I’m writing to you as a nurse to urge you to vote yes to Question 1. I have been a nurse since 2008, and I love what I do. What I most love most is interaction with my patients, their family members, and my colleagues. Together we teach and learn from each other.
Where I work, an acute rehabilitation hospital specializing in brain trauma and stroke, I’m responsible for at least 10 patients per shift. When staffing is low, which happens regularly, our load increases to 12. When a nurse is sick, the ratio jumps to 15. My colleagues and I are afraid because the patient to nurse ratio has continued to increase. We understand we are vulnerable to burnout and that we are increasingly unable to fully care and advocate for our patients.
We are tired of being taking advantage of, being coerced in the name of our profession, of not being able to take breaks even to use the toilet. This is our reality. We are not angels with superpowers. We are human beings caring for sick people. Today we nurses are dealing with serious health issues such as back injury, arthritis, obesity and mental health illnesses, which could be prevented if hospitals were properly staffed.
Becoming a nurse was my American dream. While pursuing my degree, I supported myself by being a nursing assistant. It wasn’t easy to achieve my dream of becoming a nurse. I believed in that dream and that through hard work I would be able to support myself financially and care for people, but I’m afraid I will not be able to carry on with my job if the ratio of 1:10, 1:12 or 1:15 continues.
I’m afraid that my American dream is becoming my American nightmare. However, I’m hopeful my patients will get the care they need because I’m hopeful you will join me and vote “yes” on Question 1 to increase nursing staff in hospitals across Massachusetts. If you take care of nurses, making their work sustainable, they will be able to take care of you when you need it.
Erotides Silva
Northampton