Are America’s Caregivers on the Brink of Extinction? The Pandemic Straw that Broke the Nurses’ Back

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has drawn attention to many of the inadequacies of the US health-care system. Perhaps, no profession has felt these shortcomings more than nurses. This female-dominated profession has the potential to suffer a high attrition rate for several reasons, including declining mental health and increasing workplace violence. Nurses have already begun to leave the bedside. Unless significant changes can be made quickly to prevent more of these caregivers from leaving the profession, the health and safety of the US population are at risk.