Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, healthcare workers have been called heroes, lauded for their relentless work in a risky environment.

This has caused some young people to pursue careers in medicine. But many of those currently working on the front lines are looking to get out, further exacerbating an existing nursing shortage.

Almost a year and a half after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, healthcare workers in the United States are overwhelmed – physically and emotionally. 

"So, to watch someone suffer for weeks, unable to eat, unable to drink, struggling for every breath – it changes you," said Nicole Atherton, a critical care nurse.

Atherton works at a hospital in Missouri – a state with a relatively low vaccination rate. It has been battered by the Delta variant that has sent scores of patients to intensive care units and morgues. 

"It's a big burden to bear to hear someone's last words, especially when those words are meant for their family that can't be there," she said.

Doctor Harbaksh Sangha is the chief medical officer of Missouri's Lake Regional Health. He works 12 to 14 hours a day taking care of COVID-19 patients.

"People are burning out. The burnout is very real," he said.

Healthcare workers were already under stress pre-pandemic due to long work hours and low pay. Caring for so many COVID-19 patients for so long has pushed many to the brink.

A survey in April found that 43 percent of nurses in the United States are considering leaving the healthcare profession this year. Many have already left.

In COVID-19 hotspots, like Florida, hospitals are reporting critical staffing shortages just as hospitalizations are soaring. Some now have to rely on staffing agencies and are offering retention bonuses and extra pay for nurses.

Atherton said the public should be doing their part to help ease overburdened hospitals and nurses.

"It's frustrating to hear people call us heroes and thank us when that's great, and we appreciate that, but what we need is for people to wear masks and get vaccines. That's how we want to be thanked for fighting through this," she said.