'Finally had enough': COVID-19 has caused the health care industry to lose female workers in droves

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a mass exodus of women from the health care industry to leave because of lack of support from the system.

Texas State Rep. Armando Walle's (D-Houston) wife was a longtime veteran of the health care industry who recently decided to leave. The state representative gave some insight on his wife's decision.

"My wife @debbie_walle who had a 20-year career as OT in rehab hospital and director of Therapy loved her job, kindhearted, expected hard work from her employees," Walle wrote in a May 18 Twitter post. "She worked tirelessly during pandemic but finally had enough. She’s now stay-at-home mom working part-time as admin."

In April of last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic just began to take hold in the U.S., women lost or left more than 1.4 million net health care jobs. By contrast, 188,000 men left or lost their jobs during the same time period, KSL TV News reported.

“Hundreds and even thousands of women tell us that their careers have been halted,” Susan Madsen, a researcher of women in the workforce and childcare topics, told KSL TV News. “Some say it is like pushing on a big hold button.”

Women who are leaving the industry cite a variety of factors for their decisions including uncertainty about food, housing and finances as well as having to juggle childcare and family with their careers and the emotional impact from the workplace. 

A third of female health care workers said they left their jobs because of burnout and liken the extreme stress they experienced during the pandemic to PTSD, according to The 19th News.

“You’re seeing these workers — they can’t keep working, and many of them are women,” Bianca Frogner, health economist at the University of Washington, told The 19th News. “We’re seeing a culmination that’s leading to this continued downward slope of women not gaining back employment.”

Women have lost more jobs than men across nearly every facet of the health care industry including leadership positions.

It may be some time before the full impact of the pandemic's effect on women's careers and the health care industry can be determined.