As explained in our Fundamentals of Nursing textbook, one of the issues contributing to the national nursing shortage is competent instructional staff. We, the student body of the Gateway KCTCS nursing program, have come to find it very apparent the drama within our instructional staff has the weight to negatively affect our learning experience and overall outcome. From the director of the nursing program down, staff are being attacked and belittled from above and within, creating what is viewed by the signing students as a hostile learning and working environment. The door to the nursing department office has a sign that states "safe space," but I do not believe anyone that has walked through the main door has ever felt that to be true. When an issue or need arises from a student, the main response we are greeted with from the director is "if you can't handle it, quit." It is this writer's opinion that the same attitude is also exhibited toward staff which creates the turnover we are witnessing. Overall, this negatively affects the student body morale and confidence in our learning experience. It has come to our attention that staff is also attacking staff and adding to the lack of instructor retention. The student body has also expressed great concern over the quality of our level 1 lecture learning experience and that has not been acted on. We demand instruction from competent staff that cheer for our success and the success of their peers. We demand to see what we learn about compassionate leadership to be acted out by staff, that they be examples of who we should be, not create burnout before our nursing shoes hit the floor. This observation is coming from a new student that very much encourages experienced students to weigh in with anything additional they have been subjected to.