As our healthcare system fluctuates through the years, demand for workers in the field does as well. The recent shortage of nurses in particular has become a pressing issue, impacting the quality of patient care and putting strain on healthcare administrators and professionals. 

The demand for healthcare workers has risen significantly, driven by factors such as diminishing wages, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the overall high-stress nature of the job. Many nurses work long hours that usually consist of night shifts, weekends, and holidays and will usually end up having to sacrifice time with loved ones. With such a rigorous schedule and not fair pay along with it, many nurses experience burnout and job dis-satisfaction. “Nursing is walking out of the building several times a week crying or crying while they're in the building trying to take care of more patients than they're able to. We don't want to offer poor care, and we do our best not to. But when you have the ratios nurses are facing now, there is no way to deliver the best health care that you want,” said ER nurse Karen Fountain.

During the Covid-19 pandemic hospitals received an influx of patients needing care. This ultimately led to more burnout from nursing staff and nurses leaving the field all together. The pandemic also altered the flow of education and training to become a nurse. According to the Office of Health Policy, in May 2020, approximately 15 percent of hospital workers reported being unable to work at some time in the past 4 weeks because their employer closed or lost business due to the pandemic, compared to 23 percent of non-hospital health care workers. Getting in clinical hours and internship opportunities were nearly impossible, limiting the number of students entering the workforce. 

Directly funding school nursing programs could encourage more to join the workforce and decrease costs of nurses having to be in school for around 6-10 years. Along with this, the government could provide scholarships and grants to help students pay for tuition, books, and supplies.