My name is Carol Moos, I am an RN, and I live in Brush, Colorado.

I can't do my job because our healthcare system is so broken.

I'm very concerned about the growing workload that nurses are expected to bear every day. Our patient to nurse ratio is much too high, and as a result, the quality of care given to our patients isn't as good as it could be and is putting patients at risk along with nurses' licenses on the line.

I regularly worked shorthanded in a four-bed Intensive Care Unit. When I finally decided to speak up about the apparent lack of the appropriate staffing levels, I was frequently put into unsafe conditions with critical patients. Because I voiced my opinion, I was fired for showing concern and emotion while on duty. Is that any way to address a staffing shortage? I think not.

Well, I decided to try to do something about the problem. I recently attended a meeting organized by Healthcare United in Colorado, and I'm glad that I did. By joining with other nurses and healthcare workers like us, we have a real opportunity now to change America's healthcare problems, and I encourage others to do the same.

Thanks,

- Carol