VOA慢速英语--美国冠状病毒病例增加医院争抢护士

Hospitals Competing for Nurses as US Coronavirus Cases Increase

The coronavirus pandemic is increasing across the United States as infections and hospitalizations rise. This has resulted in a shortage¹ of nurses, especially in rural areas and at small hospitals.

The problem has led to nurses being trained to provide care in medical areas where they have little experience. Hospitals are reducing some services to keep enough trained medical workers for seriously sick coronavirus patients. And some health systems are employing traveling nurses to assist their doctors.

Nurses with a lot of experience are resigning because they are "burned out," said Kevin Fitzpatrick. He is an emergency room nurse at Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Michigan. Several nurses resigned in just the past month. They took jobs in home care or other places with less demands.

"And replacing them is not easy," Fitzpatrick said.

As a result, he said the emergency room is operating at about five nurses short of its best level. Each nurse cares for about four patients as COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to increase.

Experts say the departures are not surprising. Many nurses trained in emergency care are over 50 and at increased risk of serious medical problems if they get the virus. Younger nurses worry about spreading the virus to their children or other family members.

Worrying about family members often decides "who can actually work and who feels safe working," said Karen Donelan. She is a professor of U.S. health policy at Brandeis University's Heller School for Social Policy and Management.

Donelan said there is little information so far on how the pandemic is affecting nursing overall. But some hospitals had a shortage even before the virus arrived, especially those in rural areas.

With total coronavirus cases above 9 million in the U.S. and new daily infections rising in 47 states, the need for nurses is only increasing. The U.S. has recorded more than 231,000 deaths.

The health care company Aspirus in Wausau, Wisconsin, is offering an extra $15,000 to nurses with at least one year of experience who sign up to work. The company is also using private companies to search for nurses as the number of patients it treats for coronavirus has increased by 300 percent.

Aspirus operates five hospitals in Wisconsin and four in small communities in northern Michigan. It is moving nurses from one hospital to another as new outbreaks take hold, said Ruth Risley-Gray. She is a vice² president and the chief nursing officer at Aspirus.

But more nurses are needed. That is because many have gotten sick or tested positive for the coronavirus during the current outbreak. In mid-October, 215 members of Aspirus medical teams were in isolation³. They are just beginning to return to work.

Adding to the problem is the fact that hospitals nationwide are all competing for the country's available nurses. April Hansen is executive⁴ vice president at San Diego-based Aya Healthcare, a company that provides traveling nurses. Her company is seeking to employ at least 20,000 additional nurses.

In North Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin, government officials have launched efforts to bring more nurses to their states. Infection rates in these states have been exploding.

"We've been pleading⁶ with the community members to protect themselves and others," by wearing masks and social distancing, said Aspirus' Risley-Gray.

Traveling nurses say the need seems greater at smaller hospitals than at larger ones.

Robert Gardner is a nurse working in a small hospital outside Atlanta. He says he will stay for as long as he is needed.

"It's not even a question," Gardner said. "Nursing is a calling."

Words in This Story

nurse – n. a person who is trained to care for sick or injured people and who usually works in a hospital or doctor's office

burned out – phrasal verb. feeling very physically⁷ and emotionally tired after doing a difficult job for a long time

outbreak – n. the sudden appearance of an illness

positive – adj. in illness, a test that confirms the presence of the illness

isolation – n. the state of being in a place or situation that is separate from others

plead⁵ – v. to ask for something in a serious and emotional way

mask – n. a covering used to protect your face or cover your mouth

1 shortage   

n.缺少，缺乏，不足

参考例句：

• The city is suffering a desperate shortage of water.这个城市严重缺水。
• The heart of the problem is a shortage of funds.问题的关键是缺乏经费。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

4 executive   

adj.执行的，行政的；n.执行者，行政官，经理

参考例句：

• A good executive usually gets on well with people.一个好的高级管理人员通常与人们相处得很好。
• He is a man of great executive ability.他是个具有极高管理能力的人。

5 plead   

vt.辩护，恳求，提出借口；vi.辩护，反对

参考例句：

• He had a good lawyer to plead his case.他请了一位出色的律师为自己的案子辩护。
• Are you ready to plead against the case offered by the defendant?你准备好反驳辩护人提出的问题了吗？

6 pleading   

n.恳求

参考例句：

• She went down on her knees, pleading for mercy. 她双膝跪下，乞求谅解。
• His pleading melted her. 他的乞求软化了她。

7 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。