By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
The State of North Dakota is now seriously impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Experts report that their current infection rate is what one would expect to see in a war-torn country. Long against any COVID restrictions, the governor mandated mask-wearing on Friday. Another controversial policy was put into place because of a nurse staffing crisis in the state. The state’s governor moved to allow nurses and other healthcare workers who have tested positive for COVID to continue to work if they don’t show symptoms. It is a controversial policy recommended by the CDC in crises where hospitals are short-staffed. The state’s major hospitals pushed the governor to allow them to have infected, but asymptomatic staffers treat COVID-19 patients. They may have felt that they had no choice – agency and travel nursing options are limited.
Not surprisingly, there has been a swift reaction from the nursing community. The state nurses association and medical association both have said that they oppose the practice. The rules change also could place internal and external pressure on infected staff members to work when they should be home recovering. Health workers worry that even if asymptomatic infected colleagues are limited to COVID-19 units, they could still spread the disease in break rooms, cafeterias, restrooms, and other shared areas.
In a local news interview, Adam Johnson, the President of Emergency Department Nurses in North Dakota, said, “It’s going to make you question every time you want to sit down and grab a five-minute snack with one of your co-workers….. You’re always going to think, ‘Am I 6 feet away from them? Am I safe? Am I not?’ “I know nurses who leave work every day and cry in their car before they go home to see their kids,” said Johnson. “I don’t know how much more we can take.”
These are risky policies at a time when nurses are already questioning whether they want to stay in the profession. Most now agree that what is happening in the country today is not what they signed up for. In a survey of nurse leaders done by AONL in July, the majority indicated that the federal response to COVID has fallen far below their expectations. What happened in March and April was more understandable because we knew little about the virus, but this is no longer true. In many parts of the country, healthcare systems are on the brink of collapse because the public did not believe the science and failed to take precautions. The country is paying a high price for failing to exercise prevention, with no group more impacted than healthcare workers.
Policies often have unintended consequences that are not seen at the time of implementation. In an ANA pulse survey released in July – on a Likert scale of 1-5 – nurses rated their employer’s concern about their physical safety at 3.4 and mental health at 3.3. These numbers will likely decline as nurses see policies like those enacted in North Dakota that are clearly not in their best interests. Nurse leaders report nurses are looking for jobs outside of acute care in unprecedented numbers. A nurse leader told me in a recent interview that “no matter what I say, my nurses tell me they don’t feel safe at work anymore in a hospital setting.” Throughout the country, nurses are looking at what has just happened in North Dakota and wondering if their state will be next. This is a risky policy trajectory with potentially devastating ripple effects for the healthcare workforce.
Don’t let nurse leaders in your organization go without development. Virtual programs include Nurse Leader Coaching, Coaching Staff to Promote Resilience and Leading Teams in Turbulent Times or schedule your customized Nuts and Bolts of Nursing Leadership Virtual Workshop taught by experts for either new or experienced leaders. Nuts and Bolts Flyer
Read Rose Sherman’s book available now – The Nurse Leader Coach: Become the Boss No One Wants to Leave
© emergingrnleader.com 2020
LinkedIn
Instagram