The latest data shows what staff nurses know all too well—nurses are working short-staffed more than ever before, hospitals spend more on care while patients get sicker and nurses make less money for the lifesaving work they do.

The challenges and opportunities faced by staff nurses are inextricably linked to the overall state of the health care industry—particularly as escalating health care costs cause employers and the government to look for ways to cut or shift costs.

Much has changed for RNs entering the profession in the past 30 years, from an increasing shortage of RNs in nearly every state, to an encouraging and steady growth in the rate of unionization of RNs.