If you have never zipped multiple body bags in one shift, you shouldn’t be deciding how much nurses make.

If you have never watched a person suffocate to death from their own blood, you shouldn’t be deciding how much nurses make.

If you have never been punched in the face for trying to assess your patient, you shouldn’t be deciding how much nurses make.

If you have never had someone beg you to not let them die, you shouldn’t be deciding how much nurses make.

If you've never had to look into parents eyes when the doctor calls the time of death of their child, you shouldn't be deciding how much nurses make.

If you have never told your family your shift was “fine” to spare them from what you saw that day, you shouldn’t be deciding how much nurses make.

If you’ve never felt ribs breaking from doing CPR on someone’s frail grandmother, you shouldn’t be deciding how much nurses make.

For years nurses have been underpaid and undervalued and no one seemed to care. Now that healthcare is on the brink of a collapse, everyone is concerned that somewhere, nurses are making $100/hr. I can assure you not every travel nurse makes that much. In fact, most of us make way less than that. Instead of focusing on the small minority of nurses making that money, let’s shift gears and focus on WHY nurses are leaving to travel. Perhaps it’s from the years of getting 1% raises and barely being able to pay bills. Maybe it’s because nurses are asked to do more and more with less. Maybe it’s from the terrible staffing ratios. The reasons are honestly endless. Let’s start caring about nurse retention, fair wages, safe staffing, etc. Studies have shown by 2030 approximately 1 million nurses will leave the field. Why aren’t we worried about this?