How desperate is your state for Nurses?

live4today, RN · Jan 27, 2004

Originally posted by K O'Malley
Our state, (WV) is desperate for nurses, but not desperate enough to compensate experienced nurses in order to keep them in the profession. Instead the hospitals holler for the nursing schools to churn out more and more new grads.

Now THAT is it in a nutshell no matter where nurses reside. The hospitals do NOT want to pay for experienced nurses today. They know the more experience we have, the more it will cost them so it is a copout for them to bring new grads on board as well as foreign nurses to fill in where experienced nurses in this country should be, used to be, and want to be.

mattsmom81 · Jan 27, 2004

Originally posted by K O'Malley
Our state, (WV) is desperate for nurses, but not desperate enough to compensate experienced nurses in order to keep them in the profession. Instead the hospitals holler for the nursing schools to churn out more and more new grads.

So very true. 'We need more slaves...churn 'em out"

I feel badly for these young people because they are walking into a nightmare. I hope their schools prepare them for today's nursing world. And those who come to this BB get an earful...although some don't like hearing about it...:chuckle

Many of this latter group think their fresh outlook and positive attitudes alone will change things....and I hope they are right...but watching the generations of new nurses who followed me have not convinced me that change will come as simply as a 'positive attitude'. Not in today's healthcare system.

We must be a lot tougher than that, speak in association and have political clout to back up our demands. IMHO of course.

And PS to students and new grads: we all started out with fresh faces and positive attitudes too....

K O'Malley · Jan 28, 2004

I have watched the positive attitude of so many new grads change to nausea and dread. I work with two young nurses now who were lucky enough to get a transfer into our vascular recovery unit. They say they will never again do floor nursing, they had no clue what they were getting into.

Repat · Jan 28, 2004

Well, Kentucky is showing a surplus of nurses, and one of the lowest compensation rates in the country (46th). I think that says more about Kentucky and its economic state than the state of nursing!

Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN · Jan 28, 2004

Why no stats for PA?

(Stats included for OH, NJ, NY, and WV.)

Kiwi, BSN, RN · Feb 1, 2004

very

fab4fan · Feb 1, 2004

Larry: I was wondering the same thing. Like they couldn't have gotten the necessary info.

I did get another survey with my licensce renewal this year. Sheesh! How many times do they have to hear it?

Used and abused · Feb 3, 2004

Originally posted by Hellllllo Nurse
My best friend was complaining about RN wages in KS being so low. Now I see why!

A SURPLUS of RNs in KS is expected by 2020.

Currently, pay for RNs in KS ranks 44th out of the 50 states!

That quote hit me square in the face!!
Two years ago, lost my job where I was working for 12 years. That same administration asked me to falsify records, asked me to work dangerous hours, asked me to work 7 days in a row, asked me to pick up a patient load that was against my union contract. I have skipped breaks, skipped lunches, skipped sleep.
When I got wiser as I got older and became a patient advocate I was suddenly asked to end my relationship with my place of work. I ended up in management in another facility, been there nearly 2 years now. Was asked to be at a task force for our Northern WIsconsin region to help to figure out how to end the nursing crisis, SAT ACROSS FROM THESE SAME INDIVIDUALS WHO COULDN T EVEN LOOK ME IN THE EYE AND LEFT THE MEETING EARLY.
My conscience is clear.

YukonSean · Feb 4, 2004

Your state is probably not represented because its nurses are not unionised. The posted web link is for the United American Nurses (UAN) union. As a Canadian, I am quite surprised to see such little unionisation, only around 20% of American RNs. In Canada, the vast majority of nurses belong to unions. Non-union employers are mainly nurse staffing agencies (often called 'registries'), or non-government organisations. The few hospitals without unions are considered to be undesirable employers, i.e., using casual employees ('per diem' in US vernacular) in order to avoid extending benefits to permanent staff, idiosyncratic hiring and firing practices as some of you have cited here, etc. For those interested, the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) is analogous to your UAN.

http://www.nursesunions.ca/

Sean

Pretzlgl · Feb 4, 2004

Originally posted by cheerfuldoer
[bI don't think they want educated nurses at all.......just hired hands with no voice who works like a robot and never breaks down. :rotfl:
I mean......don't you feel like a "handmaiden" at work today when working as a bedside nurse? You are not just "feeling" that way, it is expected of you to be that way to your "clients" (the patients and the visitors of your patients). It's no longer what nurses feel is best for their patients, but what the patient wants whether it is good for them or not.
[/b]

I just had a discussion w/ my husband today about this. I do feel like I am just performing tasks - not like it used to be at all. Hardly ever have time to adequately look at lab values, read the chart, etc. Most of my time is doing, doing, doing - and performing customer service. I am out of there - as soon as possible no more hospital nursing for me.

JudyPRN · Feb 4, 2004

Wow, what a hot topic! There is a PHD here who tells me and any one else listening, that there is no real shortage of nurses. There are enough who have a license to fill the needs of my state, IN. She maintains that we have a bunch of nurses who have a license, but due to the lousy working conditions, do not practice as nurses. I had wondered about that and now I will be able to read these reports and see if she's right or not. She believes that surveys are done by hospitals. If there aren't enough nurses they don't have to employ enough of us. That way they don't have to make the changes which would attract and hold nurses. I have to agree that some hospitals are probably saying this and using 'the shortage' to excuse the fact they don't have enough nurses. The general hospital here in town is my facility's biggest recruiting factor. They 'pride' themselves on not paying a competative wage, they treat their nurses badly, and have expected nurses to pay 100% of their health/dental/vision insurance. My facility has full benefits, they pay 98% of my health insurance, and all of my dental, stuff and the facility has a union in place for public employees. My job is protected. (Even when we try to fire someone who has blatantly violated policy, we can't hardly do it.) I have worked in many settings and have stayed in this mental health facility for 22 years. While not everything is hunky dory, it is better than the local. I hadn't thought about facilities wanting to dump the highest paid folks, but that does explain all the ads in the paper. I'm looking forward to retiring, but wonder who will be there to care for me when I fall and break my hip?

Used and abused · Feb 4, 2004

You have that 100% right. Conditions are horrible for nurses in hospitals. The administration should get off their butts and see what the floors are like. The managers are put in ridiculous positions of either sitting on their butts or heads in a hole in the ground. Health care is expensive for RNs.

Conditions are bad, yes! Safe? No. No other professional takes as much abuse as nurses.

Yes I am working in managment now, but I go on the floor and work too. I will never want to forget how difficult it can be, and gain respect by being willing to don a glove and help wipe butts.

Makes me feel like a team player too.

Non union now. They can go screw themselves. Didnt help me when they wanted to get rid of the older nurse.

Things will change because they have to.