[autonursis]

Hi my name is paul and I would like to start a nursing revolution. Like many registered nurses I am totally dissatisfied with nursing as it currently operates. In fact I like many people have given serious consideration to leaving nursing altogether. How the problem is I love the work, even though the entire system as been designed to stop nurses from nursing! Still l think nursing is simply the most important task any human being can engage in. So whats the problem? Beside the plethora that we all face on a daily basis:
-lack of recognition, renumeration, education, staff, etc
Just to mention a few, however, l do believe there is a solution to the problem and l would really appreciate your critique of the solution. l have built a website, please check it out and let me know what you think.Thanks.

[NRSKarenRN]

Hi Paul!

Welcome to our bulletin board.
Visit our Nursing Activism/Politics forum.

Creating a "nursing revolution" and inspiring nurses re the WORLD of nursing is what this forum's all about.

[the bridge]

First of all, I hope you are still in the nursing profession. Of course, if you are not still in the nursing profession, it is obvious why. Nursing, as it exists today, is designed to burn people out. The rule of the owners of the various places where nurses work is this: use as few nurses as possible to get all the work done, regardless of the impact that it will have on the quality of the care being given to the patients. I have been an RN, BSN since 1996 and it has been, at times, a very difficult career. Does anyone remember Laura Gasparis Vonfrolio, RN, PhD? She organized a Nurses March in Washington DC back in 1995 and at least 10,000 nurses showed up! I went to the next Nurses March and fewer nurses showed up, but it was still an inspirational event. She also used to publish Revolution: The Journal of Nurse Empowerment. I think it has been the goal of both the corporations that own hospitals/nursing homes and the government to reduce nursing to be nothing more than an easily exploited blue collar job. But in the end, this will hurt the community and the nursing profession too. The only thing left for nurses to do will be to ban together in blue collar-like unions that will go on strike to get what they want. This will cost the corporations more money, and they will pass this expense onto the public and the government. It is time for nurses to get together and form a high profile, professional organization that is capable of influencing both the political structure of Washington, DC and educating the public about the hazards of a deteriorating nursing profession in America.

[lcc1080]

I totally agree with all of you - I've been an RN/BSN since 1990, and can't believe that, even with the current "shortage", they (hospitals/insurance cos/"contract recruiters) continue to keep nurse wages suppressed. As a result of a "nursing injury" I sustained 5 years into my nursing career, I could not go back to high injury risk nursing (ie - bedside/ICU). I've done HHC and also hospital and insurance co case management, as well as LNC over the last few yrs. I wonder....why is it that a case management position requires 5 - 10 years of nursing background in most cases, but pays about 50-60% of a med surg pool/agency or critical care position that in most cases only requires one year of med/surg background? I find this repulsive. Recently, a recruiter called me about a nurse case mgmt/call center position, and told me that it paid in the "low 20's hourly". When I informed him that this pay was "really low" for an RN, he replied "well it's a way for nurses to work outside of the hospital - and it's a really nice office environment....". This is really terrible....and they wonder why nurses are leaving the field????