Nurses: Let's put our brilliant minds together

[favflu]

hi registered professional nurses,

i believe it is time to take control of our profession, by putting our brilliant minds together and come up with some solutions that will be helpful in HEALTHCARE REFORM. After all, who knows more about how the health care system works than us. We are the patient's advocate, we listen, educate, assess, observe, implement treatment, provide homecare visits, we work as a interdisciplinary team. No other profession can match what we do, and yet we are under payed. so lets put on our thinking caps and go. when we have enough ideas, someone can put all of them together and send them to the whitehouse. HOW ABOUT THAT.

EACH NURSE CAN PUT HIS OR HER IDEA, AND GIVE THE RATIONALE WHY YOU THINK IT SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED.

1) MORE URGENT CLINICS SHOULD BE PLACED ACROSS THE STATES, ESPECIALLY IN RURAL AREAS. THIS WILL PROVIDE HEALTH PROMOTION AND DISEASE PREVENTION

NEXT----

[thinkertdm]

I don't want to be a stick in the mud, but it seems to me the bigger problem is finding money to pay for these ideas. You mention more urgent care clinics- perfect idea, but where will the money come from to pay the doctors and nurses who work there?

Many nurses on these forums know many places are already not hiring, and in fact, there are more patients per nurse.

[MAISY, RN-ER, BSN, RN]

Maybe the millions of dollars could come from the money saved from people maintaining, or preventing an illness rather than the millions it costs to attempt emergency and the results of Non-care.

I am all for clinics.....and anything else that will stop the influx of the very sick and emergent!

Maisy

[breaktime]

Maybe the millions of dollars could come from the money saved from people maintaining, or preventing an illness rather than the millions it costs to attempt emergency and the results of Non-care.

Those are long term savings. Clinics require capital to open and operate and future (possible) profits aren't going to provide that capital. Unless we want to go with some sort of mark to market strategy, but you just have to look at Enron to see how that works out in the end...

Unfortunately, this country and in reality the rest of the world is run by greed. Trace the vast majority of problems the world faces back to the source, and it almost invariably comes down to greed. Until (more likely unless, as thinking it will is probably wishful thinking) that changes, some of the biggest problems aren't going to get solved, and not for lack of good ideas. Further, ideas aren't really what bring about change, plans are what bring about change. Any idea, without a plan to put that idea into practice, doesn't do anyone much good.

I do applaud your intentions however, and I'm not claiming that someone won't come with an idea, and someone else come up with a plan that ends up bringing about an improvement. By all means, I hope that does happen!

[MAISY, RN-ER, BSN, RN]

How much has the past 8 years cost us in military expenditure? That was without thought to cost and continues to be a drain that continues to bleed our future generations into tremendous debt.

Why are our citizens considered as disposable when we are the ones being taxed for everything else?

There are so many things wrong with the way money is distributed in this country and it seems that if you have it, make it, or live in an area where the fallout really doesn't affect you-people just seem blase' about the negative outcomes.

What happens as this worsens? When we increase over 50%, 60%, 70%? Are we going to build more gated communities to keep those without away from us?

I know the answer isn't what we have already done but lies in the future and Americans finally looking at their neighbors and acknowledging them as such. Worthy of caring, worthy of healthcare, worthy of our time.

Maisy

[htrn]

Can we start by calling people on the carpet for abuse of the ER and EMS systems! How about establishing a process where potential abuse of EMS/ERs can be reviewed by a case manager and addressed with the offenders to identify a more practical solution and guidelines for using those services - unless you are blue and pulseless call this number before going to the ER for a hang nail (for the 3rd time this week).

Just my 2 cents

[MAISY, RN-ER, BSN, RN]

At this point in my area the number one abuse and number two abuse of the ER comes in the form of I don't want to do my labs as an outpatient (because I am me, and my time is valuable) or two, PMD sending patient in for (guess what) immediate workup because I don't know, don't want to get sued, don't want to wait FOR WHAT? OH THOSE SAME LABS AND TESTS THAT COULD BE DONE OUTPATIENT.

Abuse in the form of primary care because someone has Medicaid, and or is uninsured is called a healthcare disparity-AS IN no access to care. Where else is someone going to go? Even for those with Medicare, and health insurance; the waits for physician visits when you are sick is increasing and many are not taking new patients.

What is an American to do? We need to stop blaming the patients for processes that are out of their control; educate so that they may assume control of their illnesses and their lives; and provide the care that will maintain rather than try to fix a non-managed disease that is out of control.

Maisy:twocents: