Discussion- Urge Congress to Support HR 5924: Legislation to Address Nursing Shortage

Nurse!Nurse!Hello? · Nov 13, 2008, 05:13 AM

Ummm...to change the subject (kind of), does anyone know what the current status of this Bill is?
I can't seem to find any recent info about where it stands right now.
Thanks.

♪♫ in my ♥ · Nov 13, 2008, 07:53 PM

Gosh, I'd hope the legislature has much more significant issues than trying to dilute the pool of candidates for each nursing job.

I think the state of the economy will resolve any perceived shortages...

TheOldGuy · Dec 29, 2008, 10:01 PM

Help me to understand why I want to lobby Congress (or any legislative body) so that they will make it easier for people from other countries to compete with me for jobs that they are willing to earn less for? There is no nursing shortage - anyone who's bought into that idea has their head up .... well you know! There is a shortage of nurses who are willing to work for the pathetic level of compensation being parceled out by "health care" companies who are resistant to safe staffing levels because of costs.

If nurses would get their act together, we would recognize the enormous political power we potentially could wield. Nurses talk about being a profession - well folks, we're not. Not as long as we remain on the cost side of the income statement and we are willing to work for the wages many people are earning.

How is it that docs are able to earn $350-400k per year in the same locations where nurses make $40? They don't lobby their congressman asking to make it easy for anesthesiologists from the Philippines or Honduras practice in the US!

Sorry about the rant, but this issue really gets me irked!

rabbitgirrl · Dec 30, 2008, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by TheOldGuy

There is no nursing shortage - anyone who's bought into that idea has their head up .... well you know! There is a shortage of nurses who are willing to work for the pathetic level of compensation being parceled out by "health care" companies who are resistant to safe staffing levels because of costs.

If nurses would get their act together, we would recognize the enormous political power we potentially could wield. Nurses talk about being a profession - well folks, we're not. Not as long as we remain on the cost side of the income statement and we are willing to work for the wages many people are earning.

How is it that docs are able to earn $350-400k per year in the same locations where nurses make $40? They don't lobby their congressman asking to make it easy for anesthesiologists from the Philippines or Honduras practice in the US!

Sorry about the rant, but this issue really gets me irked!

I am SO with you on this! I have nothing against foreign nurses in the market place, but I think they should pass American-standards tests.

In conjunction with this, we NEED to exert pressure to improve staffing ratios, conditions and pay! I mean, Americans are dying for jobs now. Why doesn't anyone want to be a nurse? Everyone reading this knows why!

♪♫ in my ♥ · Dec 31, 2008, 07:15 PM

Originally Posted by rabbitgirrl

Why doesn't anyone want to be a nurse?

Uh, what are you talking about? Take a gander at any nursing school you care to name and tell me that nobody wants to become nurses.

The local hospital in my town just laid off a number of nurses, the huge regional university hospital has a hiring freeze, and the giant HMO just canceled their new-grad program. No shortage within a 100-mile radius of my location.