Contacted Oprah Show About Nursing Issues

[jollyjenny]

Hello everyone!

Yes, after visiting this website many, many times-I decided to e-mail the Oprah show to suggest a show about the issues in the nursing profession. No, I'm not a nurse yet-I start nursing school in the fall. I want to become a nurse so badly, but am scared to death after reading post after post after post about how horrible the working conditions are for nurses. It seems that nurses want to be heard, but nobody is listening. Some of the wages that nurses are getting paid and nurse-to-patient ratios are absolutely horrible for people who have patient's lives in their hands every day. Why not make some serious racket? Maybe all of you should contact the Oprah show too, which could possibly help raise a red flag. This is just an idea. What do you all think? Sorry if I sound naiive-I'm just trying to help.

Jennifer

[RedCell]

I don't know where these people are working. I lovvvvvvvvvvvvvve my job. We got great ratio 5-1, i said b4 my work pays 10k a year to continue my education as a BSN. I am probably the first one on here to say that I am happy as far as pay. For all those people on here bi*****g then you are at the wrong hospital.

Ben

Ben123's comment is well stated. I absolutely love what I do and especially love what I am learning in school now. This license gives you a ticket to do anything you want. Employment and continuing education opportunities are limitless in our current healthcare setting. People are at where they are today due to the choices and actions they themselves committed to. I do not think Oprah is the answer. She will probably only give you people a makeover and treat her audience to some hyperinflated sob story. My spouse watches this show. I've seen it once and now have one hour of my life that I can never get back. Maybe Dr. Phil can help, I hear he is a great listener and therapist.

[ben123]

also being that his profile still says student i 'd bet he's still a newb. and no i'm not being snarky but i too loved my job and my profession, my patients, the docs, oh just about everything when i was new, . now i still like it most days but darn tootin' i get frustrated about lots of issues.

[color=#483d8b]it would be great if a show like oprah could address these.

yep, a newb but not a student. so i guess i am like you all eager and happy everything honkey dorey.

oh, and if oprah were in the hospital she would probably 2 rns just for her. we had arnold schwartzneger(sp) govenor of california and he wanted to change our ratios which are 5-1. well this was a big deal over hear because he basically said there need to be no ratios and our job is easy just passing meds. well word went around and was a big issue about 2 yeas ago. anyway he was here at the hospital at ucla med center in santa monica ( no patient confidenatlity was on news). anyway he had his own private rn just for him when he was in the hospital. and he was in for something minor, anyway they show his nurse on tv fluffing his pillow, giving him a vicodin. so i don't think that oprah would have any concept of having 5 or more other patients to care for.

ben

[ben123]

Maybe Dr. Phil can help, I hear he is a great listener and therapist.

I don't think so see what he said on a recent show.:angryfire

http://www.nursingadvocacy.org/news/2004dec/20_dr_phil.html

[RedCell]

I don't think so see what he said on a recent show.:angryfire

http://www.nursingadvocacy.org/news/2004dec/20_dr_phil.html

Damn, I thought he cared! There are a lot of "cute little nurses" though. I am married to one. Don't worry man, I have connections with people at the Dr. Laura Schlessinger show.

[sonnyluv]

Fact is, older nurses aren't too media savvy. Probably why nursing right now has about the crappiest representation in television that a profession could not hope to have.

Oprah, sweet Oprah, she is definately the gateway to recognition and support.

Frankly, the only person reading emails are production assistants and they can't hit the delete button fast enough.

Video everybody. Make a video. Producers definately look at that.

(I hope you guys wait till June 2008 to submit, when I graduate, so I can represent.)

Then again, I'm a married male 30, my wife is six moths preg. and an immigrant, that would make for a pretty compelling intro, no?

[tridil2000, MSN, RN]

she did a show in either 1987 or 1988. we stopped EVERYTHING to watch it on my floor. we went around to pt's rooms and would ask the pt if they were watching the nurses on oprah? we got most of them to watch it.

when and if another show is made, we need EXCELLENT representation by some of the most educated and dynamic nurses out there. someone like..... laura vonfrolio!

[lindarn]

I've thought about contacting Oprah too. I know the general public is clueless about issues facing nurses - and let's face it, EVERYONE has to receive help from a nurse at some point in their life. The public is confused on how to become a nurse, the difference between a CNA, LPN, Associate's Nurse, Bachelor's Nurse, RN, CNS and NP, etc. They have no clue the abuse we receive, the expectations placed upon us, the conditions we work in, the realities we deal with, etc. For some reason, it's not a big deal until suddenly you're placed in a hospital.

And to the newbie who's blissfully happy - that's great, but it seems like your nursing experiences are a bit limited. I'm happy with my job now too, but I've had other nursing jobs that were very disappointing and treated me very poorly. Keep your job as long as possible, because it's a rare find.

I will once again say, our mulitiple levels of entry, with our different levels of "nurse", do nothing but confuse the public, and us, and more than anything, continue to splinter, and prevent us from being a unified voice to the public. This is not paranoia on my part, it is a fact. The public has no idea who we are, or what we are, and what we do. There are so many different "flavors" of the title, nurse, that it prevents ANYONE, INCLUDING US, from truly understanding, and defining what a nurse is and what we do. And how we are important to health care.

We are not doing anyone a favor, least of all us, by continuing with multiple levels of education. Most of us don't recognize the problem, so we don't insist on standardizing our education, and increase our level of education. We are being left in the dust by other health care professionals who have distinguished themselves from their lower educated counterparts, like PT Assistants, and OT Assistants, by their level of education. We are interchangeable "widget nurses"- RN BSN, RN ADN, RN Diploma, LPN/LVN, Nurses Aide, Nursing Assistant, we are all the same in the publics' eyes. Who and what are we? Does anyone else see a problem? PTs, OTs, Pharmacists, all control their profession, and call the shots. Does this sound like nursing?

We will never move forward until we recognize and eliminate the problem. Of course, this is exactly where the hospitals and nursing homes don't want. They saw how the united group of PTs OTs, Pharmacists, moved forward, and how they made sure that their pay moved forward with their education. Hospitals see unified nursing has a threat to their control, and their "bottom line", which ends with nursing salaries, staffing, and other work place issues. They will do everything in thier power, legal or not,to maintain the status quo. Unfortunately we allow this to go on, and even help them along when we fight nurses who try to improve things in the hospitals. It has been my experience that nurses who do try to improve things, and "make noise", and buck management, are deserted by the nurses who we are trying to help. Nothing will ever change until we make the effort to change things ourselves. Stop waiting for someone else to "save" us. God helps those who help themselves.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

[sonnyluv]

LINDARN:

True words.

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

Unfortunately we allow this to go on, and even help them along when we fight nurses who try to improve things in the hospitals. It has been my experience that nurses who do try to improve things, and "make noise", and buck management, are deserted by the nurses who we are trying to help. Nothing will ever change until we make the effort to change things ourselves. Stop waiting for someone else to "save" us. God helps those who help themselves.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Spokane, Washington

Truer words were never spoken.

[I_am_Julia]

typically the producers select the types of shows that most viewers have an interest.

has oprah ever been seriously ill? i doubt it. she seems to do shows about issues that she really cares about or knows something about or an issue that has touched her. i'm not faulting her. its her show her platform. but unless it touches her heartstrings i doubt you'll hear much from her.

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

There are too many issues for Oprah to tackle with regards to nursing. Honestly, I doubt she would do a good job on the topic because, as others have pointed out, SHE DOES NOT CARE! She will probably do a poor show on the nursing shortage. So what?

How about a show on how the Nursing profession has evolved for the past 50 years but the media continues to show nurses to be an extension of physicians? Or how about exposing shows that portray physicians doing the job of a Registered Nurse (I'm talking about the shows that have physicians doing home invasions (HOUSE), spending a lot of time with a single patient (SCRUBS and Gray's) and sitting by the bedside all night (ER))! Anyway she, like the majority of the public, believes this garbage so she will not do anything to help the nursing profession!

Have you noticed that when she has guests on who are Registered Nurses she is sure to explain that they are "Advanced Practice" nurses? Never-mind the fact that many are Staff RNs! Um... so who are the non-advanced practice nurses? CNAs?

I think that in order for the public to get somewhat of a clue she would have to do a week of shows. The first, where she explains the various titles and degrees you can get as a nurse. During this show Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) and Medical Assistants (MAs) should be outed as non-nurses! Then she can move on to the other issues, where the media perpetuates the stereotype of Registered Nurses as overpaid unskilled background noise unnecessary to the health care environment (Have you ever seen a RN save a life without a physician around on TV?)

I would also like to see a show include the fact that the media incorrectly portrays of Registered Nurses as wishing he/she was a Medical Physician!! Nursing and Medicine are two different professions, HOLLYWOOD! I DO NOT WANT TO GO TO MEDICAL SCHOOL! I want to be a Registered Nurse!

By the way, I also agree that Registered Nurses need to take charge of this profession. Thus, I plan to become an advocate for the profession as soon as I receive the title RN! I am fired up to be involved! As a student I am participating in the Students Nurses Associtation (SNA). OK... Back to the books!

[PANurseRN1]

Fact is, older nurses aren't too media savvy. Probably why nursing right now has about the crappiest representation in television that a profession could not hope to have.

Oprah, sweet Oprah, she is definately the gateway to recognition and support.

Frankly, the only person reading emails are production assistants and they can't hit the delete button fast enough.

Video everybody. Make a video. Producers definately look at that.

(I hope you guys wait till June 2008 to submit, when I graduate, so I can represent.)

Then again, I'm a married male 30, my wife is six moths preg. and an immigrant, that would make for a pretty compelling intro, no?

Here we go again. Another sideways bash at older nurses. Who do you think is going to be there orienting and precepting you newbies? :angryfire

Not every "older" nurse is technologically incompetent.