[Julia RN]

Originally Posted by forrester

Seems there are multiple parties attempting to do what the CNA/NNOC group has already accomplished in California.

Wonder if there is any way these "competing" factions can talk together and form 1 unified national nursing platform.

UAN, CNA/NNOC, Massachusett's Nursing Asociation, NYSNA......

We need to get away from ego issues (if that's the problem) and start figuring out how to work as a unified profession

Too many nurses are getting beat up.

Just a thought

Amen!

Such a movement will have to come from direct care nurses in a grass roots framework. IMO- many of these organizations are too bureaucratic to let go of their competing agendas and egos. A group which I am a part of is talking about organizing a national nursing network to bring nurses together to work on staffing and other issues. This is not a new idea, but a revival of an old one (as is often the case!).

There have been many battles among and within nurses unions and associations over the past six months which have further divided nurses and set us back in our ability to deal with issues of critical importance to our work, our profession, improving patient safety and achieving health care reform.

Maybe if the members lead, our leaders will follow.

[BrokenRNheart]

Originally Posted by Julia RN

Amen!

Such a movement will have to come from direct care nurses in a grass roots framework. IMO- many of these organizations are too bureaucratic to let go of their competing agendas and egos. A group which I am a part of is talking about organizing a national nursing network to bring nurses together to work on staffing and other issues. This is not a new idea, but a revival of an old one (as is often the case!).

There have been many battles among and within nurses unions and associations over the past six months which have further divided nurses and set us back in our ability to deal with issues of critical importance to our work, our profession, improving patient safety and achieving health care reform.

Maybe if the members lead, our leaders will follow.

Sad thing is that you are right.

I went back to work. Out of 2 facilities, refuse to return to one.

After seeing how aweful it is in med/surg and how bad the one place was I have to say that I blame the nurses for allowing it. There are plenty of people out there that say it is bad and it needs to change. The nurses that are putting up with it are to blame for it and they are the reason it won't change. I refuse to go back to the one facility because it was impossible to get work done. I refuse to be a part of that.

There are too many nurses out there that are NOT doing anything about it. I refuse to work under unsafe conditions and put patients at risk.

[medsurgrnco]

If enough nurses were to leave unsafe hospital settings, then admin might get a clue and improve the situation. There are hospitals with better staffing levels, and there are non-hospital jobs that pay as well as the hospital ones (or are worth the decrease in pay to have improved work conditions if nurses can afford it or can work a bit extra to make up the decrease in pay). I know this is true due to my recent job search. I actually found a med/surg unit that has a 4:1 ratio on both days and nights, with better staffing ratios for CNAs than I usually see as well. For those who have only hospital experience and who fear you can't get other nursing jobs, check it out as I was very pleasantly surprised.

[CaseManager1947]

I believe so strongly in this issue, that even though I am no longer a Staff Nurse on the floor, that I too just sent in my emailed survey. Now, I've been around this game for 40 years. Here is the staffing ration/skill mix from my first job in 1968... Medical floor 3-11 ... new grad. There was me (green as could be), one LPN, and 4 nurse aides for a floor full, and I do mean full of sick people. I had no telemetry to call to tell me what Mrs. Got Bucks rhythm was; no readily available house officer; no evening soup to call; no decent equipment (somebody out there has worked a Wagensteen set-up, I just know it). And like now. the patients were sick. Do I think that sfaffing mix affects care.. You bet it does; the sad thing is that Administrators and Boards of Directors, and Bean Counters in Finance are more impressed with how their Bottom Line looks on paper. As a Case Manager, I get to hear the complaints from families and patients. WAKE UP hospital Admin. you have staffing levels at crisis mode. ANA.... if you can get accomplished what no one else has.... go for it. I wish you luck.

[forrester]

[quote=medsurgrnco;2815083]If enough nurses were to leave unsafe hospital settings, then admin might get a clue and improve the situation. quote]

They know, they know.
We have been doing employee "satisfaction" surveys for ever. The same complaints come up year after year after year.

Time to act and quit the

[PsychRN03]

[quote=forrester;2848597]

Originally Posted by medsurgrnco

If enough nurses were to leave unsafe hospital settings, then admin might get a clue and improve the situation. quote]

They know, they know.
We have been doing employee "satisfaction" surveys for ever. The same complaints come up year after year after year.

Time to act and quit the

How to act, that is the question/ Nurses could act with their feet en masse and the hospital would strike busting nurses at a nice premium. Now the good news for nonunionized nurses is that if they walk they can freely hunt for employment elsewhere because they are most assuredly unemployed the moment they walk. If on the other hand they are unionized they can strike, keep their job, but consequently cannot really get a 2nd full time job. For action to work, there would have to be a vast majority of all nurses solidly behind the cause regardless of the consequences. I don't think I'd be going too far out on a limb to say hell will freeze over first.