Yes, understaffing does impact the quality of care and may lead to increased rates of infection. As registered professional nurses, we must ensure that we are all practicing safely and are not fatigued, because understaffing goes hand-in-hand with nurse fatigue. When discussing the aging nurse, according to Reese , the director of Kronos (K. Brimmer 2013) in “2008, the average age of nurses was 45.5. The average age is probably closer to 52 now and we’ve found that the aging workforce tires easily and working extra shifts doesn’t help. When discussing the aging nurse, according to Reese , the director of Kronos (K. Brimmer 2013) in “2008, the average age of nurses was 45.5. The average age is probably closer to 52 now and we’ve found that the aging workforce tires easily and working extra shifts doesn’t help . 111 ~TI, These highly skilled workers have to make critical decisions related to patient care and if doing it in a fatigued state, will only increase the risk for errors and injuries “, said Reese. We can only hope that we continue to discuss these sensitive issues including mandatory staffing.