CAN you believe this! - Bad Portrayal of nurses in my local paper

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Just wanted to pass on a nasty thing published in the Edmonoton Sun this Saturday Nov 4/06. I am in an outrage as this writer obviously does not understand our work beyond simple tasks. Is this really all some people think we do all day!!!***@@@$#$%$^

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THERE WOULDN'T be a nurse shortage if nurses performed duties that were conducive with their pay. Nurses are simply line workers who perform very low-level, repetitive tasks that could be done by individuals with no education. Emptying bed pans, changing catheters, helping the elderly to the washroom and feeding babies require the skill level of an uneducated person paid minimum wage. To justify their pay, nurses should be

expected to perform higherlevel tasks such as managing workers and making higher-level

decisions.

T.A. Ball

(Expect a response from angry nurses!)

LINK: http://www.edmontonsun.ca/Comment/Letters/2006/11/04/2230731.html

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Specializes in Level III NICU.
Yeah, no kidding. I want to feed babies all day!

I DO feed babies all night (sometimes, when I'm not taking care of a kid on the oscillator, dopamine, dobutamine with bilat chest tubes). I wonder if this guy has ever had to try to feed an ex-24 weeker with a major oral aversion? Or maybe a baby with a cleft lip/cleft palate? It's not that easy...

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Specializes in Cardiac.
I DO feed babies all night (sometimes, when I'm not taking care of a kid on the oscillator, dopamine, dobutamine with bilat chest tubes). I wonder if this guy has ever had to try to feed an ex-24 weeker with a major oral aversion? Or maybe a baby with a cleft lip/cleft palate? It's not that easy...

No, he probably thinks the doctors take care of those babies. He thinks we feed 9lb chubby babies as we rock back and forth in the rocker all the while raking in the dough and causing the nursing shortage.

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Specializes in Telemetry.
It may be that the letter writer was trying to make a point quite different than how we've read it.

Perhaps he's saying that there is a nursing shortage because nurses are being poorly utilized, spending too much of their time in low level repetitive tasks. (Look elsewhere on these boards and there's no shortage of frustration about that.)

This was my first impression also.

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Specializes in Level III NICU.
No, he probably thinks the doctors take care of those babies. He thinks we feed 9lb chubby babies as we rock back and forth in the rocker all the while raking in the dough and causing the nursing shortage.

HA! I've seen doctors try to feed babies. It's funny.

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Here's what I write to the editor. I hope it makes it back to Mr. Ball somehow:

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Editor,

I really don't know where to begin.....but I'll start with asking T.A. Ball if he feels that giving someone a Lasix concurrently with an ACE inhibitor is a good idea or not? And since I'm sure he's wondering, ACE means Angiotensin Converting Enzyme.

And what particular liver enzyme metabolizes these two different types of drugs (I'll give you a hint, there's about 20 of them)? Becasue they could compete, and if we (nurses) don't catch it you could die. And who the hell do you think makes the decision whether that nasty wheeze you've developed constitutes a respiratory emergency or not?

The doctor you say?

Sorry Mr. Ball, but the doctor is doing something else and all that's available are some nurses who essentially have to diagnose and begin treating your failing condition before someone can track down a doctor. While we're watching with a well trained scientific eye for changes in your condition, we are also managing the throngs of those under us and around us to make sure, that yet again, you don't die.

Nurses rule the hospital. If you've ever been in one, you will have quickly noticed that doctors aren't around very much (in fact, you may have seen one for about 15 minutes once or twice during an entire week long stay). Who is assessing, diagnosing, planning, implementing, and evaluating your care? Nurses, that's who. And it took years of intense training for us to learn how to do so properly and well.

I'm not worried though, it's not a matter of 'if', but 'when' you will realize I'm right and that you were an idiot. Old age and neediness falls upon us all, and when it falls upon you a nurse will be there to catch you.

Sincerely,

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Specializes in OB, M/S, HH, Medical Imaging RN.

I did send my reply to the editor also. You gals from Edmondson will have to keep us informed. I am certain the editors mailbox will be overflowing!

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Telemetry, Ortho.

Wildmountainchild,

Your reply to that mean spirited letter is spot on!

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Specializes in PCU, Home Health.

OH Oh heres mine!

" THERE WOULDN’T be a nurse shortage if nurses performed duties that were conducive with their pay. Nurses are simply line workers who perform very low-level, repetitive tasks that could be done by individuals with no education. Emptying bed pans, changing catheters, helping the elderly to the washroom and feeding babies require the skill level of an uneducated person paid minimum wage. To justify their pay, nurses should be expected to perform higherlevel tasks such as managing workers and making higher-level decisions.

T.A. Ball"

Wow- I am surely sorry that I just spent 5 years in college earning my BSN. If I had only spoken with T.A, Ball before that I could have found one of these line worker jobs and saved a lot of time and money. But I do have a few questions. Which of the 4 essential nursing skills will help me titrate your cardizem drip when your heart rate and or blood pressure are out of whack? If I know how to feed the baby will that mean that I can teach a new mother to breast feed and does that also enable me to look at a fetal monitor and recognize when a baby is in distress? What happens when I get that elderly lady to the bathroom and she has a vagal response? While I am changing out catheters will my lack of education cause me to ignore the need to use sterile technique? We are not just pill waitresses. For your information- nurses make life or death decisions every day and along the way we do perform the tasks you described. And it would be very nice to have 'workers' to manage- but it seems that most hospitals are phasing out the nurses aides and techs in favor of total patient care by the nurse.

Good luck to you, T.A. Ball if your hospital only hires these line worker nurses. Your gonna need it.

Texas R.N.

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Specializes in ED/Trauma.

The man is obviously an idiot.....

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Specializes in Med/Surg, LTC.

Tddowney and Tachybrady have it right here - listen to this letter very carefully - it says that there WOULDN'T be a nursing shortage if nurses performed duties that were conducive to their pay. I think T. Ball is emphasizing the fact that nurses leave nursing because they don't get paid ENOUGH for the job that they do.This letter is meant to cause a stir, to make people think....I believe he is using IRONY to put his point across. Irony is saying the opposite of what one means, it implies a discrepancy between what something seems to be and what it actually is. If you read his letter carefully, he just may be on our side....

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You have to ask, why would there be a nursing shortage if we all get paid so well, just to sit around on our butts all day long!!:banghead:

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

well this person obviously needs to shadow a nurse

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