COVID-19 Related Job Outcomes for Nurses of Color in the United States

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine factors associated with negative job outcomes for nurses during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on nurses of color. The study used data from 3,782 nurses in the Current Population Survey to examine the relationship between nurse characteristics and COVID-19-related inability to work or look for work during May through December 2020. The analysis showed that race and gender did not significantly impact nurses’ job outcomes. The odds of a negative impact were increased by age (1.5% per year, p < .05), having a child in the home (43%, p < .01), having no spouse present (36%, p < .01), and working in an outpatient role (48%, p < .001). While race alone was not linked to negative outcomes, nurses of color had higher rates of other factors that were associated with negative outcomes, indicating a need for a more nuanced examination of their work and life contexts and job outcomes throughout the pandemic.