Accessibility links
healthcare workers healthcare workers
Stories About

healthcare workers

Wednesday

NYC nurses are on strike, but the problems they face are seen nationwide

Nurses hold signs outside Manhattan's Mount Sinai Hospital on Monday, the first day of their strike. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

National

NYC nurses are on strike, but the problems they face are seen nationwide

Thousands of nurses at two New York hospitals are on strike for a third day. Their staffing shortages and other problems predate the pandemic, says the president of the American Nurses Association.

NYC nurses are on strike, but the problems they face are seen nationwide

Listen · 4:51
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1148333140/1148333141" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

The Pandemic Is Damaging Health Workers' Mental Health

Close friends Joshua Paredes, Michael Walujo and John LeBlanc are working together to set up a crisis help line for fellow nurses following the suicide of their friend Michael Odell in January. Rachel Bujalski for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Rachel Bujalski for NPR

Short Wave

The Pandemic Is Damaging Health Workers' Mental Health

A recent study found that working surge after surge in the pandemic, a majority of American health care workers experienced psychiatric symptoms — including depression and thoughts of suicide. And yet, mental health correspondent Rhitu Chatterjee found that very few got help for these symptoms.

The Pandemic Is Damaging Health Workers' Mental Health

Listen · 14:04
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1092395330/1200394149" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Saturday

Health workers know what good care is. Pandemic burnout is getting in the way

Matthew Crecelius, a traveling contract nurse who has worked in a dozen hospitals since the pandemic began, says that he can recall numerous instances where health care worker burnout has had a direct impact on patient care. Elaine Cromie for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Elaine Cromie for NPR

Shots - Health News

Health workers know what good care is. Pandemic burnout is getting in the way

The pandemic has intensified burnout among health care workers. They say it's eroding their passion for the job and the quality of patient care. Here's how some of them are trying to solve it.

Thursday

Federal COVID Workplace Safety Rules Are Here. But Only For Health Care Workers

A new federal rule requires hospitals and other high-risk health care settings to implement COVID-19 safety measures, including providing personal protective equipment to workers, ensuring proper ventilation and giving workers paid time off to get vaccinated. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

The Coronavirus Crisis

Federal COVID Workplace Safety Rules Are Here. But Only For Health Care Workers

The Biden administration has issued an emergency rule that requires health care employers to take steps to protect their workers from COVID-19.

Thursday

Health Care Workers Try To Bring COVID-19 Patients Joy, Less Isolation As Life Ends

Assistant Director of Nursing Jenn Schmid is in one of Livingston HealthCare's two ICU rooms. Before COVID-19, Schmidt's job was mostly administrative — but she stepped in to fill the hospital's need during the area's coronavirus surges. One duty she took up was spending time with families as they said farewell to loved ones through the ICU's glass windows. Nick Mott for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Nick Mott for NPR

National

Health Care Workers Try To Bring COVID-19 Patients Joy, Less Isolation As Life Ends

Montana Public Radio

Medical staff are liaisons to the sick and dying for relatives not allowed at bedsides. The emotional toil at one Montana hospital is a case study of what caregivers are grappling with across the U.S.

Health Care Workers Try To Bring COVID-19 Patients Joy, Less Isolation As Life Ends

Listen · 6:55
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/948792420/952172135" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

At Hospitals, A Race To Save 'Hundreds Of Thousands' Of Lives With New Vaccine

Dry ice will be used to help keep the Pfizer vaccine at ultracold temperatures. Sarah McCammon/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Sarah McCammon/NPR

National

At Hospitals, A Race To Save 'Hundreds Of Thousands' Of Lives With New Vaccine

With the first COVID-19 vaccine doses expected to be shipped out within days, health care providers are scrambling to prepare for an unprecedentedly high-stakes vaccine rollout.

At Hospitals, A Race To Save 'Hundreds Of Thousands' Of Lives With New Vaccine

Listen · 3:46
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/944693133/944739794" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Sunday

Meet The Medical Professionals Playing Classical Music Together Online

"I got a lot of emails after we posted our first video," says violinist Dr. Erica Hardy. She says the orchestra's virtual performances are a way to give back to the community. Screenshot by NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Screenshot by NPR

The Coronavirus Crisis

Meet The Medical Professionals Playing Classical Music Together Online

The National Virtual Medical Orchestra brings together health care workers and gives them a creative outlet during the pandemic.

Meet The Medical Professionals Playing Classical Music Together Online

Listen · 6:06
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/900523029/900603873" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

Trauma On The Pandemic's Front Line Leaves Health Workers Reeling

A fatigued health care worker takes a moment outside the Brooklyn Hospital Center in April. Many hospital workers these days have to cope with horrific tragedies playing out multiple times on a single, 12-hour shift. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Trauma On The Pandemic's Front Line Leaves Health Workers Reeling

Hospital workers face stresses right now that can compare to fighting a war, and recent research suggests medical staff could be among the hardest hit by the mental health effects of the pandemic.

Trauma On The Pandemic's Front Line Leaves Health Workers Reeling

  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/840986735/842163780" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">