Massive RN Layoffs

[Obamacare]

For the last month or so I have been reading many news stories of Nurses being layed off from hospitals across the country. Along with layoffs many hospitals are doing hiring freezes. I remember back in the 1990's when Hillary care came about, many hospitals did hiring freezes, even if a nurse quit they were not replaceing the nurses.

The scope of whats going on today is 10 fold worse than the 1990's. Hospitals are laying off nurses by the hundreds each and every day. Some hospitals are firing nurses on the slightest infraction.

The difference of the 1990's and today is that the economy is so bad many people have lost their jobs. No jobs, no health insurance, less admissions, less census. To add more pain to the situation many hospitals are claiming the decrease in medicare funds in payment from state governments, which leads to layoffs.

I remember back in the 1990's a friend of mine went to school for IT, after all, companies were taking students who didnt even finish the school because they needed people so bad. My poor friend started the school to late the dot com bubble came and he couldnt find a job in IT any where in the country! He went back to his faithful job as a RN only to be layed off. After 300 applications sent around the country he still hasnt found a job in med surg. Hospitals will not start to re-hire until the economy picks up and the unemployment goes below 8%. For people looking for a career in nursing dont think that nursing is a recession proof job, it isnt. Most new students who graduater cant even find a job, you may be better off going into therapy, OT jobs for now.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

However, in order to stand up to the consistent use of the first name if something is attached to a female politician ie "Hillary" and "Meg", the program should be referred to as Harrycare. No, wait . . .that doesn't sound quite right either. . . . .:)

Please leave my Dad's name out of equation!

[eriksoln, BSN, RN]

Since I am so good at playing devil's advocate, I don't feel uncomfortable doing it now. Are we reading too much into the OP's screen name? I don't agree with her post, for the most part, but don't find it offensive or anything.

I don't agree that there are layoffs occurring by the thousands on a daily basis. But, well, here is my experience from the little part of the world I reside in:

Its gotten bad enough that hospitals have stopped laying off and have just simply closed their doors. One VERY BIG hospital closed down its operations here last year, and to date 3 smaller, more rural hospitals have decided to call it quits. So, all those workers are now simply jobless, not technically "laid off". Had these hospitals decided to give it the old college try and keep their doors open, there would have been lay offs. The point being........there are less lay offs (in my area anyway) because there are more hospitals choosing to put up the white flag instead of stay open and perform the layoffs. Not a sign of improvement by any means.

Yes, hospitals are hiring again, but at least with my hospital, the ability to hire came at a cost. My hospital changed a number of benefits to lower their costs and create new money for hiring. Our healthcare coverage, which used to be slightly better than the competition, is now utterly useless. IT PAYS FOR NOTTA, EVEN WHEN U GO TO THE PRESELECTED APPROVED CAREGIVERS. Our retirement package was recently changed so that we have to contribute much more, and even then, we are not saving anywhere near what we used to. We got a raise, or will get a raise this year, which is a huge thumbs up. But, balance that with the contributions we must make towards benefit packages now in effect and we take home less pay so.......the raise is not all that exciting really.

Now, seeing as the hospital saved all this money by lowering the benefits given to its workers...........and did so in the name of "we must be able to properly staff ourselves with the assets that are available", you would think work conditions would improve by means of there being more help. Nope. Our ratios continue to be poor, ancillary staff remains minimal to the point where nurses continue to perform a great many tasks that should already be done and off shifts continue to feel the lack of help squeeze immensely.

Not saying I agree with OP, especially the "Hillarycare" stuff, but......................its not like she is proposing anything that far fetched.

[Obamacare]

1. First off my name obamacare means nothing, its just a name.

2. I never criticised any political party

3. I am not political in any form

4. Maybe those who didnt work in healthcare dont remember when the Press, not me, were calling it Hillary care, that hospitals indeed enforced hiring freezes. ( yes we all see and know Hillary care never came about) but that doesnt change the fact hospitals indeed imposed hiring freezes at that time.

5. Its amazing to be attacked and have my posts changed to what I actually wrote.

6. In fact construction has been stopped on 45 new hospitals that were being built, as for layoffs I stated hundreds of layoffs a month, I didnt state they were all nurses, but sadly many are.

7. As for my friend during the dot com bust please read it correctly I said he had to go back to nursing. No mention of 10 years to find a job.

8. Seems my name obamacare makes people paranoid. So sad if thats the case.

[Obamacare]

Actually my post was a test and a bet with another Psych nurse. I said- all I had to do was write my name as Obamacare and some would attack it because of emotion. Some were practical and actually used academic intelligence and wrote a honest opinion. Many seen the name obamcare and instantly went political. The facts are nurses are being layed off, hospitals are closing. It has nothing to do with my user name obamacare. In fact many people made it a political debate when the title of the post and subject was layoffs. One person was honest and wrote maybe they put to much into the post I made. Yes many put to much into the post. my director said I won the bet. Thanks to all.

[Not_A_Hat_Person, RN]

Of Berkshire Health Systems 124 laid off the article states "Those laid off will include nurses and technicians." Berkshire Health Systems, Cut Jobs, Layoff Employees | EmploymentSpectator | Employment News

The article also says Berkshire Health Systems is in New York, not Massachusetts (though Albany, the closest major city, is an hour away).

[nicurn001]

Interesting how the OP seems to now be MIA

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Actually my post was a test and a bet with another Psych nurse. I said- all I had to do was write my name as Obamacare and some would attack it because of emotion. Some were practical and actually used academic intelligence and wrote a honest opinion. Many seen the name obamcare and instantly went political. The facts are nurses are being layed off, hospitals are closing. It has nothing to do with my user name obamacare. In fact many people made it a political debate when the title of the post and subject was layoffs. One person was honest and wrote maybe they put to much into the post I made. Yes many put to much into the post. my director said I won the bet. Thanks to all.

Due to test and bet nature of name selection + commentary = trolling-- membership recinded.