Ban together & change nursing?

annmariern · Jun 25, 2008

Good question; it would seem that as the largest group in healthcare and with the fact that hospitals etc can not run without us we would have some power. I work in a unionized facility and although they have protected benefits, it has done and shows no interest in improving both working conditions or pt care. When lousy staffing occurs, we take it, when ridiculous assignments are given, we take it. At staff meetings when we are berated for not being paper perfect and our grueling shifts when we work without breaks are ignored. We sit there and take it. Having been the one who stood up at one, and looked to my colleagues to back me up, they sat there in silence. So having paid the price by having my boss riding my you know what, for months after, now I sit there. Is it a women thing? Are we just pathetic, are we just beaten down over the years by corporations who have no real reason to change? I don't know. Be interested to hear the responses to your question.

cupcake25 · Jun 26, 2008

After almost 30 years in nursing I ask myself that question almost everytime I work. I work IV therapy and I think I have it pretty good compared to the floor nurses. On most days they have 6 patients. With the high acuity and constant computerized charting the nurses hardly ever have a good day. The other day the census was down alittle so 1 floor put both their techs on call and gave each nurse 4-5 patient with 2 patients being primary. I have seen very experienced nurses in tears because they just can't keep up. The nurses constantly complain to me about their assignments and how bad they are. I ask if they ever bring this up with their manager during a staff meeting and they say they don't. We also have spirit speakouts with the vp of nursing every 3 months where you can speak out about problems. No one says anything. I just don't feel sorry for them.

the bridge · Jun 26, 2008

I understand the frustration that many nurses have experienced with trying to improve the quality of care for their patients. It seems like it is a constant uphill battle. One of the reasons that nurses have a hard time getting organized is that there are so many different kinds of nurses. There are nurses who have higher academic credentials than others and there are nurses who have a great deal of seniority too. And there are too many nurses who would rather make it their job to constantly find fault with their fellow nurses in order to either procure or maintain their cushy management positions. And problems like high nurse to patient ratios and fewer nurses entering the profession has created a serious risk to the welfare of all communities. But the sad fact is this: this is not a new problem. The incredible poor working conditions that exist for the majority of nurses has been an ongoing and well documented problem. And, without a doubt, it is up to the professional nurses of this country to find a solution. It is our professional commitment to promote wellness, specifically where it will improve the quality of health care for the community. The only solution that might have a good chance to do this is to form a more politically active professional association. I do not keep up with what the American Nurses Association is doing, but it must not be much. We need a more powerful professional organization that would be empowered by the entire profession to go to Washington DC and lobby for better nursing in America. If we could simply make it mandatory for all hospitals and nursing facilities to simply have better nurse to patient ratios, that would be a major step in the right direction. And perhaps the creation of a National Nurse position at the federal level might also help to oversee the planning and enforcement of better working condition for nurses too. One can only hope!

mpccrn, BSN, RN · Jun 26, 2008

Bridge, i agree 100%! to overcome the constant challenges of the nursing profession, answers must come through a political agenda. if we as nurses, all nurses, banded together, we would be stronger and more powerful than the teamsters! we could dictate patient ratio, we could dictate health benefits after retirement, we could dictate policy on mandatory OT to name a few, we could dictate policy on sick time (actually having some to use vs. marked on the books that is unavailable to us). what a wonderful world it would be! :banghead:

SoundofMusic · Jun 26, 2008

I've only been in this profession for a short time, but if you don't change one thing it will never change -- and that is management. Or, managers -- those who are making too much money towing the line for these corporate beancounters. They're paying their Big Girls too much to let it change. Managers are all too happy to reap the cash and do nothing, change nothing, let the status quo remain.

That's my take, after less than a year. They've paid off the experienced nurses who COULD lead and make a difference.

Am I right, or is there more to it?

Nurs0706 · Jun 26, 2008

I've thought about this myself. Often when I find nurses being so berated nothing is ever really done. I think, in part, it is because nursing as a profession has been berated for so long. I also think that other individuals, not nurses, have power over the nursing staff and make many of their working decisions for them.

One of my favorite books is Suzanne Gordon's Nursing Against the Odds. She puts so perfectly the challenges facing nurses today. It really motivates me to want to change the profession, however I always run into the roadblock of exactly how to make this happen. One thing I think would really help, however, would be a united front. It would be interesting to see what would happen if nurses country-wide could, for one day, strike and not go into work. However, I know the impact of this would be disastrous for patients' wellbeings..... but it would definitely show others how important nurses are and their impact in healthcare and that things need to be changed to stop/help the nursing shortage.

yeSICU · Jun 26, 2008

I agree with you that there is a problem. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that nursing in a sense can be viewed as an oppressed group. We work ridiculous hours, worry about calling in when we are sick because EVERYONE suffers, work 12 hour shifts where we are often disrespected by patients/families and people that are supposed to be colleagues (that means all members of the multidisciplinary health care team, nurses and DR's alike), we have interventions that used to be part of our jobs that are being taken over by other disciplines where they are making the same if not more money and receive higher credentials (aka Physical therapists, RT, etc), and all this topped off by legal responsibilities and charting that is never ending and monotonous.

Nurses do not support nurses (for the most part) because they are an oppressed people. This is why there are such problems with lateral violence in the workplace. Classic textbook behaviors. Criticize the managers that try to represent you, criticize and berate your peers because you need to have some sense of power, all while maintaining a defeatist attitude and never being involved in change. Oh and make sure to ridicule the brown noser who must have ulterior motives for being involved in trying to promote positive change..... Sound familiar? I am guilty as charged as I am sure many of you are. It is hard not to get caught up in it all. A lot of this is perpetuated by the "a nurse is a nurse is a nurse" philosophy that I tend to agree with (and believe me that the people in charge of the bottom line love that this is such a strong sentiment because it allows them to pay everyone the same and worry only about LOS), but is an "engineer is an engineer is an engineer" or a "doctor is a doctor is a doctor". There is stratification between the groups based on specialty, expertise, and results, that we do not have the priviledge to participate in.

What would be nice is if the cycle could be broken and nurses collectively stood up for their true values and defend a profession that is probably one of the most necessary for the preservation and well being of our society. One of my big drives for investigating an anesthesia masters program is the group solidarity you find within it. I wish other groups within nursing could do the same for the promotion of our profession and their own knowledge and expertise. Maybe there is more power in organized numbers vs plain numbers. My issues in the ICU differ greatly compared to a Dialysis RN or a PACU RN, as well as our job expectations and knowledge base (I make no value judgments with this statement). Just a thought... I may be wrong, but it is at least something to think about.

I will now step off the soapbox...lol:spbox:

Areenn · Jun 26, 2008

:sniff:Unfortunatly our inability to make a powerfull statement impedes our ability to change the conditions we work in. The fact is any action we take will negatively effect our patients. Nurses can not walk out on ill people dependant on them. Managers ectra have depended on this to avoid having to improve ratios, and pay and ensure nurses are able to take breaks they desperatly need. So we continue to deal with unsafe ratio's and work 12 hr shifts without breaks.

I have known a few ICU nurses who have worked strikes in other states that are unionized. They tell stories of striking nurses who harrass nurses who work strikes. It is too bad that the striking nurses do not realize that the nurses who work while they strike are not failing to support them, but are the reason why they can strike and patients still recieve the care we all know they must recieve during the strike. The nurses I know say they work the strikes as thier way of supporting what the striking nurses are doing. They are helping the only way they can.

It is too bad we can not form strike forces. Nurses who would travel to areas who's nurses want to strike but are ununionized or otherwize can not strike. I think many more nurses would be willing to support strike action if they knew thier actions would not injure patients. A Strike Force of Nurses who could act to bring nurses demands to management while patient care was not effected might be the one way we could get change in nursing.

RNperdiem, RN · Jun 26, 2008

Change requires work.

Change requires sacrifice of some kind(even the ability to say"poor me").

Change requires powerful leadership.

annmariern · Jun 27, 2008

:sniff:Unfortunatly our inability to make a powerfull statement impedes our ability to change the conditions we work in. The fact is any action we take will negatively effect our patients. Nurses can not walk out on ill people dependant on them. Managers ectra have depended on this to avoid having to improve ratios, and pay and ensure nurses are able to take breaks they desperatly need. So we continue to deal with unsafe ratio's and work 12 hr shifts without breaks.
I have known a few ICU nurses who have worked strikes in other states that are unionized. They tell stories of striking nurses who harrass nurses who work strikes. It is too bad that the striking nurses do not realize that the nurses who work while they strike are not failing to support them, but are the reason why they can strike and patients still recieve the care we all know they must recieve during the strike. The nurses I know say they work the strikes as thier way of supporting what the striking nurses are doing. They are helping the only way they can.
It is too bad we can not form strike forces. Nurses who would travel to areas who's nurses want to strike but are ununionized or otherwize can not strike. I think many more nurses would be willing to support strike action if they knew thier actions would not injure patients. A Strike Force of Nurses who could act to bring nurses demands to management while patient care was not effected might be the one way we could get change in nursing.

I am sorry, but I have to say I disagree with you. When nurses are brought in to break strikes, the vast majority will tell you up front: MONEY. That's why they are doing it. No nurse worth his/her salt at all wants to harm patients, but Corporations harm patients every day with inadequate care.

When nurses are forced into a corner and removing their presence from the workforce is all they have, then having fellow nurses come in, make a fortune and undercut them, yes, I am sure they are angry with them. I think that is where our weakness lies, the inability to support each other as a group. It happens everyday, on every unit, the nurse with the good assignment taking it easy while the nurse who got the horrible group is at her wits end. New grads who get burned up because they have no help. All corporations have to do is throw a little money at the problem, make the nurse who takes a stand the bad guy, they win. And the patient ultimately is the loser. I have never been called upon to strike, but I do know I would never be comfortable being brought in as a way to break another nurses efforts to improve their lot in the workforce. I know a lot will disagree, money is money and we all have bills. I doubt that the answer lies in striking, more the suggestion made earlier, that we need a political voice, public education about what is at stake because it seems to me, they have no clue. Anyway. Got that of my chest, feel better. :chuckle

BradleyRN · Jun 27, 2008

No one says anything. I just don't feel sorry for them.

Well you should cupcake. You just said that youve seen very experienced nurses in tears because they cant keep up. And as annmariern said in the post right above yours....

Having been the one who stood up at one, and looked to my colleagues to back me up, they sat there in silence. So having paid the price by having my boss riding my you know what, for months after, now I sit there.

You can see why people feel their hands are tied because standing alone, they are.

We need solidarity! There is only one state making a difference and that is California thanks to the California Nurses Association. They demonstrate the solidarity and dissent needed to effect change and as a result, they have nurse/pt ratios across the board. We need one union that spans nationwide, and i think they are it! We have the numbers to seize control of this racket facilities have running off our backs. The well being of nurses and our patients is being compromised daily in the name of profit. We have to stand up together and not just sit there in silence as annmariern goes out on a limb for the rest of us. As we see, that only gets her into trouble. :twocents: