Why Being a CNA During the Pandemic Was the Toughest Job Ever—and What It Means for Nursing Homes Today
I bet I can guess where you work based on your answers to the next few questions!
Is your workplace currently hiring?
Do you often find yourself covering extra shifts because there aren’t enough staff on duty?
Are you underpaid?
Do you have a license for your practice?
Is emotional exhaustion and burnout a constant challenge in your workday?
Are you concerned about the lack of career advancement and training opportunities in your current job?
Is neglect a common incident in your place of employment?
If you answered yes to most of these, I’d bet you work in a nursing home.
Not to bring up the past, but since the pandemic, staffing shortages in nursing homes have skyrocketed reducing the quality of care and increasing the amount of neglect among residents. Healthcare workers face heightened workloads, emotional exhaustion, and diminished capacity to meet patient’s needs.
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Get this: according to an analysis by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 15% of the nursing home workforce disappeared during the first two years of the pandemic. The reasons? Poor working conditions, low pay, lack of benefits, no opportunities for growth, burnout, and just a plain lack of respect. Though these issues have been around for decades, the pandemic pushed things over the edge.
Figure 2 - The Decline of Employees in U.S. Nursing Homes
Analysis by Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Not to mention a study conducted by Natelie E. Leland et al. for Health Services Research noted similar drivers of staffing shortages back in 2024, including fear of COVID-19, burnout, refusal to comply with vaccine mandates or PPE protocols, higher salaries available elsewhere, and family obligations during quarantine.
The ripple effect of continues as nursing homes struggle to hire and retain quality staff.
Let’s be real, nursing homes are crucial to the well-being and care of the elderly, with certified nursing assistants (CNAs) serving as the backbone of the industry. They provide direct nursing care to residents while facing overwhelming workloads, emotional burnout, and insufficient resources. According to Emily Paulin, a writer for the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), CNAs are paid some of the lowest wages in the healthcare industry and are at high risk for work-related injuries.
With staffing shortages persisting, workers are affected by burnout, unsafe working conditions, high turnover rates, increased workload and overtime hours, and unsafe staff-to-patient ratios, as Munday points out. Most of these factors led to the shortages in the first place but have been amplified by the ongoing lack of staff.
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Brian GoldSwain - Getty Images
What impact does this have on elderly residents?
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Want to see how bad it’s gotten? A survey report from The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care in 2024 is nothing short of heartbreaking:
- 88% of residents stated their facilities lacked the staff necessary to meet residents’ needs.
- 72% said they wait longer than they would like to get out of bed in the morning, with some stating they haven’t been out of bed for days.
- 73% of residents miss activities due to a lack of staff.
- Almost 40% reported not getting to eat in the dining room if they wanted.
- 58% said they don’t get their medication on time.
- 72% reported waiting longer than they would like for showers, some saying showers are only given a couple of times a week and that staff are not properly trained to give them.
- 74% stated there had been an incident of neglect or someone getting hurt due to understaffing.
These numbers shake my soul!
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So, what should be done?
First off, we should get more people in the door. Recruitment of staff by partnering with vocational schools or offering sign-on bonuses could actually help. But keeping good staff is just as important!
Natelie E. Leland et al. for Health Services Research suggests the following:
- Offering higher salaries. Many workers left nursing home jobs for restaurants, grocery stores, or other healthcare settings with better pay. The time and effort staff put toward residents should be reflected in their paychecks.
- Implementing staffing standards that require a certain number of hours of care per resident.
- Going beyond general job roles and providing meaningful, patient-centered care and supportive work environments.
- Addressing staff well-being and burnout through tailored interventions, stress management programs, and development opportunities to empower staff.
That being said, nursing home staffing shortages have been recognized and addressed by multiple stakeholders, including President Biden. In April 2024, the Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care (LTC) Facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment Transparency Reporting final rule took effect to reduce the risk of residents receiving unsafe and low-quality care, as stated in Medicare and Medicaid Programs: Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities.
However, the American Health Care Association (AHCA) still reports an accelerated shortage of staff in 2025, with a deficit of over 30,000 workers just to return to pre-pandemic levels. Just because we can provide more care doesn’t mean the quality of care improves. Shortages persist due to retirements and the younger generations not keeping pace, as facilities struggle to hire qualified and interested individuals.
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The pandemic may be over, but the scars are still fresh. CNAs continue to bear the emotional and physical weight of a system that relies on compassion but doesn’t return it. Real change requires more than temporary solutions but long-term commitment to the people who care most about our most vulnerable. If we truly value our elders, we should first support those who care for them. Support legislation to raise CNA pay!
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