Why Nurses Leave Nursing

oramar · Feb 18, 2002

These are the two best things I have ever seen written from the trenches. I stood up at my computer and applauded. I feel so, so, well vindicated. Compare these two articles to the many things we read that are written by people who have little or no patient contact. What a difference.

suzannasue · Feb 18, 2002

Thank you Karen,again, for finding these articles. I think they should be published in every newspaper around the world...

Franca · Feb 18, 2002

Nurses' dissatisfaction is a problem in multiple countries based on a research-report summary of May 2001. See one-page summary at:

http://www.ahcpr.gov/research/aug01/801RA12.htm#head2

For the full research, the above site gave this reference:

See "Nurses' reports on hospital care in five countries," by Dr. Aiken, Sean P. Clarke, Douglas M. Sloane, Ph.D., and others, in the May 2001 Health Affairs 20(3), pp. 43-53.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Feb 18, 2002

Met Barry Adams two years ago at a meeting hosted by Florence Project. It was inspiring to here him speak about his situation with hospital and Mass BON and how he fought back and won.

Both articles eloquent---a loss for nursing and patients.

shay · Feb 18, 2002

Well, no big shock here. All of the nurses I know are looking to get out of nursing, myself included. I've only been a nurse for a few years, and I'm already sick of it.

Right now I'm just trying to exploit the shortage by making as much $$ as I can in order to go back to school and get into another profession far, far away from healthcare.

I'm too young to feel this old.

oramar · Feb 18, 2002

Used to go to Florence Project web site all the time. One day I noticed it had not been updated in a long time. After that I got the old "web page not valid" message and that was that. Never could get back to their web site again.

NurseDennie, BSN, RN · Feb 18, 2002

I was watching "To the Contrary" on PBS Sunday. They had a segment on the nursing shortage, and I listened very, very carefully.

They had Ms. Foley on, from the ANA, and the biggest part of the discussion was that the nursing shortage was because the population of nurses is older than the mean population of the country, and as the country ages, they need more nurses.

She did talk a little bit about the problems with staffing, with mandatory overtime, but I came away with the impression that she thought that the problem was due to all of us aging.

*sigh*

Love

Dennie

nightingale, RN · Feb 19, 2002

Thank you Karen...

I feel so stretched some days at the hopsital just doing the cambit of med/surg. I can feel the writers pain with the intense demands of ECMO and those incredible preemies.

We have this gift to offer people... when is management going to wake up? When will consumers, yes patients, realize, in enough numbers, that we are all affected by this?

B.

Jenny P · Feb 19, 2002

So THAT'S part of what's been bugging the Massachucett's nurses at the past 5 or 6 years at ANA conventions! I wish that there would be more openness and honesty between different groups of nurses when we meet in national conventions and meetings. There seems to be some sort of an agreement that no one knows what is going on behind the closed doors in each different organization. Why is it that nurses don't share what their problems are-- are we protecting our turf or hiding our problems- maybe even from ourselves?

BTW, these are great articles. And I'd HATE to work in either facility!

Jenny P · Feb 19, 2002

So THAT'S part of what's been bugging the Massachucett's nurses at the past 5 or 6 years at ANA conventions! I wish that there would be more openness and honesty between different groups of nurses when we meet in national conventions and meetings. There seems to be some sort of an agreement that no one knows what is going on behind the closed doors in each different organization. Why is it that nurses don't share what their problems are-- are we protecting our turf or hiding our problems- maybe even from ourselves?

BTW, these are great articles. And I'd HATE to work in either facility! When staffing is compromised so much that it endangers patients' lives, they should be shut down. And the administration in those facilities should be forced to WORK on those floors with those nurses and have their loved ones in those beds!

(Sorry for the double posting again; I'll blame it on my server since the BB says I'm at fault here!) :rolleyes: It won't let me delete or get rid of either message; but it never told me I had already posted the first one either!:imbar

hoolahan, ASN, RN · Feb 19, 2002

Jenny, I was thinking the exact same thing, not that I have been to Mass or any of their meetings, but I have read a lot about the dissention here.

Karen, thanks for these articles. They were both so excellent.

Not sure I am ready to give up yet, but I cannot see myself in this job at age 60 let alone 72!! But what to do? Until I can afford that Masters in Library Science on my own, I am sticking it out.