NURSING...the to die for career...hmm

Nurses Activism

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Teachers, Police, Firefighters, Military, Government City/State and Nursing. What do they all have in common? Early Retirement Benefits!

Whoopsies...all except for nursing.

Whatsup with THAT....

Anyone?

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Well, healthcare, for the past 15 years has been political BS and money games when they decided to be cornered by the corporate market by being a 24-hour business...they saw the potential to make BILLIONS by making the bottom line, and they have been successful at it.

As far as 'typical' abuses, there are laws for that. In the past three years, I have been reimbursed from previous employers for not reimbursing for OT, missed lunches, etc. WITHOUT a union. For jobs I had over five years ago. Don't like your working conditions? Call the labor board and make a formal complaint; if they are many who want make a formal complaint, there's strength in numbers. The history of the union moving helped create such boards to have people investigate and if proven, will reimburse. At my former job, there was a complaint, and they came out within two weeks. The other nuances, such as bathroom breaks and lunch are relative, because I find a way to get one. I also worked at places where either you found a way, communicated and trade off with another nurse, or a clinical resource nurse took over. The onus is on the nurse, because in theory we should be adept at planning care, even for ourselves.

Yes, times are changing, HOWEVER, this can be done at a political level. Laws can and always been in place. It is always a CHOICE to have a voice.

For me, I do not want to be in the position like Massachusetts :no: That is a recipe for disaster. I think it would strangle my advocacy, and that is a NO DEAL for ME.

I am from Massachusetts.....I agree. I am curious about your thoughts on why MA is a disaster.
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Wouldn't it be nice to NOT have to call the Labor Dept for missed OT, missed lunches and etc...have you EVER actually changed any policies at the political level? Typical abuses should even be able to be used in the same sentence, but there are many. I stand my ground... nurses need to expect and demand better :)

You can stand your ground....but having a union will NOT eliminate the Labor department from you life.

Nurses came a long way before 2008 when the economy crashed and the hospitals lobbied and bombarded the air ways with tales of the dire nursing shortage that were akin to the Zombie apocalypse. The profession was in dire straights (yeah right):rolleyes:.

When I graduated nursing school, with a college degree. I was making only $4.25, $2.35 above minimal wage. After orientation...I was given a $.50 raise/hr. Nights was $.35 differential. Evenings$.25. I was the RN for 35 surgical patients with an LPN and 2 aids. God bless that LPN for I fear there would have been more that a few patients with a higher mortality rate...:eek:

Nurses fought and clawed for better treatment, respect and pay. We were college educated individuals who were worthy better pay and working conditions. There was no longer the free labor from the hospital run nursing schools. We were worth more than that and the patient deserved better.

Our wishes were granted.

Then things changed......nursing enrollment was at an all time high. The news got out that nurses made a ton of money...you picked you job, location, named your price. I knew then there was going to be a problem.

How do you decrease the price of a valuable rare commodity? You make more of it so that it becomes a surplus and looses it's value. Is that why OPEC will only drill so much oil at a time? To control the market and price? Nurse "leaders" propagated this from their ivory towers to keep the little guy where they belong.

Who do you think the union leaders are?

I am not really a conspiracy theorist but I do believe that this has been created by a few to protect the elite. Kind of like the economy.

Im was a nurse who stood up and demanded better and I am watching it fall.

Life is one large circle and will repeat itself.

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
My dh and I also lived frugally, worked hard, and saved for our retirement.

About 10 years ago my dh had a medically urgent need, got surgery and a nice hospital stay with lots of after care that was ALL denied by our health insurance company.

We survived this without bankrupcy BECAUSE we were frugal and lived within our means...of course, we no longer have a savings or retirement fund and are now in our early 60's and late 50's.

Who knows what the future holds for each of us...

I did as well.....then illness took it all away. I feel your pain.

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Lady free...you are sooo anti union. You would fit nicely in my union because its OPTIONAL...you just check the NO box. Unions should be optional. I choose unity and protection, you don't. I want to create an early retirement pension IN ADDITION to all of the typical benefits you mention. BTW, the benefits you mention are typical standard benefits. I made just under $50.00/hr NOT including shift diff and non union. The California union nurses are making $55-85.00/hr about $100,000.00/yr fully protected and 5:1 pt nurse ratio. We must demand better. If the CEO of the hospital is making 2 million/yr they could afford to take much better care of the nurses. These corporations are making money tons of money and tossing us a bone in exchange..
How's that working for them? The unemployment rate for nurses/new grads is 47% and California is broke housing is out of control and the bureaucracy of the machine itself is crippling except for those in the machine.

I really do wish you the best.

Esme12 ...you are a wealth of knowledge BUT I wonder if you're misunderstanding some of the goals of my 'optional' union for nurses and healthcare workers. The two main goal or objectives I would like to see for the nursing profession is an early retirement pension, similar to police and firefighters etc... and protection. The early pension would allow the new nurses fresh from school with their newly updated education to get right to work. The senior nurses that have put in their 20-25yrs can move on or stay on if they choose. By having an early pension in place, there would be plenty of jobs for new grads decreasing the unemployment rate. Inherently within that plan there wood be zero accumulation of deadwood management and where ever else deadwood goes to die. At age 50, there are a ton of other nursing jobs you can do or not if you choose. As far as 'my' union regarding protection and unity, the DOL is your best friend and advocate. Non union workers have less protection by the DOL than the at will employee. With a union in place the 'typical abuses' of no lunch or paid OT or ANY labor issues are gone. The saying that 'nurses eat their young' will be ancient history.

Let me define deadwood. Deadwood is staff in positions no longer suited for the job description. For example, when there are Nurse Managers managing nursing staff, they must be in touch with the clinical aspect of care. Hospitals that have Magnet Status are actually advocates of this idea as well as other visions of outstanding hospital level nursing care. But, just because its on paper and a vision or goal doesnt mean it's actually a fact. That's a different thread...lol. There is deadwood in many professions. I just gave one example.

As far as my being a whistleblower, yes I am. My case made new case law and if you Google my name its right there. The problem with my case is that I got fired for reporting pt safety concerns which is actually my job. Soooo, that's why my case had to be settled. Imagine a hospital fighting a nurse in court for reporting safety concerns? Its pitiful. That's why deadwood needs to be gone. That's actually giving me the momentum for my 'optional' union :)

Ladyfree28...you are very very informative and feisty and I love that BUT you are lacking street smarts. Book smarts and all of the cookie cutter responses are all good but the reality of what is going on in the nursing profession is my focus. Read some of the not so wonderful threads on this site. There's work to do!

Specializes in being a Credible Source.
If the CEO of the hospital is making 2 million/yr they could afford to take much better care of the nurses.
Fallacious reasoning...

Say there are 2,000 nurses in the system... Eliminate the CEO and distribute that 2,000,000 per year among the nurses... $1,000 per year...

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
Ladyfree28...you are very very informative and feisty and I love that BUT you are lacking street smarts. Book smarts and all of the cookie cutter responses are all good but the reality of what is going on in the nursing profession is my focus. Read some of the not so wonderful threads on this site. There's work to do!

^ Ikulmann, you do NOT know me nor have walked in my Danksos, to make such an inference. My posts are about REAL issues that have occurred in my life, they are NO WAY cookie cutter.

I have worked for 10+ years in MANY and have worked in places that have not paid overtime, staff were unhappy, etc, etc. People who ethnocentrism pushed people from another background out of the door because of "customer service" and that place changed their tune after THAT; places that were threatened and were shut down due to lack of care, coordination, and culture; I have seen nurses at the top try to help change policies to solidify patient centered care and gave a brick wall in between, and those places changed hands and had people, including the "deadwood" out of a job.

I have had setbacks in my life as someone who has several health issues, where NO one helped me as a nurse, no union, no nursing org, in the height of the WORSE economy-because they couldn't-go back to school, and working successfully, DESPITE a desire for places to scale back because I am now deemed a "new grad" again, and DESPITE is putting it mildly... :sarcastic:

If you were paying attention to my posts, I have been able to get back to the bedside BECAUSE OF MY STREET SMARTS and MY SMARTS AS A NURSE. I sought out what was available, and there were times where people have said no and I fought it and the door was open.

So...if you are a fighter as you claim, and I have been, then you would understand my posts. I FOUGHT with my talent and my experiences that have made me a better person and I MADE it back to the beside. And I DID it ALONE...after ALL the blood-from spending my days in an ICU not knowing whether I was going to live or DIE;

sweat -knowing because how "young" I was, how the importance having savings, a mortgage, and a retirement can dry up in you after a significant event and to START ALL over, plus the amount was NOT enough and WANTED to save my home, because I HAD NO WHERE ELSE TO GO, which I did

...and tears-frustration, bitterness from individuals that were a part of the system who were envious of the money I made TRIED to deny me, friends and family members who had NO idea how the process works who were frustrated which added to my own PTSD symptoms; I STILL wrote and advocated for myself, I was awarded money that was due to me and helped me through that year, and I was able to collect SSDI by the end of the year because I was disabled, then went from there to go back to school, even though SS was skeptical whether I could "handle" stress anymore; yet I am coping exceptionally well, have family, friends, and assistance with that as well, but the RESPONSIBILITY was on ME.

I had a CHOICE.

I HAVE FOUGHT and WON.

I understand that mentality, the bitterness post fighting fir what is right; I REALLY do. I have lived through prior setbacks in my life as a child, and have climbed my way to have the goal that I set out for myself; I have been bitter, and it's unhealthy. I made a CHOICE to not be bitter, but to NEVER stop ADVOCATING. It has and will continue to serve me well.

But understand the right for me to inquire; I understand your desire to not want to answer, or not having an answer, that's ok and HONEST enough, as I have been and continue to be in my posts on AN. I have been around AN since 2004; you see my honesty and pro advocacy on posts, if you been around here.

Don't make assumptions behind a computer in terms of my "status" when you don't know 's' about me, and I won't do the same about you.

Agreed?

Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
I am from Massachusetts.....I agree. I am curious about your thoughts on why MA is a disaster.

^ I meant a recipe for disaster in terms on not being a unified front Not that it is a disaster. again, pro-union, but more pro-advocacy for all.

Fallacious reasoning...

Say there are 2,000 nurses in the system... Eliminate the CEO and distribute that 2,000,000 per year among the nurses... $1,000 per year...

Yes...that is fallacious reasoning... why would we eliminate the CEO and divide the pay...you are a riot!

In all seriousness, an employee making 2 million/yr compared in comparison to a Staff RN making $100,000.00/yr...talk about top heavy ... damn. A bit extreme, no?

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