BUTLER COUNTY, Ohio — New numbers show staff shortages in health care continue to get worse.
Jennifer McDermott has been in nursing for 20 years, but she recently decided it was time to take a break.
“I still love nursing, but to be a bedside nurse, I’m not sure I want to go back into that,” said McDermott.
She said bedside nursing can sometimes turn into 16-hour days.
“You’re right there with the patient, you’re giving medications, you’re helping the patient,” said McDermott.
She said after doing that, nursing in the middle of the pandemic, and COVID vaccine mandates for health care workers, it all just became overwhelming.
“You’re having to live with that anxiety every day that you could be fired, and then how are you gonna feed your children, how are you gonna pay your bills,” said McDermott.
She’s not alone. In fact, a new survey from The Health Collaborative showed nearly 5,800 health care jobs in the greater Cincinnati area were left unfilled last year, two times higher than previous years.
The survey shows the nursing vacancy rate now stands at its highest at close to 14%.
According to the survey, hospitals are closing off needed beds because of the shortage.
McDermott said she’s not ready to give up nursing altogether. She just wants to spend more time at home without the same pressures of being in health care during some of the most demanding times in the industry.
