Violence against healthcare workers is a subject that has been highlighted by healthcare organizations nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the wake of recent shootings on hospital campuses, including on the campus of Saint Francis Health System in Tulsa, Okla., there is even more urgency to address the issue. 

Over a year's time, the median nursing tenure in the U.S. fell by 19.5 percent amid increased demands on workers, according to a new study by Epic Research, an Epic Systems journal.

Mechanicsburg, Pa.-based Vibra Healthcare has expanded Vibra Travels, its travel nursing and healthcare staffing business.

Healthcare added 28,300 jobs last month, spurred by a gain in hospital employment, according to the latest jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  

Workforce shortages have embroiled the healthcare industry, posing threats to patient safety, staff well-being and retention efforts. Outside of these key concerns, several healthcare leaders told Becker's shortages are also indirectly interfering with routine hospital protocols and compliance standards. 

Looking to combat workforce shortages and treat COVID-19 patents, healthcare facilities turned to locum tenens physicians and healthcare workers to temporarily help ease the strain, according to a May report from AMN Healthcare. 

Many hospitals and health systems turned to third-party staffing agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic to address shortages of clinicians and other healthcare professionals. Now a growing number of organizations are offering internal travel programs amid an opportunity to attract workers while decreasing contract labor expenses.

University Medical Center of El Paso (Texas) has launched two programs focused on retaining current employees.

Female healthcare professionals working in the emergency medicine field report a higher prevalence and risk of burnout than men, according to a May 27 global study published in the European Journal of Emergency Medicine. 

High rates of burnout exist among workers worldwide, creating more risk of employers losing talent, according to a new report from McKinsey Health Institute.

CMS said it has cited 69 hospitals for not complying with the agency's COVID-19 vaccination mandate covering healthcare facilities participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, Politico reported May 30.  

Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., is training employees to become medical assistants amid a shortage of those workers, according to NPR affiliate WPLN.  

Despite the necessity of caution regarding bringing COVID-19 into work, many employees are not afforded the right to call in sick, Aaron Carroll, MD, writes in a May 30 New York Times guest essay. 

Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital this week began vaccinating some employees against monkeypox who were in close contact with a patient diagnosed with the virus, The Boston Globe reported May 26.

Missouri hospitals experienced unprecedented levels of turnover and vacancy in 2021, indicative of a "full-blown crisis in hospital staffing," according to a report released May 25 by the state hospital association.

Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health is clarifying its efforts to reduce dependence on travel nurses after employees expressed concerns about staffing and patient care.

In fall 2021, when Ruth Brainerd, MSN, RN, learned about an in-house program of floating nurses at York, Pa.-based WellSpan Health, the idea of joining appealed to her.

Healthcare's workforce shortages have sparked calls to action from hospitals and leaders at the national level.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to address fatigue and burnout among healthcare professionals. 

UW Health is offering nurses $100 more per hour if they work extra shifts as part of the Madison, Wis.-based organization's internal travel program.