Recognizing the Impact of Nurse Caregivers

In a world where caregiving often goes unnoticed, it is essential to dedicate a month to recognize and celebrate those who selflessly care for others while providing a platform to acknowledge the immense contributions of individuals who devote themselves to the well-being of those in need. 

The role of caregivers and how nurses fit into the role
Caregivers, whether providing physical, emotional or financial support, are pillars of support for individuals unable to manage daily activities independently. They can be family members or friends offering unpaid care or they can be professionals, like nurses, therapists or trained aides. All caregivers experience demanding responsibilities that impact their physical and emotional well-being. And while the emotional and physical toll often goes unnoticed for those less formal caregivers, this is where nurses, who serve as the backbone of healthcare, play a significant role.

Deeply rooted in compassion, empathy and a commitment to alleviate suffering, nurses possess a unique skill set that combines medical expertise with an unwavering dedication to providing care to their patients. As professional caregivers, they are always ready to offer their expertise and support to those in need. This caregiving often extends informally to friends and family of the patient as well.

Challenges faced by nurses as caregivers
Between the long hours, complex medical cases and the emotional weight of caring for patients during their most vulnerable moments, it’s no wonder that nursing is considered one of the most demanding careers. Their commitment requires emotional and physical resilience, which often results in burnout and stress and has led to a nationwide nursing shortage.

The COVID-19 pandemic and other factors have added significantly to the stress of our nation’s nurses, and the total nursing workforce dropped by 100,000 from 2019 to 2021, according to an analysis last year by Health Affairs.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that more than 200,000 additional nurses will be needed by 2030. 

Another significant hurdle is the growing shortage of nursing faculty. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, U.S. nursing schools turned away more than 90,000 qualified applications in 2021 because of an insufficient number of faculty, clinical sites, classroom space, clinical preceptors, and budget constraints.

Despite the challenges, many people still feel drawn to nursing and consider it a calling. It’s important for us to help pave the way to support those who feel called to this worthy profession.

Recognizing nurses
We understand the significance of acknowledging nurses as professional caregivers and celebrate and appreciate their commitment to healthcare and to their patients. Nurses are more than just healthcare providers, they are advocates, educators and sources of strength for patients and their families. Their contributions far extend beyond medical care, as they play a pivotal role in improving patient outcomes.

Humana employs close to 10,000 nurses, who work in all sectors of the enterprise, but will need to hire many more in the years ahead. Many of the available positions will be in the CenterWell family of brands, Humana’s growing health care services segment, which includes home health, senior-focused primary care and pharmacy services.

Advancing nursing caregivers
We are committed to supporting and empowering our nursing workforce. We recognize that nurses are at the forefront of caregiving, and their well-being is crucial to delivering quality care to our members and patients. We work hard to create a culture and community that values and supports our nurses and clinicians while addressing their challenges and fostering their professional growth. 

Many nurses are eager for opportunities for personal development but can’t afford to take time off for classes or pay tuition up front. Humana is addressing these challenges by providing debt-free pathways for registered nurses to obtain Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) degrees and is working on a similar pathway for licensed practical nurses to become RNs.

We’re also investing in major ways in the nursing pipeline, incorporating CenterWell Home Health into the clinical rotations of student nurses at nearly 40 colleges and universities. We’ve invested in a partnership with Emory University to create the CenterWell Home Lab to simulate home health visits, which we hope will not only provide more practical training, but it might also inspire nursing students to consider a home health career. Another partnership with the University of Houston has created a course that is focused on nursing students gaining skills and confidence necessary to care for patients in their homes by combining focused simulation activities as well as clinical time in the home under the guidance of CenterWell Home Health nurses.

We want both prospective nurses and those already on board to think of nursing not as a specific job in a defined setting, but as a career with many options. For example, a nurse working at CenterWell Senior Primary Care has the flexibility to switch to CenterWell Home Health, or vice versa.

The Chief Nursing Office has helped build a range of channels within Humana that encourage nurses to share their input, collaborate with each other, and access information and resources that are meaningful to them. We established a community of practice several years ago, with the nursing voice at the forefront of it all, and through its evolution we continue to focus on ensuring that nurses are not only supported, but they are also engaged in major clinical and operational decision-making. 

Nurses, as caregivers, stand as a pillar of support and compassion in healthcare. We are committed to recognizing and celebrating our nursing workforce during Caregivers Month, along with the many unpaid and often invisible caregivers.

Thank you, caregivers
This time serves as a reminder of the countless hours and immeasurable dedication caregivers, especially nurses, pour into their roles – their contributions are invaluable. Let this serve as a reminder to thank those caregivers and nurses, not just this month, but throughout the year for their leadership, compassion and dedication.