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Vermont Edition
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Vermont Edition

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

By Mikaela Lefrak,
Tedra Meyer, Matthew F Smith
Published January 13, 2022 at 6:00 AM EST
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.

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or tweet us @vermontedition

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Vermont Edition CoronavirusHealth CareSt. JohnsburyNursesVermont Edition
Mikaela Lefrak
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.
See stories by Mikaela Lefrak
Tedra Meyer
Tedra worked on Vermont Edition as a producer and editor from 2022 to 2024.
See stories by Tedra Meyer
Matthew F Smith
Matt Smith worked for Vermont Public from 2017 to 2023 as managing editor and senior producer of Vermont Edition.
See stories by Matthew F Smith