Survey: Do you think the federal government is taking the nursing shortage seriously?

When the average person finally understands that government and big business does not care about you, nurses, healthcare, etc., unless you happen to be "big business" then you will begin to understand that the government (at least under the Bush) has a completely different mindset. As long as what they are doing is making someone richer, "they" won't care about shortages, deaths, bad care, patient ratios, etc.

Brian, the only thing wrong with your poll is that you didn't include the option that the government "doesn't care" about the shortage. It isn't that they don't take it seriously, it's that they just "don't care" as long as that nice investor dividend check keeps arriving. Every attempt to correct the shortage problem through legislation at the national and state level has failed because the healthcare lobbyists have managed to persuade their Republican cronnies to vote against it.

Unlike the gentleman from Tampa I think healthcare is a human right and basic service. We need the police, firefighters, and emergency ambulance personnel.
Why have paramedic transport without hospital and preventative care?
Here in Los Angeles we voters overwhelmingly voted ourselves a tax increase to keep our county hospitals especially ERs open.

Just look at the huge buildings owened by health insurance companies. No client or patient care is provided in them! THAT is where our health care dollar$ go.

Let the CEOs and polititians go to the hospital without ID. They may have their eyes opened.

<<<Let the CEOs and polititians go to the hospital without ID. They may have their eyes opened.>>>

Ah, now there's the rub.
These people can afford the best of care, at private hospitals or private duty, so have no worries about healthcare or shortages.

I feel the same way anagray "I am going to school part time and can not recieve ANY financial aid, because , apparently, 60 K a year for a family is considered "well off" in NY state. "

I cant get any financial aide because thats around what my dad makes. I go to a junior college becuase I cannot affor the cost of a 4 year university.

I also agree with the other posts about how there would be more nurses if they would just fairly compensate/treat nurses better.

I'm just a student and have already been offered jobs. I know I can do nursing when I'm yong but Im going to get my BSN because I know I will get burned out eventrually. I'm really looking forward to nursing, but Im also scared of what is ahead of me. Well, at least Ill have a job that pays better than the one I have now

exactly, and our legislators are in that esteemed group, so of COURSE there is no personal motivation to address shortages in health care distribution or nurses to care for them. Those who have the money need never worry. Too bad, they are the minority, tho.

"Shortage? What shortage? All the nurses I know are tall."

--Alleged comment from our illustrious leader.

medicare payments are to be further reduced by 20% over the next 4 years.
community health clinics are closing all over the country.
states are struggling to meet medicaid funding.....
the national debt is over 16$trillion dollars, 1/10 dollars in the federal budget goes to service this debt which will rise with the deficits planned to pay for tax cuts and wars. Missile defense alone could cost up to 1.6$ trillion
the nursing shortage is only a small part of our problem.

O/T: to the best of my knowledge, this is an urban legend. No one who has alleged this has ever managed to produce a cite for it, and when I Googled it just now I got dozens of hits on articles showing Clinton speaking to and in support of nurses and being endorsed by the ANA. If you have a cite from a reliable source that says differently, I'd love to see it. Thanks!

Well...the points made are certainly excellent ones. I agree that there is no "shortage of nurses" in this country. I agree that less than adequate working conditions exist across the board in the Nursing Communities, from Hospitals to Home Care and everything in between. However, there is one point I would like to make that may be of interest here- and perhaps I'm all wet, but...: The Government is still 'of the people, by the people and for the people'. Opinions and decisions based on those opinions refect the mind set of the public at large--the voting public. That means your parents, your
neighbors, your co-workers. It means people everywhere; in all States. I want to ask you: what do you think the public perception of a 'nurse' is? Do you think that the average John and Jane Doe really understand at depth the role of the nurse in health care--in THEIR health care? Do they truly understand the impact of nurses on the daily lives of patients EVERYWHERE?

A nurses strike in a city not too far from my home town elicited these responses from some of my clients: "So what. There are always nurses around to step in." and "No hospital is going to NOT take care of me just because nurses want to walk out. Someone will be there to do the job, so what do I care?" or "Yeah, well I don't understand what they're walking out for. They get paid better than I do."

The point I'm making is that we, as nurses, are responsible for more than making Government aware...we are responsible for making the PUBLIC aware of who we are and why we are. It is the average Joe on the street who needs to be educated in the working life of a nurse. Your patient may know what you do at his bedside but he hasn't a clue as to what the rest of the story is. He doesn't know what you do each day on his behalf. He has not been introduced to one iota of data which would give him a good view of his nurse's responsiblities on a day to day basis nor what was required for that nurse to even be at his bedside to begin with. And not just in hospitals, as I said above.

I would like to see an in-depth Ken Burns documentary on Nurses. I would like to see a representation of a nurses on something other than ER, Scrubs or a soap opera.

If nurses want better working conditions and pay commenserate with education, experience and job description then perhaps it's time to go directly to the American People with ourselves.

Just a few thoughts. The question is an excellent one, Brian.

Peace,
Lois Jean

I'm not up to speed on my American federal policies, but in terms of Canada -- no.

It is, however in Canada's best interest for the American federal government to do whatever it can to deal with the shortage. If there wasn't such a temptation for Canadian nursing grads to relocate to the States, nursing in Canada would be better off.