Annoyed by commercial

Jules A, MSN · Jun 2, 2018

Just venting... I heard a commercial this morning that aggravated the heck out of me. My state will be voting to add safe staffing measures to the upcoming ballot.
The commercial was to the effect of "Don't vote for safe staffing, it will cost healthcare billions, nurses should be allowed to decide safe staffing levels (meaning those that have gone to the dark side as staffing specialists).

How about a rebuttal commercial. Narrator: Did they really advocate "At the expense of your loved ones vote for unsafe staffing to save healthcare billions"????

Time to get the family members on our side and have them lean on legislators. "Do you want safe care for your family member?" Yes, of course.

Exactly, contact your elected officials to voice your opinion.

jodispamodi · Jun 2, 2018

How about a rebuttal commercial.

If I had the millions of dollars required to produce, make, and air a commercial? Sure.

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Jun 2, 2018

In some regard we have only ourselves to blame. I have watched over the years as the responsibilities have increased and the supports have decreased and yet we continue to slog along like dutiful co-dependent women. Of course I know it isn't that simplistic but the overall outcome remains.
Thank you to those who are finally taking a stand.

Jules, I agree that the problem of having too many patients is because nurses generally will not unite and stand up for ourselves.

The auto workers, the longshoremen, the iron and steel workers, the meatpackers, miners, and so on were generally unionized by some violence and were almost exclusively men back when the unions were formed.

I know there must be some co-dependent men, though, because there are some male nurses who go along to get along, too.

I have seen nurses strike a couple of times. Each time, they gave notice that they were going to strike, I don't remember how much notice. But strikebreakers were brought in, everyone who could be sent home was discharged, managers were ordered to not even think about being absent, and, come strike day, the hospitals barely felt any pain at all. Yes, they had to pay temp agency rates for a week or so, but that's nothing, I suppose, to these monster hospital groups.

I don't know if nurses are required by law to give notice, but doing so certainly defeats themselves before they ever start.

Have Nurse, ADN, RN · Jun 2, 2018

Just venting... I heard a commercial this morning that aggravated the heck out of me. My state will be voting to add safe staffing measures to the upcoming ballot.
The commercial was to the effect of "Don't vote for safe staffing, it will cost healthcare billions, nurses should be allowed to decide safe staffing levels (meaning those that have gone to the dark side as staffing specialists).
As someone who worked on a super busy unit with an avg load of 5 patients, occ. six, and on one memorable occasion seven patients., I can attest to the fact that there was a HUGE difference on the (very) few occasions I had 4 patients. When I had 4 patients I felt I could critically think, thoroughly assess, and provide my patients with a good level of care. Five patients meant running all day and feeling guilty over the lack of time I had for the less needy ones.
Geez, if I had several million dollars I'd make my own commercial. Ok done venting.

I'd call the station and see if they'd give me equal time.

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Jun 2, 2018

If I had the millions of dollars required to produce, make, and air a commercial? Sure.

No need to do that. And don't let that be a reason to do nothing.

But what we each need to do and can do is:

1. Tell everyone we know - our family, our friends, our neighbors, just people we see or in touch with in our usual routine, about how your day at work is when you have more than a certain number of patients.

Be specific. Be brief. Get the picture into the listener's head of what your work life is like when you can't find 2 minutes to go to the potty a couple of times in a long shift, let alone take a meal break. Get them to picture how they and their loved ones can suffer when a nurse is swamped - errors can happen, dressings don't get changed, orders might get missed, the bedpan might be a very long time arriving, pain meds get delayed so pain is increased, teaching about new diagnoses might get shortchanged.

Suggest that they can be part of the solution by writing to their state and federal senators and Congressmen, plus their local hospital administrators.

If you really want to be effective, have a pre-written letter to give them that they can either just sign or they can use it as a model to write their own letter. Keep it short and don't use medical/nursing jargon (bed sore, not pressure ulcer).

2. Get in front of (be a speaker to) groups. OASIS, senior groups of various kinds, groups in your community, groups at your kids' schools, and so on. Give a talk on the issue of getting good care when they or their loved ones might be a patient in a hospital.

Then focus on the nurses having only a safe number of patients because...

And put a little scare in people. Get them to imagine themselves or their loved ones in a hospital bed and their nurse has 5, 6, 7 other patients.

Again, have a pre-printed letter, even pre-addressed, to each state and fed Senator, Congressman, and hospital admins. If you really want to give people no easy reason to not send the letters, provide stamped, pre-addressed envelopes with them.

Yes, it will cost you some time and money, but "nothing good is lightly won, and nothing won is lost". I forget who said that, but it is certainly true for this cause.

You might be able to get cheaper postage if you don't seal the letters and/or if you form a non-profit organization. Or use post cards.

We don't have to be millionaires to help fight this battle, my friend.

lifelearningrn, BSN, RN · Jun 2, 2018

If those who profit from unsafe nurse staffing levels were forced into the same healthcare system the rest of us use, things would change. As it is right now, the top 1-3% have all the money, and can buy whatever nursing care they need. Nothing will change for the rest of us peons, especially not nurses who are willing to throw ourselves and our colleagues under the bus.

lifelearningrn, BSN, RN · Jun 2, 2018

I would also like to point out that the powers that be would try to turn this argument into a labor dispute, rather than a safety issue. They'll argue, that greedy nurses make the big bucks, and are just looking for an 'easy' ride. Which we all know is not even close to the truth. It's OUR JOB to make them realize that we are not looking for an 'easy job', but looking out for the SAFETY of our PATIENTS, which is compromised in the name of profit.

People need to realize nurses aren't looking for an easy paycheck, they're looking to make sure your mom, or grandma, or your child, gets the best care possible and the best chance at a full recovery.

Maybe once the voters realize it has nothing to do with laziness and everything to do with taking care of them and their loved ones, they'll do the right thing.

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Jun 3, 2018

I don't know why we can't all just follow California's lead. Staffing should absolutely be regulated. I refuse to work med-surg full-time for this reason. I've had seven patients on multiple occasions and was forced to sit for about 2.5 -3 hours of my shift. One nurse who I worked with had a full house. She was charge with one other nurses and one tech for 26 patients.

Needless to say, she ripped management a new one.

klone, MSN, RN · Jun 3, 2018

It really is amazing that only one state has been able to pass mandated ratios. I can't even imagine what nurses in other states go through. Almost every traveler that comes through the hospital (in California) is flabbergasted that we can't go out of ratios for lunch or 15 minute breaks, to the point that you will be paid extra for a missed meal or break if the charge nurse has patients and can't relieve you. I really hope it passes! If they want the nurses to decide safe staffing levels, ask the nurses to decide what it should be and then mandate it by law!

Oregon's working on this very thing right now. Except that instead of mandated ratios, they mandate that every department of every hospital have a "staffing plan" and if you are ever in violation of the staffing plan (such as during lunches and breaks when you do the "buddy system" and have another nurse watch your patients), you get cited by the state. Great fun.

klone, MSN, RN · Jun 3, 2018

I think that is what annoyed me, the commercial would lead the average person to believe that staffing levels are decided on the floors by the nurses doing the care.
Yet medicare is reducing payments for unsafe staffing levels.

That is exactly what the staffing laws in Oregon require.

angeloublue22, BSN, RN · Jun 3, 2018

I guarantee they lose more money paying lawsuits from inadequate care and errors, and staff burn out from staffing issues than they would pay to have good staffing ratios. I work in Oregon and a facility I worked at was under contract that stated that they had to have a certain staff/pt ratio or they would be fined. Rather than paying for proper staffing they just paid the fines because it's cheaper. Fines don't seem to work.

mtmkjr, BSN · Jun 3, 2018

I guarantee they lose more money paying lawsuits from inadequate care and errors, and staff burn out from staffing issues than they would pay to have good staffing ratios. I work in Oregon and a facility I worked at was under contract that stated that they had to have a certain staff/pt ratio or they would be fined. Rather than paying for proper staffing they just paid the fines because it's cheaper. Fines don't seem to work.

The almighty dollar trump's as always.

It's not that a lightbulb moment has not yet happened, where the hospital is enlightened to the fact that lower nurse patient staff ratios have a financial benefit... They know. Unfortunately. the cost of better care outweighs the benefit.

For that reason a mandate is necessary (state level please, not federal).