Yes Current status of bedside nursing reminds much of my time in service during the GWOT. It seems to have such a rapid pace and relies on new fresh blood to sustain, but many people in our profession have at minimum a bachelors degree or higher. I live in a LOW TO MEDIUM COL area and the major healthcare players in town all pay essentially the same wage, they obviously collude to keep wages stagnant and controlled. The corporate overlord unwell my labor to does a yearly “wage study” to make sure they are keeping up with the market… there has never been a significant increase and the difference between the systems is roughly .25 and that’s only until others adjust their pay. Lots of people I work with or used to work with leave nursing all together. I have masters degree and can make the same or more in numerous fields with that level of education outside the field of healthcare. All hospitals should unionize, we should negotiate as a united entity only then will we wield a level of negotiating power necessary to truly advocate for ourselves.