SCCM Resource Library-Neuroscience Nursing Workforce: Challenges During the Pandemic

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The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted ICUs, highlighting the challenges faced by nurses, particularly in the neuroscience field. This article provides insights from neuroscience ICU nurses working in different U.S. medical centers.<br /><br />Amanda Woisard, a traveling nurse at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, explained that the pandemic resulted in reduced demand for neuroscience nurses, due partly to decreased neurological surgeries and events. Many nurses sought more lucrative travel contracts, leaving hospitals struggling with staffing shortages.<br /><br />Heather Guth-West from Rush University Medical Center (RUMC) noted recruitment and retention challenges due to both the demanding conditions and shifts in job preferences, with some nurses choosing to work more closely with COVID-19 patients. RUMC has hired new nurses, often without neurocritical care backgrounds, and has adjusted pay and wellness strategies to retain staff.<br /><br />Mac McCoy at Medical City Plano described how his hospital managed staffing needs by reallocating and securing additional support from agency nurses. He emphasized the importance of preventing burnout by engaging with team members personally and professionally. Additionally, McCoy suggested improvements in nursing training to offer more exposure to neurological care, emphasizing hands-on mentorship to develop specialized skills.<br /><br />The article features perspectives from medical professionals like Rajeev K. Garg, Bhuvanesh Govind, and Anna Karpenko, underscoring the multi-faceted impact of the pandemic on nursing workforce dynamics, patient care, and the necessity for enhanced training programs to better prepare nurses for specialized roles in neuroscience and critical care.

Asset Subtitle

Neuroscience, Crisis Management, 2021, 00:07:10

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This article was first published in the Spring 2021 issue of Critical Connections.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many intensive care units (ICUs) were overwhelmed with patients requiring a high level of care. Specialty nursing staff were recruited to care for COVID-19 patients, leading to staffing shortages in specialty ICUs that were supplemented by floating and traveling nurses. Significant demands were put on the nursing staff workforce, who had to quickly become familiar with new diseases, ICU protocols, and technology. In this article, we interview neuroscience ICU nurses from three different medical centers who provide insight into the challenges they faced.

Critical Connections, the critical care industry's only newsmagazine, provides information on cutting-edge topics in critical care useful to the entire multiprofessional team.Rajeev K. Garg, MD, MS
Bhuvanesh Govind, MD
Anna Karpenko, MD

Meta Tag

Content Type Article

Knowledge Area Neuroscience

Knowledge Area Crisis Management

Knowledge Level Foundational

Knowledge Level Intermediate

Knowledge Level Advanced

Membership Level Select

Membership Level Professional

Membership Level Associate

Tag Staffing

Tag COVID-19

Year 2021

Keywords

COVID-19 pandemic

ICU challenges

neuroscience nursing

staffing shortages

traveling nurse

recruitment retention

burnout prevention

nursing training

neurocritical care

specialized skills

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