She describes a time when nurses were full of hope as vaccinations began to roll out to the public. But unfortunately, she notes that 2021 was much worse than anticipated.
The "Great Resignation" among nurses
Raso writes that natural disasters, lagging vaccination roll outs, the delta variant, declines in mental wellbeing, workforce exhaustion, and critical staffing shortages all impacted the healthcare sector. The “Great Resignation”, which has been seen in all industries including healthcare, continues to cause problems for nurse leaders. In response, the American Nurses Association sought relief on a federal level, petitioning the US Secretary of Health and Human Services to address a variety of concerns, such as:
- Barriers to practice
- Fatigue and mental well-being
- Increasing student enrollments
- Reimbursement methodology that recognizes nursing value
- Vaccination education
Building resilience during difficult times
In her own research, Raso was particularly moved by a paper published in the Journal of Nursing Administration late in 2021. In the paper, the author warns other nurses against using transactional approaches to drive improvements that “consume clinician resilience”. Raso notes that this is also true for nurse leaders, who will help drive the profession forward. But to find the energy to move forward, we sometimes need to let go.
Obviously, this does not mean letting go of work responsibilities. Instead, Raso talks about letting go of what we cannot control. The misery and guilt that is associated with worry about things one cannot change can truly make a person unhappy.
In conclusion to her editorial, Raso encourages readers to look for purpose and joy while letting go of the weight of problems outside one’s own sphere of influence. She writes that the challenges we can control are the ones that stay with us, and nurses everywhere will need to energy to face those challenges head-on.
