Nearly 17 percent of nurse practitioners have been furloughed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and 4 percent were still furloughed at the end of July, according to a national survey from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
The survey is based on data collected from July 28 to Aug. 9 among a sample of 4,038 association member nurse practitioners. Respondents self-identified as working across a variety of specialty, acute and primary care work settings, including office-based group practices, hospital inpatient units and outpatient clinics, federally qualified health centers, urgent care centers and VA facilities.
Five other survey findings:
1. About 40 percent of respondents reported decreases to their overall income, and 31 percent reported decreases in hours worked.
2. Nearly 15 percent of respondents had applied for unemployment benefits since the beginning of the pandemic; 8 percent applied for personal loans; and 58 percent looked for other nurse practitioner positions.
3. Seventy-eight percent of respondents said they experienced significant delays in receiving patients' COVID-19 test results.
4. Five percent of respondents reported testing positive for COVID-19 between the beginning of the pandemic and the end of July.
5. Eighteen percent of respondents said they are going without necessary personal protective equipment.
Read more about the survey here.
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