Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1414493
44 NURSING SPOTLIGHT Frustration, anger, denial: Houston nurse on the 4th COVID-19 surge & what it means for the profession By Gabrielle Masson T he current COVID-19 surge feels different than previous ones and could have long- term implications for the nursing profes- sion, reported Houston Public Media. Avery Taylor, RN, managing nurse at Houston Methodist's highly infectious disease unit, spoke to the news publication about how the current fourth COVID-19 surge is affecting nurses. Ms. Taylor began by detailing the environment, noting that previous waves were "chaotic and frantic" but providers had energy because they felt the work was meaningful. "at's not the feeling this time around," Ms. Taylor told Houston Public Media. "is time around feels like we're walking into a cave of needless suffering." According to Ms. Taylor, 98 percent of COVID-19 patients currently at Houston Methodist hospitals are unvaccinated. She said the general attitude among nurses is one of frustration, adding, "We want to help people, but we're having to do some mental gymnastics to really dig down and find our compassion right now." "I'm so frustrated that there are going to be people who suffer and die when they don't have to," Ms. Taylor explained. "I know my nurses are hurting. I know that I'm hurting." As the hospital opens a second COVID-19 unit and Ms. Taylor has helped hire new nurses, she said she was in denial, thinking, "Surely this is not what we're doing again." Ms. Taylor said a lot of her staff have started going to therapy and are reading books together to help the nurses communicate with each other better. "My biggest concern is like, at what cost?" Ms. Taylor concluded. "And I don't think anybody has answers for that yet. I think only time is going to tell us how many nurses end up leaving the profession." n Cedars-Sinai's longest-serving nurse retires after 50 years By Mackenzie Bean L os Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai celebrated the retirement of its longest-serving clinical nurse, Patsi Saoud, RN, this summer. Ms. Saoud joined Cedars of Lebanon — which merged with Mount Sinai to become Cedars-Sinai — in 1971. She spent 49 of her 50 years at the system practicing as a cardiac surgery nurse. When Ms. Saoud joined Cedars-Sinai, the surgeons at its heart insti- tute performed one to two heart surgeries a week. Now, the Smidt Heart Institute is a global leader in heart surgery, recording more than 30 procedures a week. Ms. Saoud had a near perfect attendance record at work, which she credited in part to her colleagues. "I love the camaraderie, I love the friends that I've made," she said in an Aug. 5 news release. "I've met many lifelong friends here. It's just a very warm, friendly place to work. I would recommend it to anyone." Ms. Saoud's last day at Cedars-Sinai was July 30. In her retirement, she said she plans to take dance classes and astronomy and physics courses. After waking up before the sun rose for 50 years, Ms. Saoud said she also plans to enjoy life without an alarm clock. n Philadelphia health system to invest $5M to bolster nursing staff By Erica Carbajal P hiladelphia-based Temple University Health System will spend $5 million on initiatives to mitigate the effects of nursing shortages, ac- cording to a July 27 report from the Philadelphia Business Journal. Currently, the system employs 2,387 nurses and has a nursing vacan- cy rate of 9.1 percent — "about on par" with the 9.9 percent national average, said Michael Young, president and CEO of Temple University Health System. "We have doubled our use of agency nurses to maintain very safe staffing levels," Mr. Young told the news outlet, "but our nursing vacan- cy rate is still higher than we'd like it to be. That's why we are proac- tively doing something about it." The $5 million investment will go toward: • Flexible scheduling options, including weekend programs for work- ing parents. • Referral bonuses for staff members that refer a nursing colleague. • Pay raises for float nurses, financial incentives for more hours, sign- on incentives and relocation assistance. By the end of the year, the system plans to hire more than 200 nurses across its Temple University Hospital, Jean and Episcopal campuses, and Fox Chase Cancer Center. n