Local newspapers reported that 16 nurses in the intensive care unit at Mesa’s Medical Center in Arizona are pregnant. According to a CBS TV channel, the news was surprisingly revealed via a social media group dedicated to pregnant nurses.
“Suddenly, there was one after another,” said Nurse Ashley Adkins. Several news channels reported that the hospital projects to receive simultaneous maternity leave requests.
Nurses are expected to give birth between October and January.
“There must be something in the water. Or perhaps a common plot to get a leave during the Christmas holidays,” one of the pregnant nurses joked, according to Reuters.
A nurse at the same hospital saw that what happened is a "happy coincidence", noting that the mass pregnancy was not planned or coordinated at all.
Some nurses had undergone “artificial fertilization,” she added.
Nurse Rachel Sherman said they did not know about the news first, but it was revealed after the launch of a Facebook page for pregnant women in the hospital.
Although the event is happy for the ICU nurses, it seems that the hospital management will be in trouble and will face problems because of the mass pregnancy, as it will obviously have to look for nurses to fill the long absence of pregnant nurses after they give birth.
The nurses who are pregnant account for 16% of the hospital’s total nursing staff.
According to the hospital administration, the nurses will be given a leave of 12 weeks (3 months).
