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Two years into the pandemic, the state of Vermont's nursing workforce

Jodie Waldron, a nurse at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, says a steady stream of patients, and a growing number of COVID-19 infections in younger people, is exacerbating burnout among health care workers.
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Nurses in Vermont were already exhausted when the omicron variant of COVID-19 surged in Vermont this winter. This hour, we talk about how an already-stressed workforce is dealing with a steady stream of patients and a growing number of COVID-19 infections.

Live call-in discussion: The shortage of nurses in Vermont has reached a crisis point. Sen. Bernie Sanders says the state needs to add 9,000 nurses to the workforce over the next seven years. This hour, we talk with a nurse, a hospital administrator and a nursing school teacher about how they’re addressing the shortage. And we’ll look at how travel nurses are filling the gaps.

Our guests are:

  • Julie Schneckenburger, chief nursing officer at Northeast Vermont Regional Hospital in St. Johnsbury
  • Lisa Fox, associate dean of nursing at Vermont Tech
  • Deb Snell, president of the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, and a nurse who works in the medical ICU, as well as with with travel nurses

Broadcast live on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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Mikaela Lefrak is the host and senior producer of Vermont Edition. Her stories have aired nationally on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Marketplace, The World and Here & Now. A seasoned local reporter, Mikaela has won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and a Public Media Journalists Association award for her work.
Tedra joined Vermont Public as a producer for Vermont Edition in January 2022 and now serves as the Managing Editor and Senior Producer. Before moving to Vermont, she was a journalist in New York City for 20 years. She has a master’s degree in journalism from New York University.
Matt Smith worked for Vermont Public from 2017 to 2023 as managing editor and senior producer of Vermont Edition.