Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., questioned Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday on how he would confront challenges — such as workforce shortages — in rural communities and frontier areas.
Kennedy responded that among the lawmakers he has spoken with, rural hospitals was one of the most unifying topics, and that President Donald Trump has asked him to address the crisis with AI and telemedicine.
“Our nation made a commitment over 100 years ago to put a hospital within 30 miles of every American. We generally succeeded in doing that. It’s absolutely critical. It’s life saving and rural hospitals are closing at an extraordinary rate right now. They not only provide important health care for the localities, but also their economic drivers for localities all over this country,” Kennedy said in his confirmation hearing for health and human services secretary.
If you’re interested in entering the health care field, RN Marie Fenelon can point you in the right direction.
The Round Lake resident works as a hospice clinical manager at a facility in Addison that is part of the Alden network. She recently opened Fenelon College of Healthcare Careers at 800 W. Central Road, Suite 106N, Mount Prospect.
In March, the college will begin offering classes for budding certified nursing assistants and phlebotomists.
Fenelon explained that the program is not for aspiring registered nurses. It is for allied health care workers.
Healthcare leaders must adress burnout before the gaps in the workforce widen, according to these two thought leaders.
Editor’s note: Bethany Friedlander is president and CEO of New Bridge Cleveland, a workforce development program and school that provides tuition-free training for in-demand healthcare careers. Erin Slay, DNP, MHA, RN is the assistant dean of Central School of Practical Nursing, Inc., Ohio's oldest practical nursing program.
The healthcare sector is in a crisis, but not just because of staffing shortages. The real emergency is burnout—a pervasive issue that is devastating the workforce, particularly for women. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 80% of healthcare workers are women. They experience burnout at disproportionately high rates. A 2023 survey by the National Academy of Medicine found that 56% of female healthcare workers reported feeling exhausted, emotionally drained, and unable to meet job demands. The consequence? High turnover, increased patient safety risks, and overburdened healthcare systems.
Yet, while the healthcare industry urgently needs to address this, it simply cannot shoulder the responsibility alone. Hospitals and healthcare employers are already stretched thin, scrambling to fill positions. The notion that they can tack on comprehensive professional development around burnout and resiliency training is both unrealistic and unfair. Instead, educational institutions must step up.
The realities of burnout for women in healthcare
Women in healthcare face unique stressors, often compounded by caregiving responsibilities at home. A 2023 survey found that women, especially those in nursing, are compared to their male counterparts. Moreover, a 2022 study by the American Medical Association highlighted that women physicians were 50% more likely to experience burnout than men, with contributing factors including long hours, lack of control over scheduling, and a culture that stigmatizes vulnerability.
This is more than an individual problem; it's a system-wide crisis. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that we will need more than 275,000 additional nurses by 2030 to meet the growing demand. If nothing is done to mitigate burnout, this gap will widen, exacerbating the healthcare workforce shortage and adversely affecting patient care.
Schools as the frontline of resilience training in healthcare
As employers in the healthcare sector grapple with recruitment and retention challenges, schools and training programs must take a proactive role in preparing students for the emotional demands of the profession. This is especially crucial for women and other marginalized groups, who often face disproportionate pressures in the healthcare field. To ensure the next generation of healthcare professionals is equipped to handle the emotional and psychological rigors of the job, we must prioritize resilience training and burnout prevention before students enter the workforce.
Several educational programs are already leading the way in integrating these essential tools. Some schools and training facilities are incorporating mental health resources, peer support groups, and resilience workshops into their curricula. Others have developed "trauma-informed care" modules to help students manage the secondary trauma they might experience from patient interactions. While these efforts are a positive step forward, they remain too limited in scope to address the scale of the problem.
A notable example of progress in this area comes from the Central School for Practical Nursing (CSPN), which was acquired by New Bridge in 2023. Once a century-old institution with a strong community focus, CSPN had lost its sense of connection and student well-being, largely due to a transition to remote learning during the pandemic. New leadership reintroduced campus life, activated the Student Nurses Association, hired a Student Success Coordinator, and implemented emotional regulation and burnout prevention curriculum. These changes led to an immediate improvement in both graduation rates and NCLEX pass rates.
Today, CSPN has an extensive waitlist, a testament to the success of its holistic approach. Students now know that they will find not only academic support but a campus culture that prioritizes their emotional and professional resilience. This model demonstrates that when schools focus on students' emotional well-being, the benefits extend far beyond graduation—it can create healthcare professionals who are not only competent but also well-prepared to thrive in a demanding career.
As the healthcare industry continues to evolve, we must recognize that resilience is not a skill that can be learned on the job—it must be cultivated early on. Schools are uniquely positioned to serve as the frontline in building grit, ensuring that students are ready not just to enter the workforce, but to endure and excel in it.
Why healthcare employers can’t do it all
The reality is that hospitals and healthcare employers are overwhelmed. Many organizations are dealing with unprecedented patient loads, staffing shortages, and budget constraints. Adding resiliency training or burnout prevention into an already strained system is not sustainable. It’s not that employers don't care—they simply don't have the capacity to manage this burden on top of other, patient-centric priorities.
Moreover, if hospitals are expected to take on the task of educating workers on burnout after they've entered the workforce, it might already be too late. Early intervention is key. Studies in the Journal of Nursing Education and Practice indicate that nursing students face significant levels of burnout, with as many as 36% reporting high stress and anxiety due to the demanding curriculum and the pressure to perform professionally during clinical rotations. If we don't equip students with effective burnout prevention strategies, we miss a crucial opportunity to help them manage stress both during their education and throughout their careers.
The case for immediate action
Educational institutions need to build comprehensive wellness programs that include burnout prevention, emotional intelligence training, and resilience-building skills as core elements of healthcare training programs. These programs must go beyond simple self-care tips and instead integrate evidence-based strategies like mindfulness, peer support, and coping skills into daily practice. This will not only benefit students as they transition into the workforce, but it will also alleviate pressure on employers who are already at their breaking point.
The healthcare sector cannot afford to ignore this issue. The stakes are too high—for patients, healthcare workers, and the future of healthcare delivery. By embedding resiliency training into educational programs, we can give future caregivers, especially women, the tools they need to thrive, not just survive, in this demanding field.
In doing so, we will not only help reduce burnout but also create a more effective and sustainable healthcare workforce for the future.
Educational institutions have a moral and professional obligation to protect the next generation of caregivers, and it starts with giving them the emotional and psychological tools they need long before they walk into a patient’s room.
Editor's note: Care to share your view? HealthLeaders accepts original thought leadership articles from healthcare industry leaders in active executive roles at payer and provider organizations. These may include case studies, research, and guest editorials. We neither accept payment nor offer compensation for contributed content.
A handful of Las Vegas-based emergency and intensive care nurses deployed this week to help staff a sister hospital in Thousand Oaks, within the Los Angeles metro area. They had many nurses willing to head out to lend a helping hand and provide some respite to their colleagues. Ultimately, it came down to a handful of nurses who also had California licensure.
January 19-25 is National Nurse Anesthetists Week.
Whenever anesthesia is delivered by a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), the patient is in the care of a health care professional who is in charge of providing a thorough and safe anesthetic from pre-operation through post-operation. For more than a century, CRNA’s have been staying with patients throughout their procedures, monitoring their vital signs and adjusting their anesthetics to ensure the safest, most comfortable anesthesia experience possible.
Negotiations between Providence Health and its striking nurses and doctors have yet to yield an agreement, with the strike now extending beyond 10 days.
The Oregon Nurses Association stated that discussions are ongoing but accused Providence of not taking the negotiations seriously. The union claims that Providence's stance is a form of punishment for healthcare workers who chose to strike. In response, Providence described the union's proposals as "not financially sustainable" and indicated that it anticipates a "lengthy strike."
