Dive Brief:
Healthcare lost about 4,000 jobs overall in April, an unwelcome sign as the economy continues recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nursing home losses (-19,000) were offset by notable gains (+21,000) in ambulatory service jobs.
In March, healthcare employment changed little. The industry is still down 542,000 jobs since February 2020.
Job gains overall fell short of expectations as economists predicted vaccinations and reopenings would help spur the growth of about a million new jobs in April. The overall unemployment rate remained about the same, at 6.1%.
Dive Insight:
The healthcare industry is struggling to get back on track following months of sustained job losses during the pandemic. While BLS expects most of the jobs will recover, unlike some other industries such as retail and restaurants, it s unclear how long it will take.
By Mollie Jamison, Rylee Kirk, Izzy Koyama, Maya Leachman and Isaac Stone Simonelli/Special for Cronkite News
April 28, 2021
Veteran travel nurse David Ryan, who’s originally from New England, sits in his camper outside Banner-University Medical Center Phoenix after an unusually difficult 12-hour shift. “The only existence of us being there is to help them with the problems. So you don’t want to be the problems.” (Photo by Isaac Stone Simonelli/Special for Cronkite News)
While working on the road, David Ryan showers, cooks and sleeps in his camper. He tries to remain upbeat about his job, despite the toll it takes. “I’m very proud of being a travel nurse. I’m proud of coming in and being the help.” (Photo by Isaac Stone Simonelli/Special for Cronkite News)
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Avant Healthcare Professionals, the premier staffing provider of internationally experienced nursing and allied health professionals, today announced it has released the results of its newly published 2021 Trends in Nurse Staffing Study. This survey was sent to a list of hospital executives across the U.S. with the title of CEO, CNO, and HR executive. The data and responses included in this survey provide insight into staffing trends and how hospitals plan to staff during the nursing shortage.
Orlando, FL, April 24, 2021 (PR.com) Avant Healthcare Professionals, the premier staffing provider of internationally experienced nursing and allied health professionals, today announced it has released the results of its newly published 2021 Trends in Nurse Staffing Survey. In this study, the company analyzes the state of nurse staffing, the status of United States registered nurse job vacancies, the cost comparison of outsourcing labor, and how COVID-19 has affected nurse staffing
Dive Brief:
More than 60% of frontline healthcare workers say the pandemic has negatively impacted their mental health, according to a national survey published Tuesday from the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Washington Post.
About 13% of those surveyed reported accessing mental health services or medications while 18% said they needed such services but didn t get them. Those who didn t get help cited being too busy or unable to get time off work, feeling afraid or embarrassed or not being able to afford it.
Another recent survey from the American Association of International Healthcare Recruitment found that nearly 80% of registered nurses said the pandemic strained staffing in their unit to unsafe levels.
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