Make Nursing Better

[OR1stRN]

More pay? Better hours? Fewer patients?

All of these things would be helpful but I think RESPECT is the real answer.

You can't even touch a flight attendant without committing a federal offense and yet a nurse can get verbally abused, physically threatened and assaulted by a patient or a family member or a physician then be called in to explain the situation in administration.

If the hospital administration, physicians or patients thought about it... we nurses are not replaceable. We are interchangeable but you have to have a nurse to do the work.

It's ridiculous that they talk and worry about the "nursing shortage" and yet walk all over the nursing staff by overloading us then griping about the charting, or the fact that we clock a "no lunch" or gripe at us about the patient complaints because they had to wait too long.

They want to extend the privileges of non-degreed or unlicensed personnel to pass medications, to circulate operating rooms or to assist with procedures and we have to supervise these people. Isn't that our license they are using?

Nurses need RESPECT. Every time we do not report misbehavior, each time we take 1-2 extra patients, when we don't clock a "no lunch" after we have worked 8 hours of a 12 hour shift and don't get "30 minutes away from our work station" to just eat... we allow ourselves to be disrespected, to be devalued and to be demoralized.

Doctors sometimes think nurses are "trained monkeys" and yet only want certain nurses to take care of their patients.

Will administration take the side of the 10-year employee or the side of the Medicaid drug seeker who was verbally threatening the nurse and had security called to haul them out? Yes, it was the drug seeker, who won't pay a dime to the hospital, who gets satisfaction. And they wonder why we don't have retention in nursing.

Did security respond when an ER nurse was being pummeled? No, we had to call the cops.

I am tired of seeing nurses leave the practice. To them, it's not "worth it" and I believe it is. We MUST gain respect by reporting staffing shortages, refusing overtime (most states have laws regarding the hours allowed daily), taking our lunches away from work, charting or phone calls, taking potty breaks often (old people and healthcare workers have the highest rate of UTI's and pyelonephritis), and writing up patient's abuse of nurses or staff when they occur.

I encourage you all to get in the ring and put on your gloves. Don't expect a fair fight and watch out for the "kidney punches". As I tell my kids, "when you fight, expect to get hurt".:stone

[orrnlori, RN]

You know, your post got me to thinking about teachers. Some teachers face many of the things you have in your post, over regulation and paperwork, physical safety in the classroom, too many students, teachers called on the carpet because of poor performance of students, etc. Just think how powerful the NEA is. It's a shame we don't have anyone to lobby for us like teachers have to lobby for them. But I don't see it ever happening. I'm so disgusted with the ANA that I can't even put it into words. Well, I agree with much of what you say.

[mattsmom81]

Nurses have prioritized with their families first, job second in many cases...they don't make waves because they want to keep the job. I agree with much of what you say too and I also understand the generations of complacency on the part of nurses has allowed the situation to get so out of hand. I too believe organization is the answer...because to speak out alone generally brings down the wrath of everyone in the healthcare arena down on on's lone head, unfortunately. I hope I live to see effective organization by nurses become more widespread. I salute the nurses in New York and California and others who are paying the price and fighting the good fight. I hope to live in a union area again someday. It is job suicide to say the U word here.

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

If the ANA would serve as a national nursing union and actually do something for its members - it would have no problems gaining members and the collective voice of nurses could be heard, loudly and clearly. It would be hard to bring in strike breakers from other states if the nurses in those states were in the same union.

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

If the ANA would serve as a national nursing union and actually do something for its members - it would have no problems gaining members and the collective voice of nurses could be heard, loudly and clearly. It would be hard to bring in strike breakers from other states if the nurses in those states were in the same union.

[sleepless in norman]

I have known for years nurse's have to many battle fronts to defend, 1) Patient/Pt. familly situations 2) Physicain situations 3) Board of Nursing situations 4) Nurse vs. Nurse situations 5) The self destructive power of a Nurse.

[sleepless in norman]

I have known for years nurse's have to many battle fronts to defend, 1) Patient/Pt. familly situations 2) Physicain situations 3) Board of Nursing situations 4) Nurse vs. Nurse situations 5) The self destructive power of a Nurse.

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

I have known for years nurse's have to many battle fronts to defend, 1) Patient/Pt. familly situations 2) Physicain situations 3) Board of Nursing situations 4) Nurse vs. Nurse situations 5) The self destructive power of a Nurse.

I refuse to deal with #4 (better things to do with my time) and I did not inherit #5, but suffer from it by association.

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

I have known for years nurse's have to many battle fronts to defend, 1) Patient/Pt. familly situations 2) Physicain situations 3) Board of Nursing situations 4) Nurse vs. Nurse situations 5) The self destructive power of a Nurse.

I refuse to deal with #4 (better things to do with my time) and I did not inherit #5, but suffer from it by association.