No Way To Honor Heroes

sjoe · Sep 16, 2002

Along these same lines, Sunday's 60 Minutes did a piece on the fact that, except for the capital city, promised aid to the rest of Afganistan has NOT been forthcoming from the US nor from the other countries in the world that said they'd help rebuild the country in order to fight terrorism. The country grows riper by the day for increased anti-American sentiment and actions because of this.

The US has such a long term reputation for lack of follow through on its promises (ask any veteran) it's a wonder that anyone believes our government, domestically or internationally.

semstr · Sep 16, 2002

Well, this ma be true, but I know for a fact, that there are at least 5 doctors and 25 nurses in Afghanistan at the moment, working for the "doctors sans frontier". They are collegues and friends of mine.

And I also know, that there is at least 1 Austrian Airline plane flying there every month with "goodies", cause I am one of the volunteers helping at the airport. (not every month, but I have been there 5 or 6 times)

Problem is: the planes have no where else to go but Kabul. It is not allowed they fly somewhere else. and then the problem of logistics is very big and not easy to find a solution.

but all in all, most countires promised and promised and do nothing or not enough.

A shame isn't it? Renee

sjoe · Sep 17, 2002

semstr--

It's always amazed me how docs and nurses can go to these places and try to help, knowing supplies and medications will be few or nonexistent, those supplies that do arrive tend to find their way quickly to the black market, there is not enough food, water, housing, clothing. The people are divided and killing each other all day and night.

It's just beyond me. I've just never had much tolerance for inefficiency and chaos (one reason I left hospital nursing some years ago), but situations like this are over the line. And most of them have to pay their own way and use up their vacation time in the process! Weird.

rncountry · Sep 17, 2002

I have to admire people who are willing to put their lives on the line to assist other human beings. without a doubt I know I would never be able to fly off to Afganistan or any other country to provide this service. I live in a little rural village of about 1500 people, not even a stop light in town. I thought I was being quite brave to ride the subway in Washington DC.

Julie I honestly believe major changes in nursing are on the way. The nursing shortage will demand it. I also expect every change will be fought tooth and nail, sometimes by nurses themselves. But those changes will come anyway, it may be slow at times, but it will happen. I also believe that as the nursing shortage impacts more and more as the population ages the outcry from the babyboomers will be so loud that the powers that be will have to make changes. The biggest question in my mind is will there be enough nurses who are willing to make a stand that the changes are the ones we want and not what others want for us. To that end I think it is vitally important that we grab the new nurses as they come out of school and educate them on what they need to do in order to be active in their profession and have their voices heard. One my unit we have students rotating through for clinicals all through the year. I do an inservice with each group on infection control and wound management. The end of my inservice is how to be politically active in the profession and why it is important. Much readily available information on the nursing shortage and causes as well as remedies are not being taught to these students, and I try mighty hard to rectify that. At the very end of this I encourage each student to come to this site so they can do things to educate themselves further. I don't know how much sticks but my hope is that some of it does, and the minute one of those new nurses has some doc yell at them, or some NM tell them to make do they know exactly how to react. Gotta do what little things may make a difference.

-jt · Sep 18, 2002

Thats the key. At the strike on Long Island at St Catherines of Siena which lasted 111 days, the nursing school instructors pulled their students out of clinicals at that hospital, taught them about what the nurses were trying to do & how it would benefit them & the pts (it was about forced ot & staffing ratios as well as recruitment/retention initiatives like compensation). The hospital was counting on having the students be scabs during the strike but surprise surprise - the school refused to allow the students to cross the strike line & used other hospitals for their clinicals. The instructors & the students also walked the strike line with the RNs. The students became aware, understood, spoke out, & will not be graduating as door mats.

sjoe · Sep 18, 2002

rncountry--excellent post, as usual.

rncountry · Sep 19, 2002

Yea to the instructors and students!!! I will include that in my next presentation. May give my CEO and NM a bit of a coughing fit if they find out, but I may also find that to be entertaining!

Thanks sjoe.