We walk the thin line between: do no harm and do the impossible

[WriteStuff]

Hi group,

I'm bringing this age old subject up because after thirty years in the profession I'm sadly beginning to wonder if we, as a Professional Group, nationwide (or worldwide for that matter), will ever find an effective way, as a cohesive group, to partner collaberatively and work toward making the changes necessary within the health care industry to serve our patients, clients and residents in the way we know we can.

The way things are now, for all of us, we are forced to surrender again and again to deteriorating working conditions, the most dangerous being under-staffing, floating to areas for which we are unprepared or inexperienced, and having to constantly reprioritize the "quality care" we want to deliver, but must "trim" because of inadequate staffing.

We are constantly held hostage by our employers demands for "mandatory overtime", self-serving financial interests (cost-cutting), and managed care.

We are 2million strong in this nation alone. How do we collectively empower ourselves, and make our voices heard once and for all?

Yes, we can join our State and National Organizations, but even they give only "token" acknowledgement of the very serious issues we confront 24/7 in our work settings.

Your input please.........

Bonnie C., RN

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

It's not old at all Bonnie. I've been on the "outside" for nearly 2 years now and I still cannot believe what I put up with.

I'm afraid that the policy makers in the state associations and the national associations are so far removed from every day nursing activities, that they have no idea the platitudes they put out are off the wall.

Two million...wow.....We never could get 30 nurses on our unit to agree with anything. I can't imagine 2Mn agreeing.

I have heard all the hypotheses up the ying yang, and I agree that's a start.....but no one yet has come up with something to weld us together.....something that convinced me that we could win this thing.

I wonder if a "no fault" clause in state law regarding nursing "errors" would cause some of the hospital/agency/ corporate Nabobs to sit up and take notice that without nurses they would only have a big old empty shell of a business. Because then....they couldn't lay the blame on nurses...they'd have to find someone else....maybe the man in the mirror?

I guess I'll never figure out why folks can't just get along. I found that out with my workers comp hearing. People I had worked with, partied with, travelled with were right there LYING to the judge. Some of the tales told ( to cover their tails) were amazing. Fortunately I'm a nitpicker packrat and had all my own evidence.

Nobody cared. I won. Whoopee.

[WriteStuff]

p-rn..........boy do i hear you loud and clear! sometimes i think we need a facsimile of the now movement to get us off our fractured gluteus "maximuses" and into action!! i wonder what gloria steinum is up to these days?? bonnie c., rn