Special report: Nursing shortage on the High Desert
There’s a nationwide shortage of critical care nurses, and Central Oregon hospitals are getting hit hard.
This report is strictly on critical care nurses, not to be confused with intensive care unit (ICU) nurses.
Obstetrics is a critical- are unit. Those that work at St Charles Madras are in a tough position, restaffing their obstetrics unit.
Hospital CEO Jeanie Gentry said several factors play into this temporary closure.
In July, they had several OB nurses leave at the same time, and training nurses to restaff became more of a process they needed to take their time with.
“First of all, not every nurse is comfortable being in a rural place,” Gentry said. “A rural hospital doesn’t have all the specialists around — you know. just down the hall from you. And so some nurses aren’t comfortable in rural hospitals.”
St Charles Madras sees a low volume of moms in labor, but the patients they see come through the door need intensive care.
“It’s an ironic situation, because we have a low volume of deliveries but higher acuity, and it’s the perfect storm, the perfect setup for disaster to happen,” said Dr. Barbara Newman, medical director of women’s services. “So your nurses and physicians. as well as your staff, need to be at the top of their game for that.”
And since St Charles Madras is a “critical access hospital,” they receive patients from one or even two hours away.
“We deal with Native Americans who come from hundreds of miles from the reservation. which not all communities have that going on,” Newman said. “So I think you should not only look at distance, but the population you’re serving.”
And as with just about any healthcare facility, staff have to be ready for whatever walks through the door.
“You don’t always have all the personnel that you need to handle a situation.,” Newman said. “You may not have an operating room available or an anesthesiologist. So yeah, it’s a difficult situation to work in.”
