Rebecca Ronzone

November 17, 2021

Feature Story

Another night shift at Boulder Community Health Hospital is over for traveling ICU nurse

Maggie Lehman. She takes off the PPE that she has been wearing for almost 12 hours. From a

far she is unrecognizable with everything on.

She stripes off the N-95 mask and along with extra droplet mask worn over. She can

finally breathe after being in discomfort and suffocated by the mask all night.

Although life may seem like it is close to returning to normal, hospitals are still dealing

with a shortage of nurses due to burnout from being a frontline worker this past year.

“I have five patients, but I feel like that is not a safe ratio. I can’t give the best care to

them. Your patients think you’re not doing a great job, when in reality it’s not my fault it’s the

hospitals staffing,” Surgical nurse at Sacred Heart Medical Center, Katie Saylor said.

The healthcare field is very different compared to what it was two years ago, no one

was trained on what to do in a pandemic. Let alone how to cope with the stress and emotions

nurses are dealing with during this unprecedented time.

Throughout this pandemic the nation has seen the resilience frontline nurses have had.

The public tries to understand what they are going through, but we don’t truly know the

emotional toll this time has taken on them.

According to a report published by Washington Center for Nursing, they found that

there are higher levels of depression, anxiety and stress in frontline nurses since 2020.
How are they coping?

“Understanding that getting support for yourself doesn’t mean that it makes you

weaker, it helps us be stronger and a better person,” Director of Center for Student Excellent at

Washington State University School of Nursing Chris Sogge said.

Over the past year there has been more conversations about normalizing therapy and

counseling services. Although there might still be a stigma, these services have been very

beneficial for many people during the pandemic.

WSU School of Nursing currently offers free counseling services for students, they work

closely with WSU Health Sciences Spokane. These services are available to students through

telehealth via Zoom or phone session, Sogge said.

A survey from Washington Center for Nursing, reported that 67% of nurses saw an

increase of telehealth services during the pandemic compared to before.

Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane offers free counseling services and mental

health days to nurses and other healthcare professionals.

Abby Glover is currently working on the cardiac floor at Sacred Heart. Both her and

Saylor expressed that everyone is very helpful on their floors . Having a good support system at

work has helped them both, especially since they are both new nurses.

But not all nurses have access to these services, one being Maggie Lehman. Since she is

a traveling nurse, they do not get the same resources as a resident nurse would receive.

It all depends on the hospital if they share their resources to travelers. Most of them are

willing to share to a degree, Lehman said.

 “I don’t get the luxury of calling in sick or getting a mental health day, the hospitals are

already not staffed enough. I will get financially punished if I call out,” she said.

To prevent burnout Lehman plans out her assignments, giving herself time in between

each one to recharge and have a break. While on assignment she has replied on her friends and

family for support. She is an advocate for therapy she has just not found the need for it yet.

Will nurse burnout affect people wanting to into this field?

Nursing is a challenging career, and people knew that before the pandemic. But over the

past year and half, they have shown their bravery and selfness to the public. Risking their own

lives to help others.

But we have seen the toll it has taken on them, and how challenging it has been from

the media and personal stories from nurses. Is the pandemic preventing future students to

pursue a career in nursing?

At the WSU School of Nursing, they are still receiving many applicants and but there has

been a slight decline in applicants this semester.

“It is still a very competitive program, and we still have a great applicant pool,” Sogge

said.

But WSU is not the only school experiencing a decline in students this past year,

nationwide there has been a decline in applicants for nursing school, he said.

Even though there is a decline in nursing students currently, many universities

nationwide are facing a drop in enrollment because of COVID. It is not just nursing school that

this decline in occurring.

 Since the pandemic started it has been eye-opening for the public to see and hear what

nurses and other healthcare professionals go through. They have been in the media more than

ever.

“I think the future nurses coming out in the next few years will be incredible. They have

a passion to serve to society,” Sogge said.

Although there is nurse burnout currently happening, future nurses have seen the

impact current ones have during the pandemic.

Sources

Katie Saylor, nurse at Sacred Heart Medical Center: 425- 238- 8029

Abby Glover, nurse at Sacred Heart Medical Center: 235- 514- 7549

Maggie Lehman, travel nurse: 863- 651- 1847

Chris Sogge, Director of Center for Student Excellent at Washington State University School of

Nursing: chris.sogge@wsu.edu

https://www.wcnursing.org/wp-content/uploads/documents/reports/2021-June-WCN-SIA-

COVID-19-Impact-on-the-Nursing-Workforce-Study.pdf