An Arkansas hospital is so desperate to fill open positions it is offering signing bonuses of up to $25,000.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock, has 360 health care vacancies, with 230 specifically being for nurses, reported CNN.
As COVID-19 begins to ramp up again in the southeastern state with cases increasing by almost 900 percent through the latter half of July, the hospital - and its staff - are now overwhelmed.
Morale among the health care workers is low, and some are even walking out on the job due to intense pressure.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock (pictured) is offering new hires signing bonuses of up to $25,000 amid a COVID surge in Arkansas
'Teams are stretched thin. People are frustrated. People are very tired,' Dr Cam Patterson, UAMS chancellor, told CNN.
'We are down a significant number of positions here, because we just don't have enough nurses that we can recruit to come here and help us to take care of patients.'
Working in a hospital for the past 17 months has been tough on health care workers.
Swells of cases creates a huge workload for everyone in the facility.
Physicians are also seeing a lot of death, and due to pandemic restrictions, nurses often have to comfort patients in their final moments in lieu of their families.
This can take a toll on a persons mental health.
'I've had moments where I've sat in my car and cried before I came to work, before I came in,' Takela Gardner, a nurse at UAMS, told CNN.
'I've.. literally just sat there and cried because I didn't know what I was coming into.'
Arkansas's COVID-19 situation
