Governator kicks nurses butts!!!

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In an article in todays Los Angeles Times in the California section Ahnold tells a group of supporters during an annual conference on women to "pay no attention to those voices over there", referring to a group of nurses who were protesting his freeze on the staffing ratio law. "They are the special interests, and you know what I mean. The special interests in Sacramento don't like me because I am always KICKING THEIR BUTTS!!" Anyone care to comment on this? Sorry I am unable to cut and paste the article but the latimes has a website: http://www.latimes.com if anyone would like to view the article called "Cheers and Jeers Greet Gov."

I have worked and cared for as many as 10 patients in one shift on a busy cardio/pulmonary unit (sick calls left us short-staffed). This was becoming more and more frequent. I would leave in the morning wondering what I missed. We threatened union action and low and behold patient ratios dropped to 1:5/6. More manageable, but not always safe based on acuity. Politicians all talk a good game, but then they have the monetary resources to hire private duty nurses. I have witnessed poor patient care, missed medications, and unsafe practices strictly related to nurses trying to care for too many patients at one time. Until we, as a nation of nurses unites, this problem will not be solved.

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Specializes in many.

I have seen lots of comments here about the nursing shortage real or not real and only have a few words to say about it.

Whether or not we have a nursing shortage, we have piles of students trying to get into schools. If the nurses that are so professional are feeling the sting of not having enough RN's to work, perhaps they should put their money where their mouths are and go TEACH!!

It's not about the money, it's about pride of profession.

My simple life includes working for 15 years as an LPN, completing my BSN and entering school for the MSN because I BELIEVE in professional nursing, not just going for a CRNA so I can make more than $100,000 a year.

This is NOT a flame on CRNA's!!!! Love what you do, believe you deserve the money, and would love to see more CRNA's and EVERY OTHER kind of professional nurse spend some time teaching.

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In my opinion for whatever it is worth?? I think it is all about money. People can hide behind the pretense of caring for the patients, but what it boils down to our license. Don't get me wrong that is how I make my living. Why is it always about protecting the patient's rights. What about the nurse's rights. Are we sub-humans with accountability for everything. Who protects us the Safe Harbor act does not protect the nurse. It was designed to protect the patient. The BNE was designed to protect the patient from us Evil nurses. Our administration uses us beyond our scope of practice anytime they can benefit with no thought to how it affects us nurses.We are under paid and over worked for the accountability the states and national government put on us. Does anyone out there have anything to say about this. Please respond. I am very frustrated. They want to bring in foreign nationals and speed them through our systems. Then they put them in the hospitals, this only sets them up to fail. They cannot adapt to our society's needs without the proper training and experience.

:uhoh21: Psi464

Sorry, I am not saying anything to you directly. I guess I didn't explain myself well enough. It is about people like Arnold who have money, power, and control over people's lives that do not have the ability to make well informed decisons. I agree with you, but went off on a tangent of my own.

Have a blessed day

Psi464ad:)

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On Meet the Nation on 12/26/02, Dr. Phil said " Nurses are the backbone on the medical profession". I like that man's attitude! :) :)

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I have worked and cared for as many as 10 patients in one shift on a busy cardio/pulmonary unit (sick calls left us short-staffed). This was becoming more and more frequent. I would leave in the morning wondering what I missed. We threatened union action and low and behold patient ratios dropped to 1:5/6. More manageable, but not always safe based on acuity. Politicians all talk a good game, but then they have the monetary resources to hire private duty nurses. I have witnessed poor patient care, missed medications, and unsafe practices strictly related to nurses trying to care for too many patients at one time. Until we, as a nation of nurses unites, this problem will not be solved.

Are you from CA? If you are, and they are ignoring the need for more RNs based on acuity levels, then they are breaking the law--that is, AB 394. The minimum ratios of RNs to patients are just that---MINIMUMS. They can be INCREASED based on sicker patients--that is, acuities. They CANNOT substitute an LVN for an RN--that is, they cannot "help" you by sending you an LVN--IT MUST BE AN RN. I beleive that the CHARGE RN is not even to be included in the ratio.

All you have to do is go to the CNA website to fill out a form to report your hospital for breaking the law. You can also call the CA BRN. They can be shut down for violating the safe staffing ratios mandated by AB 394, which has been in effect since January 1, 2004.

Refuse to work when there are unsafe staffing levels. If you are a CNA RN, file a grievance, and let CNA handle it for you. Keep careful track of any hours that you lost due to unsafe staffing levels, and demand that CNA--via due process via grievance--gets you compensated for lost time.

No excuse for sick calls leaving you short staffed--that is a MANAGEMENT dilemma, NOT yours. It's the reason registries were created. DO NOT LET management put a guilt trip on you over sick calls--THEY ARE NOT YOUR PROBLEM. Make this your mantra: "Staffing is not my problem."

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Our administration uses us beyond our scope of practice anytime they can benefit with no thought to how it affects us nurses.

People will only do to you what you ALLOW them to do to you. JUST SAY NO. No apologies; no excuses are necessary--put the accountability for safe staffing where it belongs--on administration. STAFFING IS NOT YOUR PROBLEM.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
On Meet the Nation on 12/26/02, Dr. Phil said " Nurses are the backbone on the medical profession". I like that man's attitude! :) :)

yes in direct opposition to the comment about "cute little nurses chasing after doctors to marry" on his show last month. I like how that man RECOVERS, myself. His attitude? WHO KNOWS????! :rotfl: :coollook:

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People will only do to you what you ALLOW them to do to you. JUST SAY NO. No apologies; no excuses are necessary--put the accountability for safe staffing where it belongs--on administration. STAFFING IS NOT YOUR PROBLEM.

I completely agree with you here.

steph

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You are all missing the point!!!.. THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH NURSES!!!...administration is not denying giving staffing... it is all over the papers.. the senate is trying to pass legislation to entice nurses and retain those already in the profession ... reason??.. there is a NURSING SHORTAGE!!.. i would hire if i had from where to hire!!.. again.. i have advertised ad infinitum!!.. there are NO NURSES!!!,,, the staff nurse has NO idea at all what the administration does all day!!.. until you walk in my management shoes you will not really understand just how stressful this job is..!!!.. just a small portion is budgeting.. the other is making sure that our fat is kept out of the fire.. putting out fires.. not literally.. budgeting.. making sure supplies are in place.. making sure the facility is following regulations.. my administrator is out there on the floor.. she knows every resident by name.. most families as well.. with eyes behind her head she see's into every nook and cranny and can see every item that is out of place.. on top of that.. she checks charts to ensure compliance and that documentationis correct.. remember.. she needs to keep our fat out of the fire.. soooooooooooo... before you put administration down for not caring.. please understand what they do..

I completely agree with you here.

steph

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Kathi - I'm not putting down administration. I actually think you have made some good points here.

I was merely agreeing with stevierae's point about staffing not being my personal responsibility. I am a firm believer in not letting anyone guilt me into working more than my scheduled days. My family comes first.

I am not the answer to my hospital's staffing problems.

I refuse to be taken advantage of.

I stand up for myself.

Which is why I do not need to be a part of a union.

steph

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Kathy, I think you need to do a little research. You seemed so convinced that there is a nursing shortage because you cannot attract or keep them at your facility. I'm reluctantly back to working registry after being canned back in September because all the hospitals I have applied at are NOT HIRING per diem. They want full time and would rather pay regsitry than just hire me to do the same job as a per diem. Ask yourself what the motivation for this is?

Could it be that the overpaid administration would rather cry to the state that they can't attract nurses, have to close floors, units etc. in order to continue to facilitate a financially and politically focused agenda? Doesn't this all smack of the headlines last summer where every newspaper gleefully exclaimed that California was soon to be the next site of WW3 because we couldn't get any flu vaccine, elderly would become sicker because of this new "superflu" thus expecting a mass exodus into every hospital in the state and finally, there is a LACK OF NURSES TO CARE FOR THEM!!! Bull Butter.

Sorry Kathy, I disagree with you on many of your posts related to this topic. I believe the "nursing shortage" is masterminded by overpaid hospitals executives in an effort to seek more funding which will ultimately continue to line their pockets. Check out the California Healthcare Association website for a snapshot of their upcoming scare tactics, check out the BRN website for stats on licensed RN's who are active, check out CNA for additional stats and info, including the legal action pending against Arnold by the CNA. We don't read a lot about that do we?

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sorry haunted.. you need to read the articles in the journals.. the bills in congress.. and all that is out there stating that there is a nursing shortage.. i wouldn't have gotten A's on my papers relating to the research papers i just completed for my bsn dealing with the nursing shortage if it was a figment of my imagination.. if you were canned by whereever you were working.. it is probably more because of a need to fill the full time positions before per diem.. i will not hire anyone for less then 3 days/ wk.. i also will not use registry because they can be there one day and not the next and there is no ownership for their work.. also.. registry nurses can not handle giving meds for 32 residents!!!.. i am not attracting nurses because i can't keep them.. i am not attracting nurses because there aren't enough out there to begin with.. this figment of my imagination is supposed to be here until 2012 at a minimum.. and that is not my date!!!.. is the date of all that have figured out how many nurses we are short!!!..i

Kathy, I think you need to do a little research. You seemed so convinced that there is a nursing shortage because you cannot attract or keep them at your facility. I'm reluctantly back to working registry after being canned back in September because all the hospitals I have applied at are NOT HIRING per diem. They want full time and would rather pay regsitry than just hire me to do the same job as a per diem. Ask yourself what the motivation for this is?

Could it be that the overpaid administration would rather cry to the state that they can't attract nurses, have to close floors, units etc. in order to continue to facilitate a financially and politically focused agenda? Doesn't this all smack of the headlines last summer where every newspaper gleefully exclaimed that California was soon to be the next site of WW3 because we couldn't get any flu vaccine, elderly would become sicker because of this new "superflu" thus expecting a mass exodus into every hospital in the state and finally, there is a LACK OF NURSES TO CARE FOR THEM!!! Bull Butter.

Sorry Kathy, I disagree with you on many of your posts related to this topic. I believe the "nursing shortage" is masterminded by overpaid hospitals executives in an effort to seek more funding which will ultimately continue to line their pockets. Check out the California Healthcare Association website for a snapshot of their upcoming scare tactics, check out the BRN website for stats on licensed RN's who are active, check out CNA for additional stats and info, including the legal action pending against Arnold by the CNA. We don't read a lot about that do we?

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