Nurses Are the Backbone of US Healthcare-and They're Getting Screwed

A six-day hospital stay included a five-hour surgery and daily monitoring. Doctors visited briefly, while nurses managed day-to-night care, including blood draws, vital checks, comfort, symptom response, bathroom assistance, and troubleshooting an unreliable IV pump. The experience emphasized that nursing is central to healthcare delivery and that nurses provide consistent attention even when a patient is relatively well. Nursing shortages persist in the United States, with projected deficits by 2035 affecting many states, including Washington, Georgia, California, Oregon, Michigan, Idaho, Louisiana, North Carolina, New Jersey, and South Carolina. The text also notes federal policy changes that reduce graduate student borrowing limits.

"For six days, they were in and out of my room constantly: to take blood, check my vitals, make sure I was comfortable, attend to my symptoms, help me get to the bathroom, and deal with an infernal IV pump which kept going offline and beeping an alarm at all hours. I was probably the least sick person on the unit, but the nurses took care of me with the same measure of attention and solicitude as the worst off among us."

"Nurses are care. I did see doctors, but they showed up in the mornings for brief visits-my life in room 954 on the day-to-day and night-to-night was in the hands of a dozen nurses. For six days, they were in and out of my room constantly: to take blood, check my vitals, make sure I was comfortable, attend to my symptoms, help me get to the bathroom, and deal with an infernal IV pump which kept going offline and beeping an alarm at all hours."

"Nurses are the backbone of healthcare in America, and nursing is the largest healthcare profession, with more than 5 million registered nurses across the country. Yet, we still have shortages of nurses in the US and by 2035 these deficits will hit these states the hardest: Washington (26 percent shortage), Georgia (21 percent), California (18 percent), Oregon (16 percent), Michigan (15 percent), Idaho (15 percent), Louisiana (13 percent), North Carolina (13 percent), New Jersey (12 percent), and South Carolina (11 percent)."

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