Alarming corona study: more and more nurses give up - "one minute before midnight"

Workload, inadequate hospital equipment, risk of burnout - these are the main reasons why many nurses all over the world give up their jobs.

How is the situation in Germany?

Munich - The corona pandemic has been occupying people for more than a year.

When the crisis really picked up speed in spring 2020, the focus shifted to nursing staff around the world.

Politicians praised their tireless efforts and people clapped from their balconies.

Today that applause has noticeably faded away - and the care industry has fallen into a deep hole.

Corona: "Left alone, disregarded and endangered" - more and more nursing staff are giving up

The enormous burden in times of Covid-19 is apparently forcing numerous nurses in the healthcare sector to give up.

This is the result of a study by the World Association of Nurses and Nurses (ICN).

This trend is observed in almost one in five of the countries surveyed.

According to the Professional Association for Nursing Professions (DBfK), the problem is omnipresent in Germany as well.

"Since the beginning of the pandemic, professional carers have often felt left alone, disregarded in their professionalism and endangered in their physical and psychological integrity," said DBfK President Christel Bienstein.

"Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have been warning that this will be the reason for a large number of colleagues to leave the profession," she emphasized.

Corona: The need for nursing staff is increasing - "this development will continue"

The Federal Employment Agency initially did not confirm the trend for Germany on Thursday.

There has been an increase in the number of workers in the health sector.

Exact figures are not yet available for 2020 - but for the previous year: "In 2019, 1.7 million nurses in Germany were employed in health care and geriatric care subject to social security contributions."

However, due to a variety of factors such as demographic change or medical progress, far more nurses will be needed in Germany in the future.

The Federal Employment Agency writes: “This development will continue.

The number of people in need of care in Germany has increased significantly in recent years. "

Corona: "The stress that nursing staff are under is unacceptable"

The World Federation argued that it can be assumed that the workload, the inadequate equipment of the clinics, the risk of burnout and, in general, the stress are the causes of people fleeing their jobs.

"The strain caregivers are under is unacceptable, and it is no surprise that so many feel the pressure and decide that they can no longer continue in their beloved jobs," said ICN President Annette Kennedy.

The association has 130 member countries.

There is also a shortage of nursing staff in Germany.

In many places, attempts are made to master the problem, for example by intensifying training, using care pools or foreign specialists.

The personnel situation is made worse by the structural bottleneck.

At the beginning of the pandemic around a year ago, there were six million caregivers worldwide.

Another four million would retire due to old age by 2030, it said.

Corona: Incentives for young professionals - the nursing profession must become more attractive

Since around 27 million nurses are currently working, this means an enormous loss of personnel, according to the ICN.

That should be a wake-up call for all governments to invest in training new forces.

However, it takes three years until they are fully operational.

A further complication is to make the job attractive to potential trainees.

Politicians are currently trying to create incentives to make the nursing profession more attractive.

Among other things, models are discussed how income shares can possibly be made tax-free so that the employees have more net salaries.

Corona: Nurses at the end - "We have one minute to midnight and the clock is ticking"

The ICN calls for better wages and working conditions overall, flexible working arrangements, especially for older nurses, and support in coping with the trauma of the past year.

Nursing staff around the world have been strained to the limit.

"We still have a chance to protect them, but time is short: It's one minute to midnight and the clock is ticking," warned ICN CEO Howard Catton. 

In Germany, there was a brief decline in the number of nurses in spring and summer 2020.

During the first lockdown, employees in rehab facilities were temporarily released.

"That was a snapshot," said a spokesman for the federal agency.

“The number of employees has already risen again over the summer.” From September to December, the number of employees in the areas of “health care” and “homes and social affairs” rose by around 47,000.

A statistic that many nurses can hardly buy from.

(as / dpa)