I am a current student at Arizona College of Nursing in Las Vegas, and I chose to write about burnout in nursing. It is heavily backed by statistics that nursing burnout is a major issue for patient safety. As a mother of four, I can say without a shadow of a doubt that burnout really takes a toll on your ability to function to your full capacity. Experiencing burnout can lead to lack of care, mistakes, and shortages in the profession. The lack of care that patients experience is due to exhaustion both physically and mentally. When you are no longer there mentally, you will make mistakes eventually that can cost a patient their life. Physical exhaustion can take you out completely and cause irreversible damage to your body. There are reasons that rules should be put into place on how many patients can be assigned to one nurse, but sadly most states do not have caps (No Limits: In 49 States, Nurses Have No Cap on How Many Patients Theyâ€TMRe Assigned, 2017). I will be the nurse to advocate for safe staffing and pay attention to detail even when I am overwhelmed because I have plenty of experience as a mother of four. Mistakes can happen to anyone, but they are more likely to occur when you are completely burnt out with no end in sight to the problem. Studies show that more patients per nurse equate to higher death rates and errors occurring, which is a terrifying reality (The Science of Ratios, 2025). I plan to be the nurse to support coworkers and not add to the stress, such as creating groups to support each other. I fully believe in the power of support for healthcare workers. Shortages are brought on by burnout because when you are overworked for so long that you can no longer physically, mentally, or emotionally go on, most will eventually leave to feel better. When nurses experience burnout and quit, it makes the shortage worse, which in turn leads to more burnout and shortages. I plan to push for change using the data available to show the need for caps on the amount of patients. I want to lessen the overload for my (future) fellow nurses and show them that things can change; someone just needs to take the first step. Nursing exists in a space where both the best and hardest part of humanity meet, but we should not be the ones causing the harm when all we want to do is make a difference. I truly believe that if we reduce burnout with caps on the number of patients, we can create a safer environment for both nurses and patients. As a future nurse, I will not ignore what is going on around me or what people are feeling. I will advocate for what is right, support my staff, and care for anyone in need. At the end of the day, every patient deserves a nurse who is fully present for them, and every nurse deserves the chance to be. References No Limits: In 49 States, Nurses Have No Cap on How Many Patients Theyâ€TMre Assigned. (2017, December 6). National Nurses United. https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/blog/no-limits-49-states-nurses-have-no-cap-how-many-patients-theyaeutmre-assigned The science of ratios. (2025, May 22). National Nurses United. https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/science-of-ratios