‘Sense of doom’: Morale plunges as some VA health workers fear worsening shortages, staffing cuts

Attrition, hiring freezes, and fears of layoffs have medical staff at VA hospitals across the country worried.

In her 34 years working as a nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Georgia, Irma Westmoreland has seen it all — from patients exposed to Agent Orange to traumatic brain injuries and amputations suffered in combat. But now, it is the turmoil at the Department of Veterans Affairs that is leaving her shaken. “It is very jarring,” she told CNN. “The nurses, they’re afraid.” Morale among doctors and nurses at Veterans Affairs hospitals has plunged, according to more than a dozen medical professionals at hospitals across the country as well as union officials who spoke to CNN. They are worried about support staff being laid off after President Donald Trump took office in January despite an already strained medical system with staffing shortages, hiring freezes and attrition. And they are worried about the VA’s goal — on hold for now — to reduce its 470,000-person workforce by some 15%. Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins has vowed that doctors and nurses will be exempt from any layoff plans. But some staff who handle administration, billing, and running facilities have already left, leaving doctors and nurses to do those jobs on top of practicing medicine.