Introductions

Thanks Brian, now it is easier to just click on your own state to see what is going on.
You know NJ has been very busy. 3 large unions involving more than 3000 nurses have voted this summer to renew contracts which have been very difficult to negotiate without the strike threat.
Does anyone know what happened up at UMDNJ in Newark with HPAE union???? I know they have strike vote but they are state and I don't think are really allowed to strike.
Interesting that 2 of the states 3 trauma I level hospitals have had to give strike votes. Plus 1 was Magnet.
Seems to be the sign of the times that as usual hospitals just don't get it!!!! Nurses will NOT continue to work for peanuts and NO retirement benefits let alone save staffing issues and other working conditions

Hello everyone,
My name is Fatima...I'm a 30 yr. old wife and mother to 4 children, 2 dd's who are 9 & 7 and 2 son's who are 2 1/2 & 7 mths. I will be starting my nursing program in September 2004 at Essex County College in Newark. I am taking A & P 2 this semester and I plan on take Micro and some other course next semester. I am really glad that we have our own forum....


Fatima

Hi my name is Lisa and I just graduated from the LPN program at Cumberland County Tec. I was the youngest in my class (20 yrs old) I'm hoping to go to school to be an RN next year

Hi All,

I am right behind Lisa in a similiar program down the road a piece....

Lisa are you going to bridge through ACC? or is that too far away from you? The only other school I can think of is Stockton for a BSN. My coworker and good friend, who is in LPN class with me, celebrates her 20th on Sept 2nd! Congratulations!

Lee I have been reading intermittently about that... think it will bear fruit? NJ seems to be such an odd state. There is the right way the wrong way and the NJ way.......Some days in class looking at all the ramifications of a nursing lisence I have to wonder why I really did choose this as a second career....Keep us posted...

Tres

Actually I am taking this year off and working then I think I'll go to Cumberland County College for my RN.

lee 1:
Regarding UMDNJ..the union has given the authorized strike vote to the University, although administration is denying being properly notified. It is a state facility, so a court order will probably be instituted to stop the strike within 24 hours. The vote to strike was phenominal. The issues mainly involve salary, but patient/staff ratios are a major contention. Staffing is simply unsafe at the levels currently in place. Short staffing notices filed by union members at each short shift are ignored by management. I am just hoping that the agency RN's out there that staff UMDNJ adhere to the strike. The nursing profession as a whole will only prevail if we stick together to back each other, whether in the union or not, we all want safe staffing levels to perform our jobs with decreased risk for liability, increased respect by management, salaries comparable to experience and the fact that we are caring for people's lives! ScisRN

What has happened since you last posted?????

Checked out HPAE website--no futher info noted

http://www.hpae.org/

Interesting - that's the hospital my #1 choice of nursing program is housed in. Wondering how, if at all, this effects the training. ...