How nursing in WA is recovering from staff shortages and pandemic burnout
When Allan Kinyua arrives for his evening shift at the UW Medical Center near Northgate, the special care unit buzzes with energy. Staffers cart meals and medical equipment in and out of patient rooms, pausing occasionally to check records and doctor notes.
Kinyua, a certified nursing assistant, is in charge of eight of the 17 patients. One has COVID-19. Another is legally blind and coming from the intensive care unit. Some need assistance breathing or help going to the bathroom. Many have heart or lung issues.
The day was already busy, though routine. But in this hospital’s hallways, the trauma of the pandemic lurks in haunting memories.
Evening after evening in early 2020, Kinyua would start a shift by taking a COVID patient to the bathroom. By morning, they’d be intubated. When he would return the following night, the patient would be dead, the room already getting prepped for the next one.
Read more: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/an-industry-at-a-crossroads-after-years-of-pandemic-weariness-world-of-nursing-begins-to-recover/
