[skillpass]

I understand you are making the argument that removing mandates for masks at schools will lead us to have a shortage of medical practitioners? That seems dubious to me.

From what I know, the limits on number of doctors licensed each year are tightly controlled. If students drop out, there are countless others who will be willing to take their place.

[shadowofneptune]

It's not just students being affected, but educators and those who supervise residents. There will be less and less spots available in residency programs, nursing programs, etc. due to this. That was already a problem pre-pandemic:

https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/expert-insights/nursing-fac...

Compensation helps, but having to do much more work with less people increases burnout regardless of how much you're being paid.

[skillpass]

Appreciate the link, it was an informative read.

Based off what I read there, I don't think reducing burden on nurses to prevent burnout at any cost is the right response here.

The article makes clear there are two pipelines here:

Nursing student applicants -> Nursing students -> Nurses, and Nurses -> Nursing faculty

There are more qualified applicants than can be accepted as students due in part to shortages in the faculty, according to the article. So why is there a shortage of faculty? There are several items noted in the article, but I'll point out the one I think is relevant to our conversation.

> the pandemic has forced much of nursing education to an online, virtual format ... An overnight switch to virtual learning has not been seamless or easy on students or faculty ... The risk of burnout in these prolonged conditions is high—especially for faculty members who have young children or who are caretakers in the home.

So, this article is arguing nursing faculty is burning out because teaching virtually is too taxing. I don't think this article supports the idea that a nursing shortage will result due to overtaxed nurses in hospitals.

[shadowofneptune]

I agree, it's not the most significant factor. It would affect those close to retiring anyway. A bigger one is compensation. The reduction of funding of universities in the United States, and resulting loan cost, has made working towards a post-graduate degree very undesirable. Hospitals often cover the cost of working towards a degree, but if you are doing that you're more likely to become a nurse practitioner. Right now, working as a traveling nurse is extremely well-compensated. I had meant this article as just an introduction to the concept, you're right about the pipeline.

EDIT: Another thing is that nurses often go through 'preceptorships,' which is like a residency but much more focused and shorter in duration. It is how you accumulate a great deal of the clinical hours required by a Board of Nursing. It was difficult during my preceptorship to find people trained to be preceptors, as experienced nurses are dropping out. The difference between a green instructor and an expreienced one can be massive.