If you know someone who is a nurse or recently visited a health care facility, you probably noticed there’s a nursing shortage. A study by the Kentucky Nurses Association recently found that 25% of nurses would likely leave their positions within three months. Among the reasons were lack of pay, help from support staff, and concerns about COVID. But the number one answer was a “lack of sufficient nursing staff or heavy patient loads.” The bottom line is that nurses are exhausted. There are many ideas on how to alleviate this problem. One thing you can personally do right now is to be patient with nurses and thank and encourage a nurse the next time you see one. For without them, our health would be in jeopardy.