Doing Right By Brevard’s Incredible Nurses
By Space Coast Daily // September 9, 2021
Brevard Country has seen a huge burden placed on its nurses – a burden that is only increasing in weight. A recent report by US Today has found that a ‘tidal wave’ of new hospital cases is pushing the nursing community to its absolute limits, testing their ability to perform under severe pressure.
Nurses provide the backbone of the US care system and are a resource the country cannot function without – it is the responsibility of the community, and the state, to ensure they receive proper support. Here’s what’s being done.
Further education
Nurses in Florida are overworked. According to WANE, the majority of nurses in the state are reaching the point of resignation given the burdens placed on them.
While nurses are often well aware of the demands that will be placed on them in work, they don’t expect to have to sacrifice their own personal development and work/life balance – unfortunately, this is too often the case.
The state and community can support nurses by providing time and respite to further their development by using online LPN programs, enabling them to put their experience to good personal use in the future.
Financial support
Nurses are increasingly called into work, and are increasingly dependent on quick-and-easy food. This has a huge impact on their personal finances and now, according to Spectrum News 13, nursing students in particular are being put off from training due to the financial strain.
New grants, of up to $25,000, are being established to help bridge this gap. This should help nurses stay in work and education.
Mental health
The impact of the pandemic and, indeed, medical care as a whole, can be severe. A recent study published by the MDPI Healthcare Journal establishes ‘concerning’ rates of mental illness in nurses across the USA; 47% have symptoms of PTSD, 38% anxiety, 41% depression and 60% generalized emotional exhaustion.
Providing proper support must be a focus for the state and the private community, as well as allocating time for recovery. Only then can nurses feel a sense of well-being after the trauma of the day.
Nurses need support now more than ever. Along with fellow healthcare professionals, they have kept the state running amid the toughest conditions of all time. Now, they need time, care, and understanding to get back on their own two feet.
