Category: Workforce

Hospitals lost jobs in December for the second straight month, according to the latest jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Connecticut Hospital Association is requiring a COVID-19 booster dose as part of its statewide mandatory vaccination policy for hospital and health system workers and clinical staff, the association said Jan. 6. 

Just over 19 percent — or 1,167 of 6,051 — of all hospitals in the U.S. are experiencing critical staffing shortages, according to HHS data posted Jan. 6.

Nurse practitioners play an integral role in providing healthcare and work in various settings, including hospitals, physician offices and clinics.

The number of hospitals and health systems requiring COVID-19 vaccination for employees is growing amid a national surge in COVID-19 cases fueled by the omicron variant.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Jan. 5 announced a $10 billion, multiyear investment in healthcare, which includes $4 billion for wages and bonuses for healthcare workers.

As hospitals across the U.S. face a COVID-19 surge and exacerbated staffing challenges, more states are enlisting National Guard members to support overwhelmed facilities, according to CNN.

Beth Israel Lahey Health and Mass General Brigham are among the major Massachusetts health systems to mandate COVID-19 boosters, The Boston Globe reported Jan. 4. 

Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic will fire about 1 percent of its 73,000-person workforce because of noncompliance with the health system’s required COVID-19 vaccination program, according to a statement shared with Becker’s.

Nurse employment remained low while wages increased during the first 15 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting a tightening labor market in which demand outpaced supply, according to a study published Jan. 4 in Health Affairs.