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Let's Talk hospital staffing shortages

Pikrepo.com

Let’s Talk New Mexico 01/13 8am: Nearly a quarter of hospitals across the country report critical staffing shortages as the omicron variant surges. New Mexico hospital officials are warning emergency rooms are overwhelmed and the situation is likely to get worse. Meanwhile many hospitals are relying on traveling nurses to fill staffing gaps, but that’s not a permanent solution. It’s the latest iteration of a pandemic that has exacerbated an existing shortage of nurses and health care workers in New Mexico. On this week’s Let’s Talk New Mexico, we’ll talk with hospital officials, advocates and nurses and we want to hear from you. Are you working in healthcare and feeling burned out? What changes do you want to see? Are you a traveling nurse? Why did you decide to go that route? Have the staffing and bed shortages meant you had trouble getting care for yourself or a loved one? Email us at LetsTalk@kunm.org, Tweet to us with the hashtag #LetsTalkNM or call in live during the show at (505) 277-5866.

Guests:

Resources
NM hospitals have worst shortages of staff in US - Albuquerque Journal
Nearly a quarter of hospitals are reporting a critical staff shortage as Omicron drives a rise in Covid-19 cases - CNN
Health officials let COVID-infected staff stay on the job - Associated Press
Colorado struggles to keep hospital beds staffed as omicron sends COVID cases soaring - Colorado Sun
Traumatized and tired, nurses are quitting due to the pandemic - CNN

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Megan has been a journalist for 25 years and worked at business weeklies in San Antonio, New Orleans and Albuquerque. She first came to KUNM as a phone volunteer on the pledge drive in 2005. That led to volunteering on Women’s Focus, Weekend Edition and the Global Music Show. She was then hired as Morning Edition host in 2015, then the All Things Considered host in 2018. Megan was hired as News Director in 2021.
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