Understaffed hospitals and unemployed nurses

[vivicaq]

I must admit that am puzzled that so many able and willing nurses are out there actively looking for jobs and are routinely turned away yet many hospitals care having trouble meeting their minimum staffing levels. This coming election nurse patient ratios will be a major factor in whom i chose to vote for, just wondering how many of you feel the same? I have to give california nurses credit for ensuring that staffing levels were passed as state law. My hope is that many if not all states will do the same now that we have the super union. I hate to see the seasoned nurses burnt out and our young left hopeless after all the hard work.

[eatmysoxRN, ASN, RN]

Honestly, I feel that nurses are the core of a hospital. When I receive a bill from a hospital for $1000 after my insurance pays, needless to say I expect quite a bit for that kind of money.

Unfortunately, nurses are spread so thin that there is nothing to do but fall short. Long wait times in ERs because there are too many people with too few beds.

Even on the floor patients expect the nurse to be there. Fulfill needs. There remains a stigma that the nurse is there to talk and bring endless drinks and snacks. Bring pillows for all 4 family members. Bring pain medicine within 2 minutes of the call bell ringing. Drop everything to take care of the pt or the family.

For the price of a hospital admission, I can't blame them. I would be upset if I had to be in pain for 30 minutes. And of course, blameless apologies. Can't say that pharmacy won't load it. The doc won't give you more than Tylenol 3 (referred to as extra extra strength Tylenol)..

You bring a blanket for a family member quickly and they comment that you have nothing better to do. You smile but want to scream that you have 8 chart checks. A pt post HC with a plummeting BP. A confused pt who won't stay in bed. A critical potassium. 3 patients demanding pain meds that require 12 minutes atleast to push correctly and safely. An aide needs help pulling someone up. A now dose of this.

So really, I don't get it. I heard a hospital charges $200 just to start an IV. If it takes me 4-5 minutes to start it, and start probably 8 per shift, that's my weekly salary earned in less than an hour.

I just don't get it. Maybe one day I'll understand. Im thankful for my job, and my current job rocks compared to my previous one. But there is still understaffing. I know this was scattered, but I'm sleep deprived....

[DoGoodThenGo]

Bad as staffing may be in US facilities you ought to see how things are away from these shores. Am not talking about "third" world nations either.

There are places where professional nursing staff is vastly out numbered by assistants who provide most of the care. It's either that or families must step in and provide not only care but linens, blankets and perhaps food (and feeding) of patients as well. Oh and don't forget those places where staff won't do anything until they get their "taste".

IMHO staffing here in the USA won't change unless patients start voting with their feet and or making demands upon administration/ management to improve things. P/G scores and new federal rules regarding evaluation of care is not the way to go as they seem to punish the nursing staff if anything else. Patients and their families must be made to understand *why* it takes their nurse ten, twenty or thirty minutes to show up after being summoned. You can't get blood from a stone nor can one nurse be in two places at once.

[PennyWise]

The hospital I recently left is famous for posting pseudo job openings. Many apply, no one gets called for an interview. Then when the hospital gets poor "patient satisfaction" scores, they say:

"Well, we are doing everything we can to help you, but we need the nurses to start pitching in a little too. Just because you are short once in awhile doesn't mean our scores should be in the toilet."

I guess every day of the month except one or two is "once in awhile".

It's not so much the song and dance they perform that upsets me. Its the insinuation that I'm buying into it that makes me resentful. They pretend to want to have a well running hospital, do everything to make it otherwise, then insist its nursing's fault.