Fabulous Idea!!!!

saphie · Aug 20, 2000

Have you noticed that basically the same people are posting on this topic? Interesting...

Anyway bunky I am astounded that such a feat of public advertising took place in Canada! In Alberta, our association does a good job of sitting on their butts but not much else. I for one would love to find where my money went to...

Given enough notice, I think it could be pulled off but I do think it needs to be planned. Rescue 471 by Peter Canning is a book about his life as a paramedic. One chapter tells how he organized a protest in Washington about the cutbacks to the EMS. Maybe we can get some ideas from that. I think it does need to be organized and it needs to be allowed. Like the farmers, do you really remember what it was all about, or just that a bunch of 'yahoos' drove to the capital in their tractors.

Perhaps before it goes to a march, we need to start getting our unions and professional organizations together and start a mass public awareness.

I relate to what you have said. Not only do the families complain but our current assistant manager takes their side, so where made out to be the bad person... a big reason why I'm in the process of finding a new job. I have told families when they are complaining why I'm not there or doing this or doing that - usually stupid stuff, ie. getting the pt. a glass of water right when they call - that I am one person, I have six people under my care and I simply can not be everywhere. Some back off and get off their dusters and start doing things for the pts - ie. getting the water. Others don't care and that bothers me. I always try and give the care I would want my family and friends to recieve but most nights I fall short.

Two nights ago I recieved a patient two hours before shift end that was dying but could we let this man go in peace... oh no.. I had to initate IVs, start blood, hang meds, some that we don't normally give on our unit - ie. sodium barcab. Put in a foley, get him changed, something for pain etc. The family was all in the room, had to be ten of them, you could not move. So I politely asked for everyone to go down to the lounge, I thought I was going to murdered but the looks I got. But that aside, I still have five people that needed their bedtime meds, care, insulin.... so I did what I could to settle, started the most important stuff first, told the family two people could stay in the room. They were upset with me because I could not stay in the room and didn't come as soon as they called me. Some of it was annoying, my number one annoyment to be called into a room for, the sheets are crooked. What I think is fix them your d*** self!! Your hands work just as well as mine. But regardless it was stressful for me. Needless to say the pt died the next morning.

I wish my non-nursing family and friends could understand what I go through. How many times I have cried when I have gotten home. How traumatic some of things I have gone through. My dad has said when ever he's been in the hosptial, it does seem too bad, all the nurses are just sitting around. While, they are probably taking orders, or doing that infernal charting. And everyone needs to talk, I have gotten through some hellish shifts just by working with some great people and having a few really good laughs.

Anyway, I go on too long! I'm all for doing what I can to light a fire under nurses butts to get them to promote themselves!

Youman · Aug 21, 2000

Hi! I'm a nursing student, in my senior year and I totally agree with Saphie. Inorder to make this thing work you must get the unions and professional organizations to support this and spread the word. I would be more than happy to do whatever I can to help get this moving. I see it, and feel it somewhat, every time I step foot in the hospital where I am. I hope this works out well Bunky. "Fight the power"

bunky, BSN, RN · Aug 21, 2000

PPL you chicken****! Do you all really think that we ought to get people like the ANA and the rest involved? I look at it and I think "why, they'll probably tell us a million and one reasons why we can't, and they haven't done much to help us in the past so why start now?" Talk to me here! I can't see a reason to.

Saphie, and Mijourney, I DID tell a patient the other day exactly what I thought and it made a changed woman out of her complaining butt! Ha! Ha! At the first of my shift I heard from report that she had a long list of complaints and wanted to talk to the Nsg Sup. Well I went in (with her first TID Valium in hand- ha! ha!) and asked her to tell me what exactly the problem was.She had a long list of them, ALL quite valid too by the way, things like having to sit on a bedpan for an hour and 15 minutes until someone came to take her off of it, ringing the call bell 6 times before someone came to change her, etc... She said "I think that Medicare and Bluecross are getting ripped off by this hospital". I can't believe my response, but I said "I think that we're ALL getting ripped off. You for the lousy service and me by having to do the work of two nurses." Well, I think it was the right thing to say! She said, "It sounds like I'd be better complaining to administration than the Nursing Supervisor doesn't it." I said YES! Then she told me that she was going to complain to her doctor and I said, "that's totally within your right, but I wasn't here yesterday and you know he is going to take it out on me by virtue of the fact that I am here today", and she DIDN'T tell him, but says that she will be writing the administation a long letter when she's out of here! HURRAY! I don't care what administration thinks of that chat we had. Why in the world should I take the blame for shortstaffing? I had nothing to do with the crappy staffing! I put the blame where it lays, and she was as nice as pie after that! Maybe I am on to something?!

Anyway, please explain to me exactly what the benefits would be to involving unions (which many of us don't belong to and can't belong to) and professional associations, that have done NOTHING to ease our situation as most of you readily admit to.

el · Aug 21, 2000

I think it is a great idea, sorry I haven't responded sooner. I do think that it should be a march on D.C. I think you could start by organizing small groups and each group be responsible for getting the word out. Each group would have to get statistics that they could use to show the decline in safety related to staffing and cut-backs. I think most nurses know our job is not about our pay check and we should let everyone else know that as well. I will start talking about this idea at work, and other nurse's that I know. Also you need to find out how it is done, I mean does everyone just land in D.C. and go to a spot and bring signs or do you set up a route and have a stage at the end? Being that this is election year it is a great time, you may even be able to get Hil, or Al to give a speech!!!! Anything is possible if people are willing to commit, and I am. I will let you know if I get any decent feedback from my fellow rn's. I am in NJ by the way.

bunky, BSN, RN · Aug 22, 2000

Great el! I've started asking people at work about it and they seem quite interested too. I am going to try and reach someone involved with the Million Mom March and just see how they did it.

Mijourney · Aug 22, 2000

Hi bunky,

Your posts seem to indicate a true passion to see your idea in action. I say go for it! I still feel that you should consider including some members from organized groups as well as families and patients. It has been my experience as a home health nurse that some families and patients really do know what is going on and why. I think some of the other posters made some great suggestions for approaching your idea. Bunky, I really do want to see you be successful in your aspiration. You demonstrate the fire to do it. I can understand your concern about the negative impact of organized nursing groups. I think, however, greater concern regarding the impact of "organized" media is warranted.

bunky, BSN, RN · Aug 22, 2000

Mijourney I have been reading a bit more on how to stage a rally. What about other types of unions? From what I have been reading other types of unions do get involved if asked to. Like maybe the California Nurses Association. That type of group I'd be all for as they at least are trying for similar ideas with their safe staffing campaign. I wish that all states had such a group! I do agree that Washington would be the place.

Kona2 if you are out there, how about some suggestions?

[This message has been edited by bunky (edited August 22, 2000).]

normarae · Aug 23, 2000

Well well Bunky - are you sure we aren't related? I agree that we have to get our cause public and what a great idea to march. to the other nurse re telling pts how it is -it is my belief that when a patient/family member complains about "the usual lack of service" and we know why, we should give them the name of the administrator, his address and as them to identify what they expected and couldn't get because of the staffing policy of the hospital. If course the last time I referred a surgeon to the OR manager because he was chewing me out because of the non oriented inexperienced tech that he was given, I was fired. In Fl they can fire you for anything. Now I'm doing staffing for agency after all the long years I have worked to advance my career. It sucks so I'm ready to march. and with the best union backer we can get would help also maybe save that part till after the public display of march. we wouldn't want to give them the wrong idea of our motives.

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PPL, BSN, RN · Aug 23, 2000

It would be cool to have at least one representative from each hospital in the U.S.

Jay-Jay, RN · Aug 24, 2000

Love the idea! When I was in nsg. college, I was really upset with what wimps my fellow students were, refusing to stand up and be counted when it came to protesting unfair, abusive treatment by one of our clinical instructors. Let's DO SOMETHING! Stand up and be counted for a change!

I'm in homecare, and I'm sick and tired of the fact I get paid about $10 an hour less than hospital nurses, don't get paid for any breaks, or travel time, or for the countless hours I spend on the phone and doing paperwork. Why should we be paid less when we have a lot more responsibility than hospital nurses? There's no MD just around the corner if our patient takes a turn for the worse, and our caseload covers ambsolutely everything, so we need to have a much broader knowledge base than hospital RN's, who typically just work in one area.

Maybe we could make it a multi-city march, all on the same day in both US and Canada.

Patricia Smith · Aug 24, 2000

Hey Bunky! I have been there--so let's talk! At the last hospital I worked in (a hugh 600 bed facility) I attempted to "oganize" the nurses for a possible union. There were 800 registered nurses employed at this facility. (This did not count the LPN's or techs and other ancillary positions) Yes, I was fired! But the work involved was gruesome! I was in the street 3 days a week with flyers announcing the upcoming meetings (I did this with the assistance of my family--3 kids because I am a single parent) I had to be there all three shifts so that I was capturing everyone as they entered the parking garage. I had the meetings at my house and then at other nurses houses in different parts of the city so we could be sure of reaching everyone. I had people sign in and sign out of the meetings and set up phone trees (to answer questions). After about 2 months of meetings, we rented a hotel conference room near the hospsital and at that meeting nearly 500 people attended! A very positive sign! My point being that this was just a 800 bed facility--what you are talking about is on a much larger scale! I am NOT saying we shouldn't do this because believe me--I am with you 100%, but having been there, I just wanted to shed some light on the amount of organization that it takes to combine such an effort--You can certainly count Phoenix "IN". Organization is the key--and everyone MUST be committed!! P.S. I would do it all over again! we need our voices to be heard--aren't we patient advocates??

Mijourney · Aug 24, 2000

Originally posted by PPL:
It would be cool to have at least one representative from each hospital in the U.S.

Hi PPL,

Another group that I just read about had about 50 representatives ( I guess one for each state) meet with various legislators on the Hill. I think your idea is very doable. Perhaps this can occur simultaneously in other countries as Neil and Jay-Jay suggested.