Working a 65-hour week and struggling to make ends meet: welcome to Phoenix

Residents plan to pay double' in the Arizona metropolis, which has the highest inflation rate in the US

Jose Beltran wakes up at 4.45am, has a cup of coffee and lets his dog out before heading to the hospital for his 6.30am shift. For the next 12 hours, he works as a certified nursing assistant in a Covid unit, helping patients who are on mechanical ventilation. When he gets home, he has a couple of hours before bedtime - time he'll spend having dinner with his family, then hitting the books as he studies to get into nursing school himself.

It's a grueling routine: last week alone, he was scheduled to work 57.5 hours at the hospital. The job can be harrowing and requires absolute focus: when there's a code blue, a patient needs resuscitation and it's up to Beltran to help save a life. It's the highest thrill in my field," he says. It's a privilege to be able to do that. I couldn't do it if I didn't love it."