Joining the ANA and staffing issues

[Cheyenne RN,BSHS]

today i finally decided to join the ana. i hope that belonging to an organization with some political input will eventually help make some safe and positive changes in nursing that i am not able to do alone.

there are changes at our facility. they are eliminating some positions, such as the admissions/discharge nurse, while combining others. the corporate office ((all non-nurses naturally)) also want to increase our nurse/patient ratios and increase our job descriptions to include many of the tasks they eliminated by that other person on payroll.

a sort of do-more-with-less philosophy.

i work a telemetry med/surg floor where the acuity levels are off-the-wall and 99% of the patients are total care dependent.

we currently have one nurse to six patients and corporate wants to increase the ratio to 8/9 patients per nurse. i am getting older and i am not willing to loose my license because the corporate office wants to cut costs and pocket more $$$.

i decided that maybe joining the ana would give me some input into issues that face nurses. it seemed like a lot of money to join, but at this stage in my life, i think this may be the best way to elicit change. anyone have any other ideas?

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

While not everyone supports the ANA (particuarly their stance on the BSN vs ADN debate) I applaud you for not sitting on the sidelines and taking some action.

Good luck.

[tridil2000, MSN, RN]

today i finally decided to join the ana. i hope that belonging to an organization with some political input will eventually help make some safe and positive changes in nursing that i am not able to do alone.

there are changes at our facility. they are eliminating some positions, such as the admissions/discharge nurse, while combining others. the corporate office ((all non-nurses naturally)) also want to increase our nurse/patient ratios and increase our job descriptions to include many of the tasks they eliminated by that other person on payroll.

a sort of do-more-with-less philosophy.

i work a telemetry med/surg floor where the acuity levels are off-the-wall and 99% of the patients are total care dependent.

we currently have one nurse to six patients and corporate wants to increase the ratio to 8/9 patients per nurse. i am getting older and i am not willing to loose my license because the corporate office wants to cut costs and pocket more $$$.

i decided that maybe joining the ana would give me some input into issues that face nurses. it seemed like a lot of money to join, but at this stage in my life, i think this may be the best way to elicit change. anyone have any other ideas?

devote 1 day a month to write to your local congress/state officials, jchaco, your state health dept and local paper.

it's free online, or only the cost of a stamp.

you'd be amazed at the interest. it's very enpowering! more nurses should do this.

[Cheyenne RN,BSHS]

devote 1 day a month to write to your local congress/state officials, jchaco, your state health dept and local paper.

it's free online, or only the cost of a stamp.

you'd be amazed at the interest. it's very enpowering! more nurses should do this.

posted by tridil2000

i have written various news stations and congressional leaders in the past on issues of importance.

i don't know why i haven't thought of that idea already. :imbar

i am not sure that i would know how to present the issue of staffing and nurse to patient ratios to someone outside of the medical field.

any ideas?

[ZASHAGALKA, RN]

While not everyone supports the ANA (particuarly their stance on the BSN vs ADN debate) I applaud you for not sitting on the sidelines and taking some action.

Good luck.

Tweety, you anticipated me, you sly dog.

I can't/won't join ANA because they not only DON'T represent me; they actively advocate for my elimination.

In fact, I have argued extensively that the ADN vs. BSN debate is the wedge that keeps nursing from being unified PRECISELY BECAUSE our national organization only fully represents 35% of nursing as a result.

They'll take my money, but only to spit in my eye. And they won't even take an LVN/LPN's money. What, they aren't nurses?

Nurses DO need a national organization to represent ourselves. The ANA is NOT that organization. But hey, that was their choice.

~faith,

Timothy.

[PANurseRN1]

What Timothy said.

[willtm]

What Timothy said.

I agree with what Timothy said too:)

The hospital I work at has been threatening similar things--increase patient loads, do away with admit nurse. I also joined a nursing organization, the National Nurses Organizing Committee. It's a competitor to the ANA, but the aim is toward direct patient care RNs rather then management RNs.

Website is: http://www.calnurses.org/nnoc/

[Cheyenne RN,BSHS]

i agree with what timothy said too:)

the hospital i work at has been threatening similar things--increase patient loads, do away with admit nurse. i also joined a nursing organization, the national nurses organizing committee. it's a competitor to the ana, but the aim is toward direct patient care rns rather then management rns.

website is: http://www.calnurses.org/nnoc/

thanks for the web site. i have already looked it over and it really sounds like more of what i would want. i want to support the nurses at the bedside and on the floors doing direct patient care.

i also read an article today about an organization that works to improve the image of nursing in the media. i have sent in my email address to them to stay updated. this new site gave me food for thought too.

http://www.nursingadvocacy.org/action/action.html

being older may mean that i have to choose my battles more carefully, as well as "how" to do battle with the most impact. i did not realize that there were more organizations out there besides the ana.

[PANurseRN1]

nursingadvocacy.org is a very good organization