The University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) is offering incentives to nurses who left the hospital, and the nurses who stayed are out of luck, KRQE said.

UNMH is offering a $10,000 bonus to nurses who left in the last six months, and many nurses who stayed around are wondering why they aren’t receiving additional compensation.

Due to financial losses accrued during the pandemic, many hospitals, including UNMH, will not be giving the yearly bonuses they typically give.

“The hospital is basically saying, ‘Well, we’re not going to give those incentives. Instead, what we’re going to do is use them to give bonuses to any RNs that we can attract and get to come back,'” Eleanor Chavez, of the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees, said to KRQE.

Many nurses are leaving to become a travel nurse or to work with a smaller patient load, due to the stress of being overworked at large, understaffed hospitals. “Some nurses who go to other hospitals get much lighter patient loads, and the work isn’t as demanding,” Chavez said.

KRQE reported that nurses who decided to stay with the hospital are calling the situation a "slap in the face". 

“The hospital doesn’t care about those of us who have stuck around and, you know, stayed loyal … are some of the comments I’ve heard," Chavez said. "There’s other comments I can’t repeat."

Chavez said to KRQE that leaders at the hospital aren't listening to concerns from nurses, prompting more nurses to consider leaving. 

“They haven’t recognized they’ve worked under these tremendously horrible, difficult conditions,” Chavez said. “The hospital doesn’t recognize that they’re tired and burned out. But even in the face of that, they’ve all stuck it out. So, they’re not happy.”