If salaries were higher......?

[Jenny P]

After reading Frog's thread about Nurse Agents, I have a hypothetical question for all of you: if the job is the same (as far as short staffing, mandatory overtime, etc.), would you be happier earning, say, $67./hr?

Would there be some changes due to the higher salary- changes in how much you are respected by employers, MDs, patients and their families? Do you think that your employer would treat you differently than they do now?

My own opinion is that things WOULD change in the workplace, there would be more respect for nurses who earn better salaries and more people would go into nursing, so the shortage would be eased in the future. But I'm not so sure what would happen in the actual workplace. I still think that if we continue to be forced to work short-staffed and mandatory overtime is still enforced, I still believe people would leave nursing at this time because of the lousy conditions.

What do you think?

[eagleriver]

When the Lord made man, all parts of the body

began to fight to see who would be boss.

The brain said that since it controlled all

the parts of the body, it should be boss.

The legs argued that since they took the man

wherever he wanted to go, they should be boss.

The stomach countered with the explanation that

since it digested all the food, it should be boss.

The eyes explained that since, without them,

the man would be blind and unable to see,

they should be the boss.

Then the rectum applied for the job.

The other parts of the body laughed so hard

that the rectum got mad and closed up.

After a few days the brain got foggy,

the legs got wobbly, the stomach got upset,

and the eyes were crossed and unable to see.

They all conceded and made the rectum boss.

The point is, if we attach levels of importance or superiority to our jobs, we are overlooking the reality that ALL parts of the body, organization, health care profession, or whatever institution need to be regarded as important enough to take measures to assure the well being of those parts. Additionally, all those parts deserve respect.

President Bush would soon find himself unable to function if his housekeepers abandoned him. What about his plumber or electrician. Somehow, I can't see the Secret Service doing a decent job of cleaning toilets or fixing pipes.

On the other hand, I think it would do Bush a lot of good to find himself cleaning his own toilet once in a while.

If a DON is willing to empty a bedpan once in a while, it honors both the badpanner and bedpanee. Crosstraining is a good thing also - within reason. For the most part however, the majority of an individuals work should be within the scope of their training and in a way that most effectively utilizes their talents.