[forrester]

Like I said, I have spent the past decade or so studying why nursing is ineffective politically. Nursing leadership has detached themselves from the interests of working nurses, otherwise the results of endless satisfaction surveys would not have gone so unheeded.
ANA memebrship is down to 652,000, and most of them belong because it is a condition of state membership. Florida, for example, represents only 4% of the 178,000 nurses in Florida.

Log on to the NNOC web site and join the effort...it cost's nothing to join, and they protect your anonymity. Check out whether your state is being actively recruited by NNOC, I know Florida is. They are also sponsoring staffing legislation for Ohio.

By all means, supoort the ANA staffing initiative. As the NNOC grows, it may force the ANA to abandon the vague terminology and realize that laws are the only thing the hospital industry recognizes.

The ANA has one powerful weapon...the magnet recognition program. If we can control admission to Magnet status to those facilities who recognize the California staffing patterns, we may be able to institute real change.

Good luck

[BrokenRNheart]

Originally Posted by forrester

Like I said, I have spent the past decade or so studying why nursing is ineffective politically. Nursing leadership has detached themselves from the interests of working nurses, otherwise the results of endless satisfaction surveys would not have gone so unheeded.
ANA memebrship is down to 652,000, and most of them belong because it is a condition of state membership. Florida, for example, represents only 4% of the 178,000 nurses in Florida.

Log on to the NNOC web site and join the effort...it cost's nothing to join, and they protect your anonymity. Check out whether your state is being actively recruited by NNOC, I know Florida is. They are also sponsoring staffing legislation for Ohio.

By all means, supoort the ANA staffing initiative. As the NNOC grows, it may force the ANA to abandon the vague terminology and realize that laws are the only thing the hospital industry recognizes.

The ANA has one powerful weapon...the magnet recognition program. If we can control admission to Magnet status to those facilities who recognize the California staffing patterns, we may be able to institute real change.

Good luck

Thanks again.

The Magnet Recognition is a good tool for us. Voting is anonymous - make sure you vote if your hospital is trying to make magnet status. I don't think any hospital that allows these staffing conditions should make magnet. I know of some on the list that I know staff is not that satisfied with but they have some way of getting that vote in for themselves. That will definitely not help our hope to change staffing ratios.

I got my letter back from the House of Reps today.

Anyone else?

[JadamR15]

Originally Posted by wooh

Just got my annual eval. I was dinged for complaining about staffing when I didn't really have the number of patients I said I had. (Apparently I'm not supposed to be living in reality?) I was also told not to put complaints in writing anymore, because it makes ME look bad. You bet your bippy I'm looking into this link! Thanks!

.........

[BrokenRNheart]

Proof that action and involvement works:

Somewhere nurses were heard and here is proof!

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-4138

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill...38&tab=summary

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h4138:

http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills...0_HR_4138.html

ADD YOUR COMMENT BELOW

http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills...l#usercomments


http://www.aspan.org/PDFfiles/Govern...rsSepDec07.pdf

http://www.capitolupdate.org/Newslet...=199&nlaid=931

All proof that someone is doing something.

Now, the way I see it. No one has done anything to change staffing ratios. Even though the ANA's wording might not be 100% of what we are looking for they are the only ones that hit congress at this point.

This site that I started with this link HAS gotten results.

Signatures and letters are working.

I got a letter from a member of congress today and said that he would certianly keep my thoughts in mind should this bill reach the House floor for a vote. I don't feel that I wasted my time. I don't believe that we are never going to see a change. Too many people know it has to change and I know it will.

[forrester]

Originally Posted by BrokenRNheart

Proof that action and involvement works:

Somewhere nurses were heard and here is proof!

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-4138

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill...38&tab=summary

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h4138:

http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills...0_HR_4138.html

ADD YOUR COMMENT BELOW

http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills...l#usercomments


http://www.aspan.org/PDFfiles/Govern...rsSepDec07.pdf

http://www.capitolupdate.org/Newslet...=199&nlaid=931

All proof that someone is doing something.

Now, the way I see it. No one has done anything to change staffing ratios. Even though the ANA's wording might not be 100% of what we are looking for they are the only ones that hit congress at this point.

This site that I started with this link HAS gotten results.

Signatures and letters are working.

I got a letter from a member of congress today and said that he would certianly keep my thoughts in mind should this bill reach the House floor for a vote. I don't feel that I wasted my time. I don't believe that we are never going to see a change. Too many people know it has to change and I know it will.

See, that's the point. Congress doesn't need a new bill, it merely needs to amend the Medicare bill to mandate staffing rates for facilities receiving Medicare reimbursement.

Congressmen and women are great at promising "to look into it", but until the public gets mad, little is ever done.

We need to sell the safety angle (well documented in over 100 studies). Congress recently started to refuse to reimburse these facilities for nosocomial infections, but that is simply not enough. If they REALLY, really, really wanted to improve the IOM results, they could deal with the staffing issue.

[BrokenRNheart]

Originally Posted by forrester

See, that's the point. Congress doesn't need a new bill, it merely needs to amend the Medicare bill to mandate staffing rates for facilities receiving Medicare reimbursement.

Congressmen and women are great at promising "to look into it", but until the public gets mad, little is ever done.

We need to sell the safety angle (well documented in over 100 studies). Congress recently started to refuse to reimburse these facilities for nosocomial infections, but that is simply not enough. If they REALLY, really, really wanted to improve the IOM results, they could deal with the staffing issue.

You are definitely an asset to this topic. Stick around. I have too many other things going on that I have to deal with (like make money).

This topic could really use your knowledge and I will stick right by your side.

[forrester]

Originally Posted by BrokenRNheart

You are definitely an asset to this topic. Stick around. I have too many other things going on that I have to deal with (like make money).

This topic could really use your knowledge and I will stick right by your side.

Thanks, not going anywhere, but I am very busy and only intermittently able to get on the board.

[medsurgrnco]

Research related to staffing and nurse retention:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...n21106247/pg_1

[forrester]

Originally Posted by medsurgrnco

Research related to staffing and nurse retention:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...n21106247/pg_1

Many studies are out there on everything from job satisfaction, retention, infection rates, failure to rescue, blah, blah, blah.

We have more than enough "data" to convince the public that these set ratios are very much in their favor. We have the IOM report which is pretty convincing that the way the industry has been doing things is not working. We have tons of anecdotal reports from working nurses.

What we don't have access to is the wealth of knowledge in those year after year in house employee surveys that are proprietary information. Haven't tried to get it though.

And what nursing can't seem to develop is a spine, to recognize that caring for and about our patients means just that, we need to care what happens...as a profession. Of course, the worst of the problem is on the med-surg and tele floors, and although they comprise a great many nurses, they have no significant political representation as a specific group.

Seems what we need is a bedside nurses association.
ABNA
The American Bedside Nurses Association.
30$ yearly membership
A political presence due to our numbers

Oh, that's right, the NNOC is already doing that.
Check them out.

I still support the ANA, however, vague wording or not in their "safe staffing intiative".

[BrokenRNheart]

Originally Posted by medsurgrnco

Research related to staffing and nurse retention:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...n21106247/pg_1

Thanks! Same stuff different article. So when will they get it!

I had a discussion with the previous employer. Talk about the typical problems in this field. ANYONE interested PM me. I would love to vent and tell you and I am sure you will shake your head as so many of you have experienced this.

I just don't get it. It states right here and all over the place about job dissatisfaction and where that comes from but they keep doing it.

This story is a treat. I'm not going to post it publicly.