Broken Health Care System???

mclennan, BSN, RN · Mar 9, 2015

The health care system in America has been "broken" for DECADES. That ship sailed many years ago.

I am sorry to enlighten you of this fact.

Trying to find a job as a new grad ADN RN will only sour you more on this profession.

Libby1987 · Mar 9, 2015

The health care system in America has been "broken" for DECADES. That ship sailed many years ago.
I am sorry to enlighten you of this fact.
Trying to find a job as a new grad ADN RN will only sour you more on this profession.

Yes. Im surprised anyone in our country wasn't aware of that already. It's been publicized in recent years more than ever.

We were disillusioned back when I graduated in the 80's when it was FFS and all it took was a willingness to work to have good benefits.

Nursing isn't about your satisfaction with the healthcare system, it's about working in it. You can work your way to a better employer but we've all been working in the same system where you and your family have been receiving healthcare.

roser13, ASN, RN · Mar 9, 2015

Your eye-opening experiences and disillusionment with the healthcare system are unfortunate. But your perception of the current reality is accurate. Healthcare is way broken and has been for years.

This is why I get distresssed when folks say they have a "calling" to nursing or that they don't care about the money, they just want to "help people and save lives." Those are the folks who did not do any real research into the profession and its current state before jumping into nursing school. Therefore, they are the first to become bitter at the reality.

RNsRWe, ASN, RN · Mar 9, 2015

I highly doubt that you haven't heard your nursing school cohorts also talking about how some days they enjoy clinicals, and other days not. How some days they felt useful, and other days not. True?

That being the case, you already know that your feelings on the subject aren't unusual....certainly you're already hearing it from your classmates.

As for your entering a system "that may one day become broken, if it is not already" (!), well, have NO idea how you don't know even through clinical rotations that the "system" is LONG broken.

We have short-staffing as a norm, in order to keep profits up. There are more nurses willing to work than there are jobs to fill.

There is not enough insurance reimbursement for the services people eat up, and the costs have to come out of somewhere; the most common choice is decreasing pay and benefits for the very staff that the 'Service Eaters' need.

Unhealthy is cheap, healthy is expensive. Preventive care takes a backseat to treatments once damage has been done (by not paying for aforementioned preventive care).

Hospitals continue to escalate the idea that patients are "customers" or "clients", and nursing staff are there to accomodate them rather than properly care for them. Satisfaction scores are much more heavily weighted than outcome data. IOW, it's not nearly as important that a person is properly cared for and medically treated than how the "client" FELT about that care or treatment.

Experienced nurses are encouraged to quit or retire so that hospitals can hire a few cheaper, less-experienced nurses. After all, we're all completely intercheangeable.... :sarcastic:

And on, and on, and on.

If that's not broken, I don't know what is!