Catherwood LibraryILR School

During the beginning of the pandemic medical equipment shortages were the primary concerns for healthcare administrators. Hospitals were desperate for medical equipment such as ventilators, Covid tests, and personal protective equipment. However, the trend has shifted. Today, hospitals are competing for nurses. The fall surge in Covid cases has turned hospital staffing into a sort of national bidding war, with hospitals willing to pay exorbitant wages to secure the nurses they need. That threatens to shift the supply of nurses toward more affluent areas, leaving rural and urban public hospitals short-staffed as the pandemic worsens, and some hospitals unable to care for critically ill patients.