Managerial ABUSE of Nurses

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I believe we need to arise and specify and list the abuse of nurses by management. AND draft a Bill of Rights . Hopefully , and I say hopefully . (nurses can be somewhat uncohesive) we can then sign on and one by one professionally demand that it be honored by management. Not all hospitals will not ever unionize , nursing leadership have not subscribed and demanded attention to this issue, nursing educators are collectively educating us on this Soooo....what do we do when there should be a bill of rights, code of professional conduct ? If I am unaware , please shout at me but I have had enough of beating up of nurses by their own and hospital managements. Who is going to take care of these patients??? nurses are in shortage , there are more patients, baby boomers are coming on , hospitals are thinking pts are consumers ..Hahahahahaha. Oh I am having a heart attack well lets see where should I go ??? Oh the nurse got attacked , ohhh that's not good. Oh the nurse never gets her "break" ahhh that is a lunch, which in most cases is 30 min of unpaid time. Oh well we are letting the nurses donate 30 min of their pay everyday they work . They can eat snacks out of their pocket or something similar. Some hosp have a rule NO food or drink , not even bottled water, in the work area . This hosp did not offer coverage to assignments for nurse to get a food water time when busy. So am I to think they want a nurse to follow the rules and have a nurse work at a rapid pace for 12.5 hrs without food or water.....Hmmmmmm. I am an old nurse and I am sick of managers demanding and not providing , in other words NOT MANAGING. I have never seen the likes of whit I am seeing and believe me , I used to donate time , sleep in PACU to do uncoverable situations and a huge number of other things for a caring struggling hospital that was not top heavy in consumer, blah blah.. managers. There is an ASPCA?? for the prevention of cruelty to animals , elder abuse spousal abuse , child abuse and a host of others . why not a Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Nurses. We need national attention for these abuses.

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Specializes in critical care, ER, health policy.

Weel, it's really up to us, no?

There are multiple problems you have identified.

First, nurse managers do not represent their staff nurses, they work for the administration. CNO's are hired by CEO's, not elected by nurses. They do their master's bidding, and that is overtly demonstrated in staffing ratios, particularly on the "floors".

The California experience has shown us, as nurses, that we CAN do something about this. Problem is that it requires SOME effort on our part, and that seems to be the problem in getting anything done. There is NO doubt that patient care suffers under understaffing. A new book out (just a union...of nurses) talks about this very issue and shows how the California bedside care nurses accomplished this feat. No other state has been able to do this because it is opposed by the American Hospital Association which is the 5th most powerful lobbying group in the country (and I must say they are supported by the American Association of Nurse Executives AONE) in their efforts.

This political "fracture" in nursing has been going on since 1903, and it has subjugated nursing and nurses to "others".

Is it time we changed this- YES

Can we change this- YES

Can we do it as individual nurses- NO

Is there a nursing organization which is trying to do something about all this- YES

You don't have to be unionized to support the NNU efforts. You can join and support them for $60 a year, as I have. They have a proven track record of political success for patient safety/realistic ratios.

Unfortunately, for all of us, the vast majority of nurses will do nothing.

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Specializes in Oncology, Med-Surg.

MOst nurses vote with their feet.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Cardiology..

I agree something needs to change I am beyond sick and tired of being treated like **** by management! Especially when respect is one of the company's said morals.

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I'm generally anti-union, however I do see a benefit to nurses being unionized, as long as the overall goal is better patient outcomes.

In my short 16 years in nursing I've observed many nurses who become competely spineless when "abused" by management. By spineless I mean they completely give in and fail to make the slightest effort to defend themselves or assert themselves. Then what happens is they go behind the managers back an complain up a storm. When I make a suggestion as to what they could do, the reply is just more complaining. It is as though the person complaining dosn't want a soloution or is afraid to be part of the soultion. I have seen this often enough that I think it is a real problem in nursing and part of the reason why nurses are treated as they are. Granted it might just be a cultural thing in the part of the country I live in.

One thing to consider regarding staffing is the fact that the money just isn't there to pay for the extra staff we may feel we need. We can make demands but in the end we might just be out of luck until the overall industry changes.

This is where I think the focus of unions should be, in lobbying politicians and other power brokers to change the system. I don't believe changing the system means punishing those who profit either, it means changing the way we do business. Healthcare is a buisness, like it or not, and profit is a huge incentive for getting things done.

Maybe we need to make people realize more that nurses contribute hugely to the bottom line, not take from it.

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I so agree with you blondebabe0625. It is a slap in the face because the mission statement talks a good talk ,but is not being carried out. Doesn't the mission stations look nice on facility letter head and plaques throughout the facility and if one works where I work, on one's badge. It just makes me want to scream!!!!

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MOst nurses vote with their feet.

Exactly. Yet another "Bill of Rights" will only get lost in the "noise" generated by the myriad such documents. Meanwhile, most people do not understand, nor even recognize, the existence of the actual and original Bill of Rights.

Although, maybe it such a thing were given a name, such as "__________'s Law", it may be passed. ;)

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We have a "Bill of Rights". Whistleblower policy, ha,ha. What a laugh. I made the mistake of being a whistleblower!!! Don't ever tell. They will get you!!!!! 3 more years and I am out of nursing. I love the patient care, hate the abuse from management and co-workers. Management really does not care if nurses are abusive to each other, neglect patients or are unethical. It's all about looking good to the government regulatory body! They can have policies coming out of their ying yang, all talk!

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Well at least a union MAY, and I say MAY in large letters, protect you from SOME forms of management abuse. At least they have to give you your breaks then LOL. Were I work I am the only nurse for 100 people and I have 1 unregulated care provider on evenings. Most of our patients are long term care, flight risks, frail, post - op even. My God its a recipe for disaster. But everything LOOKS great on PAPER!

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I gave 38 years of my life to a hospital in Peoria Ill. I was proud to do so, until I had a new manager who was 27 been a nurse for 6 years and the most unhappy person I have ever met. She was given the job by her friend she is terribly immature she hates her husband she has shared stories about him that no one wants to hear. She will babotage humiliate you publically in front of co=workers. She has gotten rid of one nurse who was a great LIFE flight nurse, bullyed her until she quit she also left a grevience letter as well as I did. I believe this to be age discrimination because the manager is intimidated by nurses who do know a lot more then she ever will. Who will be next ? she calls me at home to harass me threaten me this is illegal to call people at home unless it is to ask them to work. How does she get away with her malicious behavior her director is her friend. Why do we have to take this abuse every one is afraid of losing there jobs, there homes there cars this is inhuman

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Nurses have a difficult time trying to bring about change because on the whole, we have spent our lives and careers trying not to rock the boat. We have families to support, bills to pay, and depend on a job to do it. The PTB have us by our throats so we just keep our heads down and get the job done. Many of us are just focused on getting through the shift, the week, the month...paycheck to paycheck. Survival mode.

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