Annoyed by commercial

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Just venting... I heard a commercial this morning that aggravated the heck out of me. My state will be voting to add safe staffing measures to the upcoming ballot.

The commercial was to the effect of "Don't vote for safe staffing, it will cost healthcare billions, nurses should be allowed to decide safe staffing levels (meaning those that have gone to the dark side as staffing specialists).

As someone who worked on a super busy unit with an avg load of 5 patients, occ. six, and on one memorable occasion seven patients., I can attest to the fact that there was a HUGE difference on the (very) few occasions I had 4 patients. When I had 4 patients I felt I could critically think, thoroughly assess, and provide my patients with a good level of care. Five patients meant running all day and feeling guilty over the lack of time I had for the less needy ones.

Geez, if I had several million dollars I'd make my own commercial. Ok done venting.

I would love for nurses to be allowed to determine safe staffing levels...didn't realize that was an option. :sarcastic: "Seven patients is unsafe, but I will take four of them."

Yeah, when pigs fly through a frozen hell.

I knew which ad OP was speaking of before I even finished reading the description - and I think that this is what enraged me. It's a blatant, heinous, dangerous lie. Nurses, as far as I know, have N E V E R been able to decide staffing on their units, and up until a few years ago (when, surprise surprise, legislation had to be introduced) it was commonplace for ICU nurses to be 1:3. Who would willingly make that choice?! There is zero logic in that argument.

In short, I agree, haha.

I knew which ad OP was speaking of before I even finished reading the description - and I think that this is what enraged me. It's a blatant, heinous, dangerous lie. Nurses, as far as I know, have N E V E R been able to decide staffing on their units, and up until a few years ago (when, surprise surprise, legislation had to be introduced) it was commonplace for ICU nurses to be 1:3. Who would willingly make that choice?! There is zero logic in that argument.

In short, I agree, haha.

Exactly... and my facilty has required staffing levels BUT I wouldn't call them SAFE staffing levels...

BTW, the poster who wrote about nurses making gads of money. I've never broken over the mid-forties/yr as a nurse. I know some make who do make big bucks 80 or 90K/yr... But for what I make AND the amount of work I do, I could probably make just as much working a job that allows me time for lunch and breaks, and doesn't havd the "forced" liability nursing does- but I love being a nurse, and slowly, as I get farther, and farther into my career I realize certain things will never change because money is more important than quality care.

Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
That is exactly what the staffing laws in Oregon require.

Here's the problem with "staffing plans": they have no teeth. Management hijacks the staffing committees (chooses new grads and brown-nosers) and a "plan" gets developed that's vague and says pretty much nothing. Then short-staffed life goes on and management has another shield to hide behind "We follow the staffing plan!"

It is pretty much a gender problem; females are more likely to go along to get along, and that is to our detriment. We are not that good at banding together. We also have to give notice in a strike action because people would die and we can't live with that. It would also kill any public sympathy for us, especially when the media will make this out to be about money (which they always do in event of a nursing strike).

We really do need to unionize. But that can take a long time, be very difficult and entail job loss for the strong leaders among us. Meanwhile, we need to keep asking for safe staffing and be united in doing so. That's the real staffing plan each unit needs to have. And be willing to use the Staffing Request and Documentation form, or call Safe Harbour or just write on a plain piece of paper that you're accepting an unsafe assignment under protest.

If we were all just willing to do what one person can do things could be a whole lot different.

Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.
Here's the problem with "staffing plans": they have no teeth. Management hijacks the staffing committees (chooses new grads and brown-nosers) and a "plan" gets developed that's vague and says pretty much nothing. Then short-staffed life goes on and management has another shield to hide behind "We follow the staffing plan!"

Not so. The staffing plan is required to be created by unit councils comprised of staff nurses from the individual departments. Then, the plan must be approved via vote from the hospital's staffing committee, which is comprised of union nurses and an equal number of nurse managers. Whenever possible, the staffing plan should be based on the staffing recommendations of the nurse specialty's professional organization.

Also, staffing committee members cannot, by law, be chosen by management. They are chosen by their peers, with the assistance of the union rep, and voted on.

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Also, staffing committee members cannot, by law, be chosen by management. They are chosen by their peers, with the assistance of the union rep, and voted on.

Although one of the units I work on has a manageable, not generous mind you but manageable, staffing allotment however on a near daily basis it is overridden by management due to patients who "aren't that acute". As we all know they aren't all that acute until they are and someone is harmed. I'm dreading the sentinel event that clarifies that for the never been an actual nurse nursing supervisor.

But again we are back to the RNs accepting the assignment.

Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.
Although one of the units I work on has a manageable, not generous mind you but manageable, staffing allotment however on a near daily basis it is overridden by management due to patients who "aren't that acute".

Isn't your charge nurse the one who determines that and figures out the staffing needs for each shift?

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
Isn't your charge nurse the one who determines that and figures out the staffing needs for each shift?

Yes but if more patients are in the ED the nursing supervisor overrides and insists we take additional patients.

Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.

LTC/ALF: 45:1 Nurse. Nights 100:1 nurse.

Psych LTC: 54:1.

Not so. The staffing plan is required to be created by unit councils comprised of staff nurses from the individual departments. Then, the plan must be approved via vote from the hospital's staffing committee, which is comprised of union nurses and an equal number of nurse managers. Whenever possible, the staffing plan should be based on the staffing recommendations of the nurse specialty's professional organization.

Also, staffing committee members cannot, by law, be chosen by management. They are chosen by their peers, with the assistance of the union rep, and voted on.

In a union hospital, yes. Not all hospitals have a union...

The worst I was in was a for profit private hospital. That...was a mess I could never return to.

LTC/ALF: 45:1 Nurse. Nights 100:1 nurse.

Psych LTC: 54:1.

See, numbers like this make me glad I'm in the OR. We're 1:1 with our patients, occasionally 2:1, 3:1 or more (staff nurses:patient).

Specializes in OB-Gyn/Primary Care/Ambulatory Leadership.
In a union hospital, yes. Not all hospitals have a union...

The worst I was in was a for profit private hospital. That...was a mess I could never return to.

I was speaking specifically regarding Oregon's legislation. I know that this is pretty rare.

Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.
Isn't your charge nurse the one who determines that and figures out the staffing needs for each shift?

No, as charge I would be handed the roster of who was scheduled, and make the assignments; but I had no control whatsoever about how many nurses or aides were available. "Do the best you can" vied with "that's just how it is" for obnoxious replies to calls for help or to notify "this isn't safe!".

Charge nurses have very little control, tons of responsibility and no real authority over the staff they are in "charge" of, all for a dollar or two extra an hour. One reason I quite being charge quite a while ago: I refused to sign the paper they came up with outlining what the charge was responsible for making happen during the shift (and no authority, but you could call the nursing supervisor). Unrealistic to say the least. Many senior nurses refused to sign it, and guess what? They got put in charge anyway. We now have "clinical supervisors" that do have more authority, are considered management, but still take patients when necessary.

We have staffing grids, based on pt flow history, how many we "need" at any given time of day or night. If we are under, the "fines" go into the education fund (used to be paid to us for having to work so short staffed, lost that one during contract negotiations). But the ratios are still too high on those grids. And as a PP said, when the ER is full, everybody gets extra. ER nurses may end up with ICU admits on hold and still have to take a full load besides.

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