While running out of beds, particularly ICU beds, is a scary proposition the bigger problem that too few people are looking at is running out of staff.

My facility used a small short stay area of the hospital for non-ICU COVID cases. We needed more beds so we closed a surgical

floor for use for non-ICU COVID cases - it's got more than twice the number of beds. There's just one small problem though. It's capped at about 1/2 capacity because we don't have enough nurses for the number of beds.

It's not just about the number of beds and ventilators.

It's also about nurses, and techs, and respiratory therapists, and doctors. You can make room for new beds. You can build field hospitals. You can find places to put patients. But if you don't have people to take care of those people you've got nothing.

And let me tell you a

not-so-secret secret - You don't have the people to do the caring. Nurses, techs, docs ... we're all stretched too thin already. Nurses are leaving the bedside in droves.

There's not enough of us.

And you cannot just make more of us. It takes years and tens of thousands

of dollars to create nurses, techs, and doctors.

Hospitals are scrambling to staff shifts. Yes, we're out of beds in some areas and running short in other areas. But more importantly ...

There. Is. Not. Enough. Staff.

If you're not scared by that you're not paying attention.

Adding this afterthought ...

The staffing shortages will last well beyond the initial surges of COVID-19. It won't just be COVID patients we don't have the staff to care for. We won't have the staff to care for your loved ones for strokes, heart attacks, broken hips, pneumonia,

car accidents, etc.

We've seen your disregard for us as professionals and as human beings. We're sick, tired, and just over it. It is going to take years to replace us and fill the gaping staffing holes. Medicine in the US will likely never be the same. Be prepared.