U..S. nurses say morale, energy has hit a pandemic low

Nurses repeatedly call themselves resilient but say they’re hitting the limits of that strength. A recent study from investigators at the University of California at Irvine’s school of nursing and department of psychological science found the weight nurses have been carrying during the pandemic has been overwhelming. In the survey of 234 registered nurses across California, conducted from May 21 to July 6, nearly 13 percent said they left a position because of “moral distress” during the pandemic, the kind of stress that can come when people witness or fail to prevent something that breaks with their morals and expectations. The findings also shed light on the extent of the psychological distress: 15 percent reported suicidal thoughts in the prior month.

“As a profession, we work hard, we do things that we say normal people would never be doing,” said study author Candace Burton, an associate professor in UCI’s school of nursing. “But this has been beyond anything anyone could have anticipated. The lack of resources, the constant strain and stress and needing to be on and present and going at 110 percent at all times has just been exhausting.”....

Nurses are leaving their jobs in droves. The state of Mississippi had 2,000 fewer nurses in July than it did in January and may have lost more in the months since, according to the Mississippi Hospital Association. The association’s leaders point to the pandemic and note that some nurses may be retiring, while others are opting for travel positions that it said can pay three to five times what registered nurses made pre-pandemic....