NJ Hospitals Struggle To Staff Nurses Amid COVID Surge

NEW JERSEY — The recent COVID-19 surge continues to steadily increase New Jersey's hospitalized populations. But nearly two years into the pandemic, the state's hospitals have faced struggles with staffing nurses, according to New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli.

Nurses who have worked the pandemic over the last 22 months are getting burnt out — especially those who worked with COVID patients during the worst outbreaks and have seen friends and colleagues fall sick or die from the virus, Persichilli says.

Some nurses are also aging out. Several who were close to retirement decided to move on, and other nurses are getting bought out.

"(Nurses can get) very attractive packages from staffing agencies for individuals to leave the employ of a hospital and work as an agency nurse or sometimes depending on where they’re working a traveling nurse," Persichilli said. "That’s a difficult circumstance because in some cases they’re not only bought out, they’re then sold back to the hospitals that they had just left. That’s a situation that it’s really somewhat out of our control."

The state has 1,748 active COVID hospitalizations as of Thursday, according to the New Jersey Department of Health. That's the Garden State's highest total since April 27.

Persichilli says the state can help offset shortages by working with hospitals to improve "operating models and economic models" that incentivize nurses to stay in the profession.

"I'm pleased to report that enrollees in nursing programs are definitely up," Persichilli said. "They are the heroes or one of the many heroes but they are heroes through this pandemic and is being recognized as such. Young individuals want to follow in their footsteps. We have a number of things that we're working on, but it is a very difficult situation."