ABC 20/20 nursing story on Nov 26th

Nurses General Nursing

Published

RED ALERT---Call/E-mail everyone!!!

ABC 20/20 Nursing story is on for the 26th

Pass it on

Read this from Silvia;

Thanks. I hope a lot of people will see the story. The AHA president is

already doing damage control -- interestingly, not by alleging that our

story is wrong. That would be a stretch, given the number of nurses I've

heard from.

Sylvia

Hi All!

Please go to http://www.ana.org/index.htm (ANA site) and they have a good story there about the 20/20 show. (Better explanation than I could give you :-)

Also, please go to ABC.com and post on the message boards about this program.....I'd LOVE to see them do frequent updates on this!

I don't think that they conveyed the urgency of the situation and how long it has been going on.

Regards,

Rita Barton,RN

Founder, CNG

Concerned Nurses Group at www.hospitalhub.com

After visiting the hub, if you'd like to be considered for membership in the CNG, please let me know. Thanks!

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I hate to add a sour note to all the hoopla but.... (and there always is one smile.gif )

I was hoping for much more out of the 20/20 story. The points made were alarmist and did not say much in support of the bedside nurse.

Let me finish before you get upset... wink.gif

Yes, patient care of all sorts is suffering because the bean counters have decided that nursing care should answer to somebody's bonus check before the CEO should answer to the patient. Yes, the bedside nurse is overwhelmed with acuity, volume, regulations, and constant stream of new information. Yes, patients need to be involved in their care and need to know who is at their bedside, what treatments are being considered and administered, and encouraged to use their right to participate in these decisions.

But the story basically said, "You are in danger if you go to the hospital. You should have your family stay at your bedside to protect you. You just don't know what will happen to you behind that curtain." Just how is that going to help anyone?

I didn't hear any suggestions for how the public can help themselves- not even a reference to the one-month-old CA law regarding safe staffing and the right to sue your HMO for negligence.

The story should have given more helpful suggestions than to have your scared and exhausted family keeping vigil in case your nurse screws up. (Which most family members can't identify, anyway.) It should have suggested people ask their doctors which hospital he/she admits to and why, and then encouraged them to research the hospital. It should suggest people look at the (flawed but better than nothing) Picker surveys when they can. It should also have suggested that people contact their congressional reps in support of pro-patient legislation.

I know they meant well but it looked more like a ratings story to me- lots of fear with no suggestions for action. I was very amused by John Stasel's (sp?) following story about how the news is now drama looking for ratings with little journalistic effort to back it up- irony, anyone?

Just my $0.02.

Ratchit

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I agree with Ratchit.

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Hi Ratchit,

Ya know, I agree with everything you said. (even tho i made the original posting giving the kudos to 20/20!) I also would have liked to see a blurb about the shifts that nurses work...mostly 12 hours...most with overtime...

It could have been more nurse friendly, to say the very least... BUT...at least the public is thinking about the situation now...hopefully it was a motivator for our public...when THEY begin to question the hospitals about staffing levels, the hospitals better have the answers to back themselves up, no? Its a start...(i hope)

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To all nurses,

We were happy to see that the media is finally realizing what we as nurses have known all along. That the amount of trained nursing staff on any given floor has a direct relationship with patient healing and safety. Less nursing staff may mean a higher risk of infection, medication errors, missed symptoms and/or an increase in the hospital stay for the patient. We at the CNG, have been fighting for a public recognition of this problem for some time now. We have been calling and writing our legislators, providing information to 20/20 and writing articles. While our voices on the net are only now being heard, it is not time to stop just because 20/20 did a story. It is time to nudge this spark into a roaring fire.

The 20/20 story was well done in our opinion. It did however, not go far enough. Towards the end, no solutions were given with the exception that the answer might be to certify or license the Techs, Nursing Assistance, ect... As you well know, this is not enough. An RN spends a minimum of two years training and an LPN a minimum of one. Some states have Certified Nursing Assistance and they do not know the first thing about infection control or anatomy/physiology. Why then are they doing dressing changes and placing Foleys?

We are asking all Nurses to let their voices be heard. Call 20/20. Post on their Internet BB. Send this to every nurse you have on your E-mail list. Post this message everywhere you can including any Internet sites you know of. Tell them we must keep the spark alive while adding fuel to the fire. The story was half told. It up to us to let the public know the truth.

Remember this. Hospitals are not afraid of the government. Money in the right place buys anything. Same with unions. Hospitals do not fear them either. What they will fear, is an informed public that is demanding to know, who is taking care of their loved ones. A well trained, experienced, educated and Licensed RN. Or a Tech with six weeks training. The fight is up to us. Just remember, the next patient you care for on your understaffed, undertrained floor, may be someone you love.

Please, let your voice be heard. The Internet BB are anonymous. Letters, phone calls to 20/20 and you legislators may be anonymous too. Just let your voices be heard.

ForMoe

Founding Member CNG

The Concerned Nurses Group www.hospitalhub.com/community/cng/index.html

0 Votes

To all nurses,

We were happy to see that the media is finally realizing what we as nurses have known all along. That the amount of trained nursing staff on any given floor has a direct relationship with patient healing and safety. Less nursing staff may mean a higher risk of infection, medication errors, missed symptoms and/or an increase in the hospital stay for the patient. We at the CNG, have been fighting for a public recognition of this problem for some time now. We have been calling and writing our legislators, providing information to 20/20 and writing articles. While our voices on the net are only now being heard, it is not time to stop just because 20/20 did a story. It is time to nudge this spark into a roaring fire.

The 20/20 story was well done in our opinion. It did however, not go far enough. Towards the end, no solutions were given with the exception that the answer might be to certify or license the Techs, Nursing Assistance, ect... As you well know, this is not enough. An RN spends a minimum of two years training and an LPN a minimum of one. Some states have Certified Nursing Assistance and they do not know the first thing about infection control or anatomy/physiology. Why then are they doing dressing changes and placing Foleys?

We are asking all Nurses to let their voices be heard. Call 20/20. Post on their Internet BB. Send this to every nurse you have on your E-mail list. Post this message everywhere you can including any Internet sites you know of. Tell them we must keep the spark alive while adding fuel to the fire. The story was half told. It up to us to let the public know the truth.

Remember this. Hospitals are not afraid of the government. Money in the right place buys anything. Same with unions. Hospitals do not fear them either. What they will fear, is an informed public that is demanding to know, who is taking care of their loved ones. A well trained, experienced, educated and Licensed RN. Or a Tech with six weeks training. The fight is up to us. Just remember, the next patient you care for on your understaffed, undertrained floor, may be someone you love.

Please, let your voice be heard. The Internet BB are anonymous. Letters, phone calls to 20/20 and you legislators may be anonymous too. Just let your voices be heard.

ForMoe

Founding Member CNG

The Concerned Nurses Group www.hospitalhub.com/community/cng/index.html

0 Votes

To all nurses,

We were happy to see that the media is finally realizing what we as nurses have known all along. That the amount of trained nursing staff on any given floor has a direct relationship with patient healing and safety. Less nursing staff may mean a higher risk of infection, medication errors, missed symptoms and/or an increase in the hospital stay for the patient. We at the CNG, have been fighting for a public recognition of this problem for some time now. We have been calling and writing our legislators, providing information to 20/20 and writing articles. While our voices on the net are only now being heard, it is not time to stop just because 20/20 did a story. It is time to nudge this spark into a roaring fire.

The 20/20 story was well done in our opinion. It did however, not go far enough. Towards the end, no solutions were given with the exception that the answer might be to certify or license the Techs, Nursing Assistance, ect... As you well know, this is not enough. An RN spends a minimum of two years training and an LPN a minimum of one. Some states have Certified Nursing Assistance and they do not know the first thing about infection control or anatomy/physiology. Why then are they doing dressing changes and placing Foleys?

We are asking all Nurses to let their voices be heard. Call 20/20. Post on their Internet BB. Send this to every nurse you have on your E-mail list. Post this message everywhere you can including any Internet sites you know of. Tell them we must keep the spark alive while adding fuel to the fire. The story was half told. It up to us to let the public know the truth.

Remember this. Hospitals are not afraid of the government. Money in the right place buys anything. Same with unions. Hospitals do not fear them either. What they will fear, is an informed public that is demanding to know, who is taking care of their loved ones. A well trained, experienced, educated and Licensed RN. Or a Tech with six weeks training. The fight is up to us. Just remember, the next patient you care for on your understaffed, undertrained floor, may be someone you love.

Please, let your voice be heard. The Internet BB are anonymous. Letters, phone calls to 20/20 and you legislators may be anonymous too. Just let your voices be heard.

ForMoe

Founding Member CNG

The Concerned Nurses Group www.hospitalhub.com/community/cng/index.html

0 Votes
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