Hospitals have cancelled elective surgeries, sending home many healthcare professionals such as surgeons, anesthesiologists, CRNAs and OR nurses. On the flip side, demand is surging for people who work with critical care patients, the professionals handling cases of Covid-19, said Shane Jackson, president of Jackson Healthcare.

Demand for critical care skills is especially in demand in areas hard hit by Covid-19, such as New York.

“Literally, what we’re doing right now is moving people from all around the country into hot zone areas,” Jackson told SIA about the Covid-19 situation.

It’s the healthcare staffing industry’s mission to move healthcare workers to areas where they are vitally needed from areas where they are underutilized, he said. Right now, hot zone areas are overwhelmed while facilities in other areas of the country currently have much more manageable situations.

However, Jackson said he is beginning to see areas that have been more quiet begin to staff up with critical care workers in anticipation of a surge. And while some densely populated areas have been hit hard, there are also Covid-19 concerns in smaller cities. He cited Albany, Georgia, as an example. There are challenges getting workers to travel because of flight cancellations and hotel closings, for example. Some clinicians even opt to drive long distances rather than spend time on a plane or at the airport.

Another concern: Right now, the industry has enough clinicians in aggregate, but that could change if some dire forecasts about Covid-19’s spread come true. “Then we’re really going to be facing tough challenges from a workforce standpoint,” Jackson said. “That’s why we must do everything we can to minimize spread.”

When it comes to the clinicians themselves, the Covid-19 crisis is also a stressful situation.

“We’ve got a lot of them who are really living up to the calling of their profession and jumping in to do anything they can,” Jackson said. On the other hand, some are nervous about being in a situation where they get exposed to the virus.

Added to the mix, some doctors who see Covid-19 patients each day are quarantining themselves from their families. Other clinicians are leaving their families in one part of the country to help out in another.

“That’s a lot to cope with emotionally, and I think it’s something we’ve got to be sensitive to,” Jackson said. “One of our jobs is to be a confidant and counselor for all of our clinicians working in the field.”