Please help with Student Nurse survey

J. B. · Aug 4, 2004

This is for senior nursing students from Loma Linda University. Our class called Professional Issues II, headed by Dr. Charlie Jo Morgan, requires us to research current political and policy issues that nurses are facing. We would be most appreciative if you could take the time to fill out our questionnaire, so that we can get the perspectives of nurses in the workplace. Thank you for your time.
Are you a registered voter? Yes/No
How are/were you informed of upcoming changes in policy, such as the change in labor laws, regarding lunch breaks, mandatory overtime and the RN/Pt. ratio?
What interventions could we take as nurses to promote changing policies that aren't working?
Other than recruitment and hiring of more nurses, how else can nurses alleviate the nursing shortage within specific units?
How were you affected by the changes in policies?

Better late than not at all.

Whow 230 some have viewed but noone has responded.

Well for whats it is worth

1. Yes I am a registrered Voter and I also vote in local elections too.

2. I am not informed in these matters but have found that since I became a nurse I have noticed that overtime after 8hours has gone by the way side and I can remember when working 3 12 hour shifts a week was great because time and a half was in effect after 8hrs on each day you worked. It made it nice and worth the 12-13 hr on your feet .

Manditory lunch breaks well I have never seen that but heard that in some locations (unioonized nurses areas) this is beneficial as well as manditory Nurse Patient ratios .

3. One I see all to often is the lack of Professional support between Nurses. It is seen all to often that Nurses slam one and other and dont see the detramental effect that has on individual moral and moral support and commorariety between nurses as a whole. Organizing the massive numbers of nurses we actually have has always been a challenge in our profession. If that could be mastered we would be a force to contend with.

It seems that ther eare fractional organizations with individual agendas and specialties but not a overwhelming one that has risen to the forfrount for the profession of nursing as a whole. When that happens with a unified vision perhaps nursing as a legetament profession will begin to atain the respect and stature many of the other professions have attained. For example Doctors.. Accountants, Lawyers, Not until we as a profession demand to be held accountable to our profession and not be treated and viewed as mear laborers The nursing profession will not see progress in this regard. As for how we as a profession go about this task...again we must start with a singal unified organization with a clear vision and purpose for the protection and advancement of the profession itself.

4. Any unit even if staffed well does not function well if there is not support amoung the team itself. I have worked in both (well staffed and short handed units. I have found that even in the worst case situations if the group works together well and team work is the norm it is still a joy to come to work.

5. I am not sure how to answer this question.

Terry Mason

AKA John Bosco