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Erica DeBoer, the chief nurse at America’s largest rural health network, thought she could finally offer some relief for her overworked staff and thousands of patients. More than 160 reinforcement nurses were supposed to arrive over the coming months across Sanford Health’s Midwest facilities from as far away as Manila and Lagos, Nigeria.
But now, only 36 are coming — if they’re lucky.
...
Experts estimate that at least 10,000 foreign nurses have been delayed indefinitely — a holdup that’s almost certain to worsen an already dire national shortage. After the pandemic led 100,000 nurses to leave their jobs due to burnout or early retirement, US hospitals looked abroad to fill the gap.
“We just can’t take as many patients,” said DeBoer, a 30-year nursing veteran, who plans to hire pricier contract staff in the short-term and push to see more patients online when possible. Foreign workers were a big part of the strategy to fill 1,000 open nurse roles across Sanford Health in the next few years. “We were counting on those international nurses,” she added.
Sound familiar? Like in the late-1990s when we just had to expand the H-1B program and import hundreds of thousands of Indian programmers because there simply were not enough Americans available to do the work? Well, it was a lie in the 1990s and it's a lie today. They just want inexpensive labor with as little work as possible on their part.
The COVID restrictions and vaccine mandates are a major part of the nursing shortage. Anywhere from 25% to 33% of nursing staff quit over the mandates. Now they have a shortage and want to import foreign nurses? It's their own fault this is happening to them.
Kaiser Permanente here in the Bay Area has a program where they teach people to be x-ray techs (and more.) When students finish the course, they owe Kaiser Permanente a certain number of years and if they quit early they have to repay the costs of training. Why not do something like that and train Americans for those jobs? This is what we used to do, right?
Sound familiar? Like in the late-1990s when we just had to expand the H-1B program and import hundreds of thousands of Indian programmers because there simply were not enough Americans available to do the work? Well, it was a lie in the 1990s and it's a lie today. They just want inexpensive labor with as little work as possible on their part.
The COVID restrictions and vaccine mandates are a major part of the nursing shortage. Anywhere from 25% to 33% of nursing staff quit over the mandates. Now they have a shortage and want to import foreign nurses? It's their own fault this is happening to them.
Kaiser Permanente here in the Bay Area has a program where they teach people to be x-ray techs (and more.) When students finish the course, they owe Kaiser Permanente a certain number of years and if they quit early they have to repay the costs of training. Why not do something like that and train Americans for those jobs? This is what we used to do, right?
Not just programmers, but designers, engineers, digital sculptures, etc. And i agree, it was all to lower the salaries of higher paying careers.
While i'm fortunate to still be employed in my industry, the salary standard is around $20k to $40k ( OT is a thing of the past) less than when the H-1B/offshoring thing started.
They obviously want to lower the salary standard in the nursing industry. Now, with the influx of millions of illegals that have flooded our country, i don't doubt that our healthcare industry workers are overworked, but flooding the market with visa workers is going to be a fail for the US worker.
Not to mention, how is the care going to be from these workers from 3rd world countries ?
Not just programmers, but designers, engineers, digital sculptures, etc. And i agree, it was all to lower the salaries of higher paying careers.
While i'm fortunate to still be employed in my industry, the salary standard is around $20k to $40k ( OT is a thing of the past) less than when the H-1B/offshoring thing started.
They obviously want to lower the salary standard in the nursing industry. Now, with the influx of millions of illegals that have flooded our country, i don't doubt that our healthcare industry workers are overworked, but flooding the market with visa workers is going to be a fail for the US worker. Not to mention, how is the care going to be from these workers from 3rd world countries ?
If it's anything like the quality of work I've seen coming out of H-1B programmers, not very good.
If it's anything like the quality of work I've seen coming out of H-1B programmers, not very good.
Yeah, i could have answered my own question on that one. Years ago i did an design engineering stint for Honda NA. They brought in a whole team if H-1B designers and engineers, probably close to 100 people. They lasted less than a year, before management got fed up with the poor work, and gave them the boot.
Yeah, i could have answered my own question on that one. Years ago i did an design engineering stint for Honda NA. They brought in a whole team if H-1B designers and engineers, probably close to 100 people. They lasted less than a year, before management got fed up with the poor work, and gave them the boot.
How many Americans were canned when the 100 H1-Bs showed up? That's the usual pattern.
How many Americans were canned when the 100 H1-Bs showed up? That's the usual pattern.
Yep, as usual, the American worker takes the hit. That is why i've always supported unions, although, with the latest uaw debacle, i was definitely torn, since they pushed things so far, it effected those not represented by the union.
Yep, as usual, the American worker takes the hit. That is why i've always supported unions, although, with the latest uaw debacle, i was definitely torn, since they pushed things so far, it effected those not represented by the union.
I can't imagine unions doing anything but damaging the quality of knowledge workers.
Outside of a few specific instances in history (WWII, 1980's to parts of 1990's....) there never has been a shortage of professional or practical nurses. And there isn't one now either....
Recent proof of this came during fall out of 2008 financial crisis/recession/economic upheaval. Hospitals and other healthcare were beating back nurses with sticks. Suddenly tons of nurses who had better things to do otherwise needed a steady paycheck and returned to beside nursing.
What you've got are high numbers of nurses who simply for various reasons are not interested in working at bedside.
If you go through state registries of professional and practical nurses on average you'd likely find a decent number with active licenses. Again many just don't want to work at beside nursing.
What has happened since 1970's when various anti-discrimination laws and rules came into being many females have a wide array of career choices open to them, this including becoming physicians. So you no longer have surplus of young or whatever women pushed into nursing, primary education or even convents.
Many new graduate nurses only want to to enough time at bedside to get into nurse practitioner programs. That or have enough experience to be a traveler, work for an insurance company or anything else that does not involve bedside nursing.
Outside of a few specific instances in history (WWII, 1980's to parts of 1990's....) there never has been a shortage of professional or practical nurses. And there isn't one now either....
Recent proof of this came during fall out of 2008 financial crisis/recession/economic upheaval. Hospitals and other healthcare were beating back nurses with sticks. Suddenly tons of nurses who had better things to do otherwise needed a steady paycheck and returned to beside nursing.
What you've got are high numbers of nurses who simply for various reasons are not interested in working at bedside.
If you go through state registries of professional and practical nurses on average you'd likely find a decent number with active licenses. Again many just don't want to work at beside nursing.
What has happened since 1970's when various anti-discrimination laws and rules came into being many females have a wide array of career choices open to them, including becoming physicians. So you no longer have surplus of young or whatever women pushed into nursing, primary education or even convents.
Many new graduate nurses only want to to enough time at bedside to get into nurse practitioner programs. That or have enough experience to be a traveler, work for an insurance company or anything else that does not involve bedside nursing.
All facts and I will add some context to that last part as I deal with nursing students regularly at a teaching hospital. The role of the RN in a modern hospital setting where our complex medical systems are keeping people alive longer and involve a multitude of drugs is so stressful that EVEN the students can feel the burnout happening before they even graduate.
The Reality of a Registered Nurse in a Hospital Bed Side is:
1. More patient load and higher Ratios. There used to be 1 Nurse to 4, then 1 to 5, and now we are seeing 1 nurse to 7-8 with no Nursing assistant or tech to assist.
2. Far more complex patients even on medical-surgical floors. Lets not even talk about Step Down and sub ICU departments, its abuse city in most hospitals. Everyone is a fall risk, everyone is on 15+ meds, and everyone seems to have dementia on and on and on. All while tied to 2-3 IV drips and all you have to keep that patient off the floor is a bed alarm that you hope is working are hoping you won't find the patient in a pool of stool and urine (or worse, can be much worse) because they fell and no alarm went off. Remember you are responsible for that too NURSE. And you have 6 of these to manage solo for 12 hours, good LUCK!!!!
3. Drugs are very complicated and there are so many that it is hard to keep track of and administer on time (due to #1 patient load and ratios).
4. 12 Hour shift is Almost Mandatory which is a VERY long day and just burns people out. But it saves the Hospital Money so whatever right?
5. Patients are heavier and bigger than ever, that new 24 y/o 120 LBS nurse's back is wonderful but after a few years of moving these 250+ LB patients (300LB+ if you a Male, oh yes Male nurses get the abuse too) stuck on the crapper, GOOD LUCK, hope you can find help
6. Far less assistance for patient assistance in the room and the HUCs or Floor coordinators have disappeared. So now nurses also have to manage the Paperwork and office duties on floors along with the patients and higher ratios.
7. It will always be your fault PERIOD. Discharge late, Damn nurse. The doctor has not rounded on the patient yet, Damn nurse, the procedure is running late, Damn nurse, the Patient is not happy with anything, Damn Nurse!!!
8. Patient Satisfaction scores and the fact that a Nurse can and will be fired for poor survey scores. You didn't get that 300LB patients with diabetes Cokes every hour, excellent Nursing, unfortunately you the Nurse did that too many times and you were fired because your Patient satisfaction scores are low and the Administration does not like that. Yes, that is right folks in Customer Service, you think those customer surveys are bad for you, imagine being berated and looked down upon by your Leadership because YOU ARE TRYING TO SAVE PEOPLE FROM THEMSELVES.
9. The PTSD of watching people die in front of you and the alarms ringing constantly. This never gets talked but nursing is psychologically very tuff, extremely tuff. I do not know a nurse who does not hear the alarms in their head while not working, has deep sorrow for watching people die that they have to learn to deal with, and the psych part along with the rest just breaks people down.
50% of new nurses quit nursing within 5 years. Yes 50%, it's a staggering number, and it is not slowing down. So those that stick it out long enough tend to move to areas with less load like procedure areas, education, informatics, or Nurse Practitioner. The ones that decide to stay at the bedside figure it's better to do travel nursing because if you're going to break their back at least they were paid enough to retire while they can still functionally move around without Spine issues and poor knees.
All facts and I will add some context to that last part as I deal with nursing students regularly at a teaching hospital. The role of the RN in a modern hospital setting where our complex medical systems are keeping people alive longer and involve a multitude of drugs is EVEN the students can feel the burnout happening before they even graduate.
The Reality of a Registered Nurse in a Hospital Bed Side is:
1. More patient load and higher Ratios. There used to be 1 Nurse to 4, then 1 to 5, and now we are seeing 1 nurse to 7-8 with no Nursing assistant or tech to assist.
2. Far more complex patients even on medical-surgical floors. Lets not even talk about Step Down and sub ICU departments, its abuse city in most hospitals. Everyone is a fall risk, everyone is on 15+ meds, and everyone seems to have dementia on and on and on. All while tied to 2-3 IV drips and all you have to keep taht patient off the floor is a bed alarm that you hope is working and you wont find the patient in a pool of stool and **** because they fell and no alarm went off. Remember you are responsible for that too NURSE. And you have 6 of these to manage solo for 12 hours, good LUCK!!!!
3. Drugs are very complicated and there are so many that it is hard to keep track of and administer on time (due to #1 patient load and ratios).
4. 12 Hour shift is Almost Mandatory which is a VERY long day and just burns people out. But it saves the Hospital Money so whatever right?
5. Patients are heavier and bigger than ever, that new 24 y/o 120 LBS nurse's back is wonderful but after a few years of moving these 250+ LB patients (300LB+ if you a Male, oh yes Male nurses get the abuse too) stuck on the crapper, GOOD LUCK, hope you can find help
6. Far less assistance for patient assistance in the room and the HUCs or Floor coordinators have disappeared. So now nurses also have to manage the Paperwork and office duties on floors along with the patients and higher ratios.
7. It will always be your fault PERIOD. Discharge late, Damn nurse. The doctor has not rounded on the patient yet, Damn nurse, the procedure is running late, Damn nurse, the Patient is not happy with anything, Damn Nurse!!!
8. Patient Satisfaction scores and the fact that a Nurse can and will be fired for poor survey scores. You didn't get that 300LB patients with diabetes Cokes every hour, excellent Nursing, unfortunately did that too many times and you were fired because your Patient satisfaction scores are low and the Administration does not like that. Yes, that is right folks in Customer Service, you think those customer surveys are bad for you, imagine being berated and looked down upon by your Leadership because YOU ARE TRYING TO SAVE PEOPLE FROM THEMSELVES.
9. The PTSD of watching people die in front of you and the alarms ringing constantly. This never gets talked but nursing is psychologically very tuff, extremely tuff. In fact, I do not know a nurse who does not hear the alarms in their head while not working, has deep sorrow for watching people die that they have to learn to deal with, and the psych part along with the rest just breaks people down.
50% of new nurses quit nursing within 5 years. Yes 50%, it's a staggering number, and it is not slowing down. So those that stick it out long enough tend to move to areas with less load like procedure areas, education, informatics, or Nurse Practitioner. The ones that decide to stay at the bedside figure it's better to do travel nursing because if you're going to break their back at least they were paid enough to retire while they can still functionally move around without Spine issues and poor knees.
So, the solution to this is on shoring help from third world countries ? And, i'm certain, at less pay.
It's almost like the country is in a race to the bottom.
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