We also can try, once more, to make sure nurses are valued and used for clinical decision-making nursing practice. But if nurses are not paid what they are worth accepting the responsibility of life and death and working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, not with great pay, and often with little respect from patients and others in the work setting then it is no wonder that nurses are running away from nursing. One step individual nurses can take is to rally behind legislation that would change reimbursement practices under Medicare and other programs so that the health care system revenue might better support higher salaries for nurses. Nurses need to join with industry groups in persuading lawmakers to make needed changes. Whatever it takes, in the end nurses must be rewarded economically.
Nurses are the heart and soul of health care and it is time they are compensated accordingly.