A nursing shortage described by Butler County health care providers is frightening — especially at this moment — but not surprising.

Nurses across the county and nation have undertaken heroic efforts during the coronavirus pandemic.

Now that a more dangerous variant of the virus is spreading — and could likely be lessened in impact with higher vaccination rates — is it any wonder that nurses wouldn’t want to go through it again?

Bryan Morris, chief nursing officer and vice president of Patient Care Services at UPMC Passavant, said a shortage is nothing new, and there tend to be ebbs and flows in the number of available staff. However, he called the current situation a “crisis.”

“It was something we had never seen before, and it forced us to take a look at what was happening to our nurses at the bedside,” he said.

Health care providers around the nation have reported similar circumstances.

According to a study by the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, a private education institution, about 1.2 million new registered nurses will be needed by 2030 to address staffing shortages.

The study found the average age of registered nurses has increased. As many nurses retire, they leave schools without a pipeline of teachers to take their place.

Last year, the study found more than 80,000 qualified nursing school applicants were turned away from programs due to a lack of qualified faculty, classroom space and budget constraints. As a result, fewer nursing graduates joined the workforce.

On top of these existing problems, COVID-19 has exacerbated stress levels. Much has been made about the spike in delta variant cases, and the challenge of getting people going back to wearing masks.

If your average person finds such things stressful, imagine how nurses — who could face a repeat of overcrowded hospitals — must feel.

Some local hospital systems are considering means of retention — UPMC has removed a cap on earning additional paid time off, encouraged nurses to use paid time off, implemented stress reduction exercises on its website and offered a sign-on bonus for nurses with more than a year of experience.

Butler Health System has instituted incentive pay in areas where it takes longer to fill vacancies, while Concordia Lutheran Ministries offers sign-on bonuses, improved retirement packages and opportunities for employees to advance their education.

We’re glad to see health systems doing what they can to make it more attractive for nurses to seek employment. Their heroic efforts during COVID-19 warrant nothing less.

Meanwhile, the public can do its part to make their lives easier: If you’re not vaccinated and it’s safe for you to do so, consider it. If you’re asked to wear a mask, do it.

Nurses deserve much more than just our thanks.

— NCD