d3755a0-25c4-11eb-a688-5298ad5d580a_story.html
The health care industry is the largest employer in the U.S., with 9.8 million jobs as health care technicians and practioners.
census.gov/library/stories/2021/04/who-are-our-health-care-workers.html
California is the only state in the country to require by law specific number of nurses to patients in every hospital unit. For example, it requires hospitals to provide one nurse for every two patients in intensive care and one nurse for every four patients in emergency rooms.
modernhealthcare.com/providers/california-bypasses-nurse-staffing-ratio-rules-amid-virus-surge
