And the problem is?

The Virginia Hospital and Health Care Association conducted a poll in July 2022.  Amongst the top three Public Health concerns reported by Virginians, shortages in the work force ranked high on the list for most respondents.  An article on NPR reported 1/3 of Nurses surveyed were likely to leave the profession.  Staffing gaps in Hospitals and Clinics have been well documented from the earliest days of the pandemic.  Many people will incorrectly identify the shortages in the work force as a core problem. 

Shortages for staffing are the symptom of a core problem.  Gaps in staffing, especially for Nurses, are not new in Public Health.  Furthermore, recent struggles with staffing did not manifest suddenly and dramatically during the pandemic.  The problematic situation we are observing on the highest level is a manifestation of the existence of a much deeper and severe core problem.  The first step in addressing this issue is to differentiate between the symptoms and the core problem.