BILLINGS — While the medical professionals are celebrated across the nation for National Nurses Week, hospitals in the United States are facing a national nursing shortage. According to the National Rural Health Association, 800,000 nurses state they expect to leave the career by 2027.
In light of National Nurses Week, MTN spoke with nurses at Billings Clinic to learn the most rewarding and challenging aspects of the career.
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On Thursday, Billings Clinic held a ceremony to award dozens of nurses for their contributions to the hospital.
Outstanding Nurse Leader Award recipient, Rochelle Lewis, runs the inpatient medical floor as a nurse manager at Billings Clinic.
"Our team, we have great teamwork. Everyone steps in to help each other, and so I love my team," she told MTN Thursday.
"(Lewis) is amazing. She's an incredible manager. She understands mom life, wife life, child life, she understands it. And that's what I think makes her an incredible leader," said inpatient medical registered nurse Laura Sorenson.
Lewis has worked in the medical field for eight years, three of which have been in her leadership role.
In that time, she's encountered the highs and lows of the profession.
"Nurses are increasingly facing verbal and physical abuse from patients, patients' family members. It's a huge growing concern," she said.
"(One of the most challenging parts of being a nurse is) I think sometimes people forget that we are human too, and we don't know everything here. But, we also try our best," said registered nurse Kira Thompson.
Lewis says since the pandemic, there's been a growth in workplace violence against nurses, which includes aggressive behavior.
She says she doesn't know why workplace violence is growing, but Lewis believes it's part of the reason the nation is seeing a nursing shortage.
"I also think that healthcare workers suffer from burnout more easily than other careers," said Lewis.
"I mean, nursing is hard. No matter what... (The most challenging part for me is) family, children, just balancing it all," Sorenson said Thursday.
But throughout all of the challenging aspects of nursing, Lewis, Sorenson and Thompson agree it's a rewarding career.
"Seeing patients improve, get better, get healthier, and be able to walk out the doors (is the most rewarding part)," says Lewis.
"To leave at night after a very hard, challenging day, to have made a difference in somebody's life is worth it all," Sorenson said.
"Become a nurse. It's a good profession," says Thompson.
To help increase morale for nurses across the nation, Lewis recommends systemic changes to reduce burnout.
"Maybe increasing enrollment in nursing school, making sure that we support our staff, promote work-life balance, push for policies for hospitals to maintain adequate staffing," she said.
