[Billy Shears]

Media driven healthcare. Couldn't dream it. Beam me up Scotters.

[ZippyGBR]

i wonder what some of the many retired Nurses who wax lyrical on how things were done in their day would cope with the acuity of modern Inpatient care...

[Fonenurse]

Yes, it's bash the nurse week again - and the season of sweeping generalisations! However, nurses will now see what the public really think of them, and it's not the warm positive image they thought. A lot of the public think even £19000 a year is a lot, and that's because they only earn £12000. Hmmm. Food for thought.

I see that the nursing profession has a huge job to get back the place they used to hold in the British affection, and for some hospitals that means getting their act together and delivering real quality!

[letina]

Originally Posted by ZippyGBR

i wonder what some of the many retired Nurses who wax lyrical on how things were done in their day would cope with the acuity of modern Inpatient care...

I'm one of those "older" nurses you refer to (although I'm not yet retired...my choice) I started my nursing career almost 30 years ago. Yes, things were done very differently in my day and I "cope" very well, thank you, with the acuity of modern inpatient care.

Just wondering what your point is?

[ZippyGBR]

Originally Posted by letina

I'm one of those "older" nurses you refer to (although I'm not yet retired...my choice) I started my nursing career almost 30 years ago. Yes, things were done very differently in my day and I "cope" very well, thank you, with the acuity of modern inpatient care.

Just wondering what your point is?

you defeat your arguement here if you r arguement was to try and attempt to put down a HE educated and prepared fro practice Nurse rather than a traditional trained one ...

How - by still being in practice and noting that things are very different ...

you have lived and worked through some remarkable changes in terms of acuity and reduction in length of stay, some of those who wax lyrical in the press or other media do not have current / recent clinicla experience ...

A while ago i looked after a lady who had been 'Nursing Officer' in the hospital i work for (i.e. a divisional Nurse manager) and she remarked that in terms of acuity the acuity level today ( and consequently the input required ) was much much more than when she had retired and even then the acuity levels when she retired compared to when she started were an order of magnitude greater ..

[scattycarrot]

Originally Posted by ZippyGBR

How - by still being in practice and noting that things are very different ... you have lived and worked through some remarkable changes in terms of acuity and reduction in length of stay, some of those who wax lyrical in the press or other media do not have current / recent clinicla experience .....

Absoutly, Zibby was not implying that all 'older' nurses are unable to cope with todays stresses and workload and in fact, I don't think anyone here is implying that. Far from it as anyone, young or old, who works in the present NHS understands that things today are very different from what they were even 5 years ago and that alot that is wrong with the NHS stems from illadvised goverment policies, budget restrictions and ineffectual management(plus much more!) and not just that nurse training has changed. The comments I am fed up with seeing are from nurse who have retired many moons ago and have no idea what it is to work in a hospital in 2007. It seems that these nurses lost their empathy when they handed in their nursing hats and cloaks. These are the nurses that I think Zibby was referring too.

[Silverdragon102]

I have been nursing over 21 years and have seen many changes with both demand and support. I don't think it is as much as not being able to cope but lack of support and staff to cope. Have also seen students try to get out of doing ward work and even newly qualified staff nurses not know how to do simple things like manual bp. Demand on the NHS has gone up by both the public and also the government and as usual it is the nurses that s the fall guy not management when things fail

[ZippyGBR]

Originally Posted by Silverdragon102

<snip> Have also seen students try to get out of doing ward work

ward work or HCA work????

met a few people who moan aobut that but looking at how they work they are never quick off the mark to answer to do 'ward work'

and even newly qualified staff nurses not know how to do simple things like manual bp.

and whose fault is that?

the RNs who have mentored them on placement and failed to assess their skills properly ...

[Silverdragon102]

Originally Posted by ZippyGBR

ward work or HCA work????

met a few people who moan aobut that but looking at how they work they are never quick off the mark to answer to do 'ward work'




and whose fault is that?

the RNs who have mentored them on placement and failed to assess their skills properly ...

Ward work but also if RN or HCA/Aux needs a hand with looking after a patient have seen students disappear

Maybe RN is at fault for not failing them but also depends on what is required in the handbook. Many a time I was questioned by students to why I was not using the electronic equipment when I did manual BP's I also asked them to do manual bp lots of times before I would sign them off not just standard 1 or 2 times

[nyapa]

I know nothing of the UK system. Do you have a professional representative organisation that can answer on behalf of UK nurses to slanderous comments such as these? Perhaps someone should put these journalists into a hospital for a day. Oh...would they get their hands dirty? I mean, they have a degree after all...funny, just like us!