U.S. pledges $100 million to attract medical workers amid pandemic burnout
“The shortage is particularly acute in rural and poorer parts of the United States. In west Texas, for instance, one doctor was serving an area of 11,000 square miles, a land mass larger than that of Maryland.
As the delta variant drove up hospitalizations and infections across the country, contract nurses who typically work for 13-week stretches have been plugging labor holes at hospitals. Some have been awarded with seven times as much pay as permanent staff nurses.
The healthcare industry has reported chronic burnout among its 16 million workers, with some taking their own lives. Many are considering leaving the profession.”