How Nursing During the Pandemic May Have Accelerated the Nursing Shortage 

Ernest Grant, PhD, RN, presented the Norma J. Shoemaker Honorary Lecture at SCCM’s 2023 Critical Care Congress. Dr. Grant addressed how the American Nurses Association (ANA) advocated on many levels to ensure that nurses received the education, supplies, and other resources needed to provide care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ANA, along with the American Nurses Foundation, launched the Pulse of the Nation’s Nurses Survey Series, which yielded valuable information regarding nurses’ experiences on the front lines. Ongoing data collection is used to drive and inform decisions about how best to support nurses during and after this public health crisis, with survey results revealing the burnout and frustration nurses continue to experience.