[NRSKarenRN]

Agree with all of your previous statements JT.

"The difference is that doctors are not fighting with each other over which of them is right or better. Theyre fighting together for the issue that affects all of them"

Now how can we get NURSES to band together to tackle our issues? It is my hope that this type of forume will open their eyes and understand what is happening to them isoftening happening to another RN down the road or across the country; we need to collectively get together and LOBBY our legislators just like these physicians have been doing to ensure SAFE STAFFING, prevent MANDATORY OVERTIME and encourge RETENION of nurses in the workplace.

[-jt]

<Now how can we get NURSES to band together to tackle our issues?.... we need to collectively get together and LOBBY our legislators just like these physicians have been doing to ensure SAFE STAFFING, prevent MANDATORY OVERTIME and encourge RETENION of nurses in the workplace.>

I dont know. You can talk till youre blue in the face, show nurses statistics and data, pass on articles that prove nurses can and are making a difference & winning the fight - there are some states that have passed laws banning forced overtime & have passed laws for safe staffing (besides California) due to the actions of nurses in their states, but that still doesnt get the rest of them out of their seat to take similar action as those nurses.

Even in NY state - with so many pro-active RNs & so many nurses politically aware & involved, we have hundreds of thousands of RN licensed in this state. But at our state associations last Lobby Day only about 500 RNs showed up. That was impressive & productive - it resulted in a lot of support for the working conditions bills we want passed into laws. It advanced the agenda of the bedside nurse, & a major statewide press conference was conducted because of it - but can you imagine how much more effective it would have been if 200,000 RNs showed up at the state capitol that day?

The state nurses assoc set it all up, made all the arrangements, gave us seminar instruction on talking points & updated us on the issues & where they stood in the legislature, prepared educational legislative packages about the issues, including statsitics, studies and research results, for us to give to our legislators so they would know exactly what we needed & why, & paid for it all with our dues (cause thats what dues are for). And gave us CEUs for participating too - all nurses had to do, member or non-member, was come. Or if they couldnt come they could get the info off our state assoc website & use it to compose their own email to their legislator. Can you imagine if the state legislators had received 200,000 letters & emails on the issues?

How do we get them to band together? I dont know. It cant be made more simple than a quick click of the mouse, but still they dont get involved. Im all out of ideas and Im tired of hearing nurses complaints as they sit back & do nothing to help themselves.

[funnygirl_rn]

JT, excellent post! I concur with all your statements. I too, have been doing whatever I can to rally for our profession. Recently, I have been talking with a retired senator who is involved with Special Olympics. Whenever I attend a function, we do talk/discuss about many current events...and one topic that is always discussed is the nursing shortage.

[funnygirl_rn]

Don't know if anyone caught NBC news with Tom Brokaw. Malpractice rates & docs were discussed. Doctors taking leave of absence(s) until this matter is resolved. Tom Brokaw's ending statement was more on the "malpractice insurance rate" crisis on tomorrow's news. Hmmmmmmmmm....docs seem to get what they want, huh.

[-jt]

Theyre calling it "Leaves of absences" cause that sounds less blue collar than "strike".

I guess Im sounding a bit resentful here with all the immediate response these guys are getting over their complaints about their out-of-pocket costs, huh?

Last year in Minnesota, thousands of nurses at 13 hospitals were backed up to the wall & faced a simultaneous strike, provoked by their employer. Healthcare in the Twin Cities could have been brought to a standstill. Did the Gov step in for the nurses like that one did when his 2 dozen doctors walked out over their costs? No. Scab agencies were allowed to step in instead. In Oregon last year, when more than 1,500 RNs went on strike for a month, did the Gov step in then? Nope. The hospital used millions of $$$ in grants from the state (taxpayer $$$) to pay for scabs. In NY, when 600 RNs were forced by their employer to be on strike from Christmas to Mothers Day and the hospital spent $33 MILLION of tax payers money to keep them out there, the Gov was no where to be seen or heard. In Connecticut when healthcare workers went on strike for a week, the Gov stepped in all right - by suddenly passing a law to allow those nursing homes to use medicare/medicaide funds to pay for scabs.

Right now, several hundred nurses at 3 of the big 5 hospitals on Oahu, Hawaii are on strike for the same thing all those other nurses went on strike for - working conditions & to ban forced ovetime. Ironically, their employer is justifing the use of "imported" scabs by arguing that his nurse managers are exhausted from working mandatory 16 hr shifts at the bedside & need relief. (As my kids say, "welllll, DUH!" Thats what the STAFF nurses are saying too! So get back to the table & end the ******* strike). But where is the Gov on this one?

Where is other nurses expression of outrage?

[Brita01]

What is it they say about being a man's world? Doctors go on strike and people sit up and take notice. Nurses go on strike and how dare we when there are sick people out there that need to be taken care of!? Where is our compassion and caring!? How can we ignore our calling!? ***!!!!?

[funnygirl_rn]

jt, my thoughts exactly regarding the leave of absence..so it will sound less blue collar. It truly is frustrating isn't it?!? There are SO many of us....and look at the type/hype publicity they are receiving...and yep..they will obtain their demands.

I will continue to lean on my senator friend for suggestions & assistance.

[sjoe]

jt--Right, once again. And good for the docs who over the years have generated a substantial political clout and who use it when they need to.

I see no solution for nursing either, frankly, just an abundance of wishful thinking, self-righteous talk about "us and them," and business as usual. (Note also the present thread, "INS memo eyes nursing shortage")

The entire situation has gotten worse and worse over the past 10 years, despite what "our" organizations say they are accomplishing, despite how many letters and memos we send, despite "helpful" politicians, despite magazine and newspaper articles, despite BBs such as this one.

They only realistic option that seems to be available is for everyone to find his/her OWN individual accomodation that serves his/her OWN needs/wishes/guesses as well as possible--whether that lies within nursing or not and whether this accomodation "helps" nursing or not. It's only too clear that nothing and no one is going to "rescue" the practice of nursing, including its present participants.

On that cheerful note--Happy New Year.

[Loubell RN 2B]

I read this article in my paper today and could not believe that one of the doc's said that he paid $78,000 a year for his malpractice and they want to raise it to $100,000 this year. Unbelievable...

[-jt]

Its outrageous and the doctors rightly are protesting this condition by refusing to work in certain jobs (like obstetrics) & by going on strike (calling it a leave of absence). Theyve spent one year making it public and have already seen a swift response by the government and new laws in the making to solve their problem ASAP.

So it is possible & can be done.

So then why have nurses who have been protesting their own unacceptable conditions for 10 years and also have been refusing to work in certain jobs (like at the bedside) & also have been going on strike to protest by the thousands not receiving the same swift response from our government?

The doctors have Govs already coming up with new laws to fix their unacceptable conditions. But nurses have had to bang their heads against the walls of their state capitols for 10 yrs just to get theirs noticed.

Are we still such a dime a dozen that it doesnt matter if we refuse to accept the job?