Let's call Oprah

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Maybe someone with the time and desire can try to convince Oprah's staff to do an expose on nurses and how we are treated? My opinon is she is a corporate suck-up and wont touch this.

Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

Why even bother with Oprah, or even the likes of Geraldo, or Larry King. They are all overpaid scumfeeding bottom dwellers.

None of them are remotely serious about anything except their ratings and their inflated paychecks and or egos.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.

It is very unlikely that you will draw any major media coverage worthy of addressing nursing issues seriously until the profession is united and organized in its efforts. The problems in nursing and the difference in oppinions in relation to finding a solution are so vast that it has weakened your voice. There is disagreement over level of entry, pay based on experience vs. pay incentives to attract new grads, scope of practice, use of LPNs and ulicensed assistive staff, unions, use of agency nurses,etc...the list goes on and on. We need one united loud voice with clearly defined demands and solutions to reach our goals. Just my two cents.

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If you guys want some good media coverage, why not organize a two day rally for nurses at Washington D.C.? Something similar to the Million Man March, we'll have a Million Nurse March. This will sure grab the media's attention and perhaps bring some of the issues to public attention. It is through grassroots organizing that invokes change in our country.

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[color=#465663]first let's stop the bickering and infighting as it accomplishes nothing and gets us nowhere fast.

we need to "re-brand" the problem: the us does not have a "nursing crisis"

the us has a: "nursing exodus"

why is this point so important?

because the so called "nursing crisis" is fueling the problem by allowing greedy self-serving for-profit hospitals to continue their campaign of deliberate under-staffing. it gives these healthcare facilities the perfect excuse to mandate overtime, deny breaks, overburden nursing staff with excessive call and replace those who are driven out by these measures with new nurse grads or untrained assistive personnel. we know that it is these policies that are driving nurses to leave the nursing profession in droves. nurses will not accept more abuse and the ongoing dangerous compromises in patient care, but we do another disservice to the integrity of nurses by allowing the media to focus on pay issues alone. most nurses who have left still maintain their nursing license: we need to offer tangible solutions for how to bring these disillusioned nurses back into nursing.

here are just a few of the 250 links that i have included in my petition; testimony provided by nurses with suggestions for correcting these problem with tangible solutions.

http://edworkforce.house.gov/hearings/107th/fc/nurses92501/mccullough.htmsept. 2001 testimony before committee on education & the workforce

http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/nursing/nacnep/shortagetestimony.htmnursing shortage issues hrsa: multiple links http://www4.nationalacademies.org/news.nsf/isbn/0309090679?opendocument substantial changes required in nurses' work environment to protect patients from health care errors: the national academies

http://www.leg.state.nv.us/70th/minutes/am-hh-990406-ab586.html testimony in nevada proposing changes in legislation

someone with stronger computer skills than me could set up an online channel for appealing to political representatives, oprah etc. the typical page is a data entry format with boxes for name, address, e-mail etc. the state is selected in one box that triggers contacts to the appropriate senators, members of congress and the governor for that particular state. you provide a basic standardized form letter with the main impact of your message spelled out. tell a political representative realistic ways to fix a very serious problem and they may just listen. battles over pay are best left out as they are easily seized upon as the sole motivation and other avenues, like nursing unions, are more appropriate for raising pay issues.

there is then a sign and send option with possibly a print out version too for those who want to mail a letter. when you press send an e-mail submission is automatically routed to the representatives for your state. this is not about which letter or e-mail gets read, it is about volume. the print out option would have your message with the sender's address and the correct address for the sender to mail it to at the top. the reminder to: "please place this in a red envelope and mail to the above" might be heeded by at least a proportion of the potential snail mail senders. i think the red envelope idea is a good one as it also provides an easily recognizable press "hook." the headline "hundreds of red envelopes descended on capitol hill......." would be a great start to a media blitz. "beware of the red snow!"

most people now want the easy out of the electronic message, but simplicity is the key to boosting numbers. you can use the same approach to appeal to oprah: we create a form letter that can be sent electronically. you can even suggest a "cut and paste" option to direct nurses to take your letter and splice it into their oprah message in her web site box. this would provide uniformity and an uncomplicated demand for her to take action: simplicity is the key to boosting the number of responses.

we then create a press release that states the aims of our campaign to "end the nurse exodus;" or whatever really says it all, we are up for suggestions here. we can use pr free to disseminate that message to newspapers and media outlets across the us. the press release would direct people to "go to" the site where signatures could be added to letters to representatives and oprah. have an optional box that has "nurse?" "healthcare professional?" or "concerned potential patient?" i do not know how to set up this data entry box thing, but there are examples of this all over the internet. who knows how to get this done and is prepared to take this on. it would have greatest impact if we create an organizational name and even better if we launch during nurses week! i suggested t.e.a.m.: "transparency for equal accountability in medicine," but others may have a better idea on this. timing is crucial with pr so if a new campaign with a new site is created then that is when the release has to go out; yesterday's news is not news.

content: there are different initiatives being proposed in various parts of the country. instead of reinventing the wheel we need to ask our representatives to adopt the bills being proposed elsewhere. we all know what patient care issue areas we most need to target: mandated overtime; nurse patient ratios; the relief break policy; the call in policy; regaining decision making control; whistleblower and retaliation protections. new jersey just introduced new whistleblower protections for healthcare staff, but it appears california is leading the way in other areas. we need to cherry pick the best ideas from around the country. here are three of the examples that i included in the links of my petition:

http://www.njwec.org/fs_cepa.html new jersey on employee duty to report & rights to protection

http://www.theorator.com/bills109/s351.html the bill: "safe nursing & patient care act 2005:

http://www.nccusl.org/update/uniformact_summaries/uniformacts-s-meta.aspmeta: ending "at will firing

the nurse to patient ratios cannot afford to be overly simplistic; it is not just the number of nurses on duty but safe experience levels in the nursing staff mix. relying on a certain number of assistive personnel is fine as long as ratios of supervision levels are safe, training is adequate and they do not simply provide a cheap replacement for experienced nursing care. if the patients had a clear idea of how experienced their nurse was from a mandatory displayed badge then the hospitals would not get away with their policy of replacing all tenure nurses with less experienced staff.

when a minimally trained nursing assistant is referred to as a "nursing associate" the patient has the false impression that they have an associate degree level of training. this works well for hospital under-staffing to maximize profits, but it guarantees unsafe patient care. this title was introduced to deviously disguise inadequate training: we need standardized titles for assistive personnel with matching standardization of their training as directed by experienced nurses. assistive roles should provide a steady progression of training levels that lure less experienced staff into full nursing training as a reward for dedication and years of service. entry level workers who see the possibility of proper training to a higher level as a realistic option for the future if they work hard and stick with the job feel invested in the job. healthcare facilities need good thorough cleaning to control infection rates and nurses need proper backup with staff who will fetch supplies and stock areas.

we all need to start working as a team and thinking as a team. this has always been important to me after spending so many years as a crew member offshore; a captain needs all crew members to pull together as a team. i was on the first us women's challenge yacht racing team campaigning to compete in the 1989/90 whitbread round the world race. when we failed to get sponsorship i did one grueling southern ocean leg aboard the maxi "with integrity" and watched my best friend swept overboard into the icy water at 50degres south. he was in the frigid water for 30minuts and almost died; it made me realize how important it was to function as a strong unified team. this near tragedy reinforced my team ethic as i formulated my own whitbread racing team in preparation for the next race, but it was not to be. hurricane andrew compelled me to disband team pro-maxi and go join medical volunteers in devastated south dade; it was the eureka moment that coaxed me into medicine.

i bought my boat captain "team" thinking, "team" ethic with me into the medical arena. i draw many parallels with what works to make situations safe at sea since a serious medical emergency demands the same type of team commitment to work well, remain focused and maintain a safe environment for the patient. we need the public to join us in our team commitment to patient safety. this is why i came up with the team name as my suggestion for an organization name, just my two pence worth. all other positive suggestions up for grabs, but let's not procrastinate about this as what needs doing, needs doing now! also, while all input must be respected, we should at least try to keep this positive..........

fair winds & following seas, tsunami kim.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I think Sharon's idea has much merit.

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We need one united loud voice with clearly defined demands and solutions to reach our goals. Just my two cents.

That is what we, the nurses of the Nurse Alliance of SEIU are stating. Nurses throughout the country are joining in the conversation about solutions to the healthcare crisis that is gripping this nation and is undermining the quality of care we can provide for our patients. Visit the following website: www.valuecarevaluenurses.org and be part of the solution!!

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too late to write much now and i will be off line tomorrow. moveon.org use the e-mail your representative tactic i mentioned earlier; we should contact them for tactical help on how to do this. also my friend in maryland who started lariam action usa said we should select one of our members from chicago to contact the harpo studios there and arrange to go in for a one on one meeting re doing a show on nurses. she thinks oprah is a great avenue due to her likely sympathetic target audience and the length of her shows. 60 minutes will give you less than 20minutes on a segment and she knows this stuff first hand. she says tell oprah we are giving her first option and make it sound like all the networks are hot on our tail.

by the way for all you service men’s wives out there: if your husband took lariam, an anti-malarial medication, while serving overseas you should go to her site and find out more about this highly toxic drug. the site is lariam action usa, check it out,

tsunami kim.

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On Oprah's website she has a spot to suggest topic for shows. I actually suggested that she do a show about nurses about 6 months or less ago. Maybe if more people went to Oprah's website and suggested it, we may get a response? :idea: It's worth a try anyway, maybe we could be on a Oprah's favorite things show!!!:lol2:

Can you give us all Oprah's website? That way by bombarding it with requests and stories we could see her response, and call the question on her.

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Can you give us all Oprah's website? That way by bombarding it with requests and stories we could see her response, and call the question on her.

Oprah.com

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We need to inform the public! We should have someone with power contact the producers and have nurses on the show. Why stop with OPRAH?

contact Lou Dobbs, Tim Russett, Anderson Cooper. Let's really get the word out, after all this effects every one in the US. Sooner or later a member of their family, or a friend will be in the hospital. Let's do something now!! No more just discussing. We need to take action!

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Done!! I sent the producer of Oprah's show an e-mail stating I thought they should do a show where bedside nurses can share their story with the public.

Who is the next nurse that is going to send the same request? You know how this works, right? A lot of requests generates curiosity at the very least, and then the show will happen!!!

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Done!! I sent the producer of Oprah's show an e-mail stating I thought they should do a show where bedside nurses can share their story with the public.

Who is the next nurse that is going to send the same request? You know how this works, right? A lot of requests generates curiosity at the very least, and then the show will happen!!!

I have also sent an request. I work at a for profit hospital in Nevada. It is very evident that the Profit comes before patient care. We are currently in contract negotitions and they said they were not intrested in discussing nursing or unit ratios. This hospital has hired a big union busting firm, which is scarring the workers with mistruths. It is these kind of things that make me want to leave nursing. I have been a nurse for 24 yrs. The newer nurses I have been talking to one on the job for 6 months and one for 3 months are thinking about leaving the profession. We have to turn this around. There is not a shortage of nurses, but a shortage of nurses willing to work under the current bedside conditions.

I am proud to be nurse and part of the National Nurse Alliance.

KPJ RN

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