Professional development practitioner and veteran emergency nurse Kristen Cline discusses her article, "America's ER crisis: Why the system is collapsing from within." Using the TV drama "The Pitt" as a reference point, she argues that the reality of the emergency department is exponentially more chaotic and dangerous than portrayed. Kristen shares her frontline perspective on the intersecting crises crippling the system: an epidemic of workplace violence where assault is treated as "part of the job," a wisdom gap created by an exodus of experienced nurses, and a perpetual backlog caused by hospital overcrowding and a lack of downstream facilities. The conversation reveals how profit-driven management and impending Medicaid cuts are accelerating the closure of rural hospitals and vital services, creating health care deserts. Her core message is a stark warning: the safety net is tearing, and it has been held together only by the sacrifice of health care workers who are running out of hope.

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An ER nurse explains why the system is collapsing