How the staggering nursing shortage might end

POLITICO's Pulse Check

Predictions of doom about the future of nursing grew, as hospitals reported critical staffing shortages during the Covid surges of 2020 and 2021. But there are signs staffing shortfalls are dissipating as the federal and state governments send aid—maybe. Lauren Gardner talks to Shawn Zeller about whether the crunch is easing. Plus, David Markowitz, a professor of communication at the University of Oregon, on his study about how doctors’ notes (1.8 million of them) can reveal the way physicians sometimes treat patients differently depending on their ethnicity or gender.