They should be ashamed what they pay nurses

tiger · Sep 29, 2001

that is what in have been saying on this board before. the therapists have more pay and less responsibility. it is ridiculous. plus they have a certain amount of time with each pt. therefore no pt. is ever waiting on them. so no complaints from pts. why would anyone want to become a nurse when there are better opportunities???? and don't give me the "nursing is a noble profession crap".

frustratedRN · Sep 29, 2001

no WE should be ashamed for what we LET them pay us.

i was talking on another thread about this topic. (would you recommend nursing as a profession?)

and ive given this a lot of thought.

the reason we make so little is the way we are paid. we let the hospitals and insurance companies decide our rate.

i have a friend who cleans houses. no real skills, no education. she makes what i do. now i certainly dont begrudge her the money, but it really does piss me off.

we should be paid like private contractors. we need to decide our rate.

its been said that the staff nurses would never go for this because they resist change. "its always the way its been done"

last night i got to see those words in action.

i was sitting outside with a group of nurses and we were of course, *****ing about the job.

last night i had 11 patients. the night before i had 12. this is incredibly unsafe. all these patients for one nurse and one assistant. and yet we accept it.

those of us who refuse to put ourselves in this position are reprimanded. this is just the begining.

we are going to keep accepting this and they are going to keep piling on more and more. before we know it 12 is going to be the max and they are gonna give us 13 and 14.

i started saying that we shouldnt let them do that to us. that we need to band together and put a stop to it. we need to demand a fair wage.

you would have thought i was screaming long live satan in church. the nurses stopped talking. they got very uncomfortable. they looked at me like i had just sprouted horns.

we are LETTING them do this to us.

and we are doing NOTHING because...thats just the way it is.

bullshit.

our jobs make no sense.

we work so hard for so many hours and put ourselves in incredibly dangerous situations. we take responsiblility for the care of so many people. we expose ourselves to fatal diseases on a daily basis. we perform tasks that would make a lay person vomit. we do so many things and we get so little money.

none of this makes sense.

so in order to rationalize it to ourselves we say we are doing this for a greater good. thats crap. if that were true the nurses at our hospital would all be walking out in protest of poor patient care and placing our patients in an unsafe environment. money would not be an issue.

thats not how it is tho. nobody wants to lose their jobs. they dont realize the power in our numbers. and for some damn reason they WONT stand up to management and say THATS ENOUGH.

they are admitting more people than we can care for and there are not enough staffed beds.

and in the middle of this nursing shortage we have managers that are telling us we WILL take 12 patients if told.

we are LETTING this happen.

we should be ashamed of OURSELVES.

MRed94 · Sep 29, 2001

Amen and AMEN!

One of the biggest reasons that I went agency is due to the fact that:

1. I don't have to deal with the day to day BS, if they have a problem with me or my doing my job, they have to call my boss.

2. Money is much better.

3. I set my hours and dates.

Cons:

1. No benefits.

End of story.

I think I might just stay with the agency after I pass the NCLEXRN, simply because I like it better than being "bossed".

My humble opinion.

Marla

nurseleigh · Sep 30, 2001

I hope that when i graduate and get a job there are some nurses like you there FrustratedRN!!!

Thanks

Traci

Charles S. Smith, RN, MS · Sep 30, 2001

Originally posted by TRN

I just have to vent for a moment. Why is it that OT 's and PT's make more than RN's? Don't tell me it is a degree thing b/c many RN's have 4 year degrees just like MANY ot/pt's do. They don't all have a master's! Why is it that my mother who doesn't have a college degree, has not worked in 25 years, has minimal skills (God love her) was offered a clerical position for $15 an hour. Three dollars less than what I make!!! My friends maid makes more than I do! WHAT is going on here? I am new to this field and I LOVE pt. care but I can't stay in it for long with this pay. I can barely afford rent! How did it get so bad and how come nothing has ever been done about this? All this talk about safe pt. care! My floor is great and everyone is supportive. Quality care is the least of my concerns right now b/c my patiens are well taken care of. My pt.s are fine, but I am broke. How come nurses have not stood up for themselves before? I'm in shock. This is ridiculous.

Your frustration comes thru loudly and clearly and is not misplaced. But...PT and OT organizations actually changed their educational foci a while back and the minimum standard is now the master's degree...anything less and the person is a tech. I applaud them for taking their profession, elevating the standards and then creating the demand and the salary structure commensurate with their education. Nursing needs to take a page from that book in my humble view...

best

chas

tiger · Sep 30, 2001

actually they have assistants and techs. although theyt don't hire techs anymore at my hospital. same with o.t.

PhantomRN · Sep 30, 2001

Yah, the same here. We have OT and PT, no techs. It is not mandatory that OT or PT have a masters.

tonchitoRN · Sep 30, 2001

This issue has been thrown around so many times. The truth is as long as you clean crap you are going to be paid crap. As long as you accept crap you will be given crap. It is all crapola. Floor nurses have been practicing the same way since the beginning of time. It is time we update our profession as to who we are. I doubt anything will change in my lifetime because nursing is such a disjointed group. I can't even get my two kids to agree on what video to watch. No wonder nursing cannot get everyone to agree on any issues. Not gonna happen.

The other issue is no matter what you get paid it does not change the poor working conditions. 12 patients is not safe for you or the patient. So even if they double your salary you will still have reasons to be frustrated.

:cool:

frustratedRN · Sep 30, 2001

what a nice thing to say nurseleigh. im sure youll be able to find nurses like me....in the unemployment line...lol

the status quo is what pisses me off. and accepting it. youre right, they could triple my salary and 12 is still unsafe.

last night i was so mad i was getting 11 patients yet again. earlier that evening on the 7 to 11 part of the shift i had 7 all by myself. there are two main med times in our facility. they are 9 and 9. i had that to deal with and all my accuchecks and charting and of course the patient care (honey could you get me some water, would you fluff my pillows, would you tuck me in....lol yeah that seems to be a common request these days...lol)

its getting harder not to comprimise my attitude towards my patients and keep focused on their care. but i do.

i was talking to one of the "old school" nurses on my unit about the safety issue and she told me i was a "wuss"

lmao.

i have only met one other nurse who says she will refuse the 11th and 12th patient and if they try to force her she will never return to the hospital. this is the attitude we ALL need to have.

this is what we NEED to do.

things were just starting to work out on the unit from hell too. the two nurses who have been harassing me have backed off because the older nurses on the unit got wind of what was up and they let them have it. they dont want me to leave.

it is absolutely unsafe on this unit these days.

i really felt sorry for the hospital supervisor because she was getting it from all ends. she looked like she was going to cry.

her bosses were demanding she clean out the er. she had nowhere to put the patients. lots of beds but no staff. she was hearing it from the nurses and she knew that she was being comprimised too.

on this particular medical floor if there are no monitored beds so they just scratch the monitor order and say oh that pt really doesnt need a monitor.

i had a pt with a pericardial effusion on my unmonitored floor.

nobody cared....but me of course.

im shutting up now. as long as i put up im shutting up. but im not gonna put up for long.

i am taking the attitude that i am indeed a private contractor. i have been checking the jobs here. its a wide open market ladies and gentlemen....use that. i know i am.

Charles S. Smith, RN, MS · Sep 30, 2001

Frustrated...I am an independent contractor, along with 35 other talented capable RNs, in a professional practice group.. We recognized our own restlessness, dissatisfaction with both hospital and agency nursing and took matters into our own hands and started our own company. Independent Practice is definitely the wave of the future for RNs, at least those who can cut the tether from an employee mindset. Email me if you want to chat.

best

chas

TRN · Oct 1, 2001

Originally posted by Charles S. Smith, RN, MS

Your frustration comes thru loudly and clearly and is not misplaced. But...PT and OT organizations actually changed their educational foci a while back and the minimum standard is now the master's degree...anything less and the person is a tech. I applaud them for taking their profession, elevating the standards and then creating the demand and the salary structure commensurate with their education. Nursing needs to take a page from that book in my humble view...

best
chas

Actually, Chas you are wrong. There are plenty of schools that still offer a bachelor's in PT and OT. What happens often is that many people entering with a Master's happen to have a BS in another field unrelated to healthcare. Yes, the standard has been raised but there are MANY still with only a bachelor's. I know this b/c I was a PT. And they also have a 2 year degree which makes that person a physical therapist assistant. The only thing they cannot do is the initial evaluation and they are paid much less and rarely go on to management jobs. Very unlike the 2 year RBN degree who can do the same as a 4 year RN.