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"Never in my wildest dreams," he said as he completed his
two-week training course at Madison Area Technical College in
Wisconsin on Friday.
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated an existing shortage of
healthcare workers with about one in five quitting since
February 2020, according to a Morning Consult poll published in
October.
"Our healthcare workers are in desperate need of our help.
They're beyond exhausted," said Dr. Lisa Marie Greenwood, the
associate dean of nursing at Madison College.
Last month, state officials asked the college to train National
Guard troops to help alleviate the strain at hospitals and
nursing homes around Wisconsin.
In early February, 70 soldiers-turned-certified nursing
assistants were deployed to their postings. The next wave of 80
trainees will start work this week.
One of those facilities to receive aid was Wisconsin Dells
Health Services, a long-term care facility for patients with
dementia and Alzheimer's.
Before 10 National Guard soldiers arrived in January, Heather
Steubinger, the director of nursing, felt she could not take the
stress much longer.
"I absolutely love my job - never, ever could've imagined doing
anything different with my life - until the pandemic hit," she
said. "I questioned so many times, like, 'can I do this? Do I
want to do this?'"
Her colleagues were quitting in droves, and hospitals were eager
to shift patients to the long-term care facility to free up
beds.
But the soldiers offered a lifeline.
But it's only a temporary fix. The soldiers are only signed on
until mid-March, though the healthcare workers hope they will be
granted an extension.
"I feel like we're all able to breathe a little bit better,"
Steubinger said. "It's been a blessing."
(Reporting by Vanessa Johnston; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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