As a Nurse, there have been countless times when I have had to work short staffed. I have to work harder to make sure people are getting appropriate treatment. I can even get in trouble if something gets missed. I can lose my nursing license and career. The company I work for doesn’t face this same liability. The company I work for is still being compensated the same amount of money as though there are two nurses. Why am I not being compensated for doing the extra work? I am more at risk in several different ways for being the only nurse. The company is not, by itself, going to elect to pay me more. Why is there not a law in place to cover this? This needs to change. Nurses are leaving the field in record numbers because of the strain on us. Those of us who are staying are getting more and more burnt out as time goes on. Companies are profiting off of our hard work and it has to stop or there won’t be any nurses left. If these healthcare companies had to pay these nurses the extra they deserve, they would do more to rectify the situation. It won’t solve the nursing crisis, but it can help to ease the burden that many feel.