An Emergency Department nurse shouldn’t have to wet their pants because there’s no time for a bathroom break. This isn’t just one nurse’s experience—it reflects the current crisis ED nurses face as hospitals across Minnesota are overwhelmed by patients as COVID-19, flu, RSV, and norovirus collide - outlined in the @The Minnesota Star Tribune yesterday. The Minnesota Hospital Association has issued recommendations for the public to prevent illness, but what they haven’t addressed is how hospital administrators themselves are contributing to this crisis. Staffing shortages across entire facilities are creating dangerous bottlenecks. When other units are not appropriately staffed to take on admitted patients, those patients remain stuck in the ED, delaying care for everyone. Hospitals need to do their part by addressing unsafe staffing and prioritizing patient care over profits. Nurses are caring for patients in hallways, triage bays, and any available space while administrators fail to take accountability for a systemic issue they have the power to fix.
#PatientsBeforeProfits #HealthcareReimagined #USHealthcare #StandWithNurses #NurseVoices #NursesDeserveBetter #HealthcareHeroes #HealthcareMatters