Health leaders say the pandemic has made the nursing shortage into a growing crisis for the state.
Jeffrey Bechtel is a senior vice president for the Hospital and Healthcare Association of Pennsylvania.
“Large number of employees are leaving the workforce due to stress and other reasons, and more patients are presenting with advanced disease,” Bechtel said. “The pandemic’s impact of higher demand and lower supply in the healthcare workforce has impacted nurses most acutely.”
Bechtel says there are some barriers he believes lawmakers can remove to help make it easier on potential new nurses. He says Pennsylvania can take part in interstate medical and nurse licensure compacts and to address licensing delays at the Department of State.
