One Nurse's Story
"I've been a nurse for six years. I work in surgery, where staffing is dictated by law. We have a 1-to-1 nurse-to-patient ratio. I know my patient is safe here. He has my full attention. But I worry about what will happen when he gets to his room. Our floor nurses are highly skilled, but their workload is extremely heavy. I hear about the frustration and burnout all the time. Managers often tell us that our staffing is in line with other hospitals. But "average" isn't good enough. We need safe staffing."
-- Stephanie Lilje, Registered Nurse
Valley Medical Center
What's your experience with short staffing? Tell us your story.