What do you envision nursing in the US will be like 10 or 15 years from now? Do you think the changes will be positive or negative? How do you think the demographic shifts nursing is experiencing (aging staff nurses plus baby boomers entering their senior years) will affect our profession in the year 2015?
I personally think misguided legislators, hospital executives, and doctors will use this "nursing shortage turned crisis" as a handy excuse to "deskill" our profession (take people off the street and train them in 6 weeks to do vital parts of our professional duties). Already, in NC, it is my understanding (please correct me if I am wrong) that legislation has been passed to allow "medication aides" to pass medications in acute care facilities (with the blessing of the NC BON!!! ). I also think most immigration restrictions on foreign nurses (especially from huge population centers such as India) will be waived.
Am I being pessimistic or realistic and what can we do NOW to save control over our profession?
Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.
I'm not sure how grass roots movements begin. I could see it happening though. I know there are some people out there who would want to fight this battle, I also know its not me.
Someone asked how I could see things changing if I don't want to become political. Thats a very fair question. How can I complain if I'm not willing to do something about it? I don't have a good answer other then that it's not what I want to do with my life. I love what i do now and want to become better at it. I want to learn and grow more and at some point effect positive change in my particular field of nursing.
In order to empower nursing as a profession and to give nursing a voice in the way things turn out, someone or more likely many someones will have to first get us to all stop fighting amoung each other. ADN vs BSN vs Diploma vs med surge vs ICU vs ER vs l&D vs PP vs ICN vs vs vs........
Nurses are not a cohesive group. Think about how many petty arguments we have between our selves. Last week I called report to a nurse on another floor, it ended up a spiteful battle over who was responsible for what and disagreement over how much detail needed to be in a report. There is animosity between departments all over the hospital. I'm often embarrassed when a patient asks me about a nurse on post partum or nursery. I have to admit that I don't know them. I don't know them because we don't want to know each other. They don't like me and while I don't dislike them I don't make any effort to get to know them.
Once that cohesiveness is achieved that person or group of persons would then have use our new nursing organization to make the public understand what it is we do. Some people understand what nurses do and respect us for it but the majority are confused.
Most people only know what they see on TV. On TV nurses are submissive to doctors and run out of the room when the doctor says "nurse go get me a scalpel!" they empty bed pans and are all sexy young women in short white skirts. I don't know how many times I've had people ask me how I stand my job and then tell me that emptying bed pans all day would drive them crazy. The funny thing is that I haven't emptied a pan in like 3 years.
I am actually a bit reluctant to let patients know how much responsibility I have over their care. I've seen some very surprised looks from patients when I explain a plan of care, I have decided on. I can't count how many times I hear "when is the doctor going to come?" They don't realize that the hospital is where nurses coordinate care and the doctor is just a part of that care.
Changing the publics opinion would be really hard. I Can't even explain to my wife exactly what it is I do. there is so much that goes into nursing the details are hard to communicate. Add to that the fact that nurses are all so different depending on what specialty they are in and dependent on what area of the country they work in. On top of that many of the things we do, we do and then later ask the doctor to give us an order, giveing the impressiton that the doctor was the one who decided to do it.
A positive public opinion of nursing would do so much for nursings political clout. As it stands now, many people are a little peeved that nurses earn as much as they do because they think we are all just glorified waitresses.
So It would take a very strong and politically oriented group of people to tackle this job. It would take dedication and a huge portion of their lives to see a tangible change.
I know that their are people like this out there and I would love to lend some time and money to the cause. I also know that I'm not one of them I want to change things but in a different way.
Excellent post, Dayray. You share a lot of my frustration and sentiments.
i believe "we" will still be talking about these same issues 10 to 15 years later because talking does not equal results. action is what is needed to change what ever it is "we" want changed. if the young aged nurses, after becoming proficient and knowledgeable in their "craft", couple with the strength of the nurses who have been in this field for years, do not take a firm stand with "action", things will only get worse.
). I also think most immigration restrictions on foreign nurses (especially from huge population centers such as India) will be waived.
VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN
49 Articles; 5,349 Posts
Excellent post, Dayray. You share a lot of my frustration and sentiments.