Happy Wednesday! It’s January 11, 2023 and there are 357 days left in the year. On today’s NOTICE News: Nurses in New York City have gone on strike at two of the city’s biggest hospitals—in the middle of a nationwide nurse shortage. Plus: Logan Paul is in hot water (again). Here’s a transcript of today’s show.
Discussion Questions
- There are multiple reasons for the nationwide, and even global shortage of nurses. What are at least two of those reasons?
- What has happened recently to bring the nurses at two of the largest hospitals in New York to the breaking point of feeling the need to strike?
- What are some of the consequences of a strike, both for those that work at those hospitals, and their patients?
- What are some of the changes that nurses are advocating for in the strike?
- What is ironic about classified documents being found in personal offices from President Biden’s days as Vice President?
- What do animal rights activists want people to know about so-called “teacup pigs” that may be in demand as pets?
Writing Prompts
- Burnout of nurses is just one of the secondary or resulting effects of the pandemic. What are other careers that might be experiencing such burnout, and how could this have resulted from the pandemic?
- To “exacerbate” is to make a problem worse. Discuss challenges that the nursing industry faced prior to the pandemic, that the last few years have only exacerbated.
- Often celebrities and other famous people receive attention for the pets they have–like what breeds they prefer or what they do with their animals. What could be some pros and cons of such attention being given to celebrities’ animals, and how could these affect the general population in terms of their pet ownership?
Further Reading
- Our top story: More Than 7,000 Nurses Go On Strike In New York City (Reuters)
- Go Deeper: As U.S. Covid hospitalizations climb, a chronic nursing shortage is worsening. (New York Times)
- Fact Sheet on the Nursing Shortage from The American Association of Colleges of Nursing
- Also making news: Classified documents from Biden’s vice presidency found at think tank (Reuters)
- They’re cute but… Why You Need To Be Really, Really Sure Before Getting A ‘Teacup’ Pig (The Dodo)