What solutions do you offer for stopping nurse abuse?

1. I am deeply interested in resolving the problems that face nurses today, and would love to hear your ideas of how to solve the various issues confronting nurses in the hospitals.
   
   Please state the major issues that are important to you to resolve, and share your professional take on how to resolve said issue(s).
   
   I am of the mindset that if I cannot make a positive difference in nursing today, I should leave the profession altogether. Just going to work everyday and doing nothing is NOT how I was raised! I simply MUST do something to help us nurses out.
   
   What say you nurses?

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2. 

   About live4today

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3. 
   Jul 22, '03

   Been pondering the same here lately, Renee.
   
   Just sent off a scorching letter (tactful, respectful, yet scorching) to our regional and area managers.. the "uppidies" in Admin.
   
   Voiced my STRONG concerns and disappointment in their revamping some of our previous policies, all of which further devalue the nuring profession, our selfesteem, selfrespect, as well as our paychecks. Not to mention the quality of care our patients receive due to their "costsaving" ploys.
   
   That had to be my FIRST step.. getting it off my chest, and not just HERE. Had to put my money where my mouth is.. and I may end up having to eat my words in the end.. we'll see. May not have anymore paychecks to buy bread after this letter...
   
   
4. 
   Jul 22, '03

   I think a lot of NurseKaren's activism threads are a GREAT start. Becoming an activist is a great start. THEN acting on that activism is the next step.........it takes a village, they say. In nursing, this is true. But it begins with me. I do not allow doctors and coworkers to disrespect me and I respect them in return. Respect is a two-way street; give some, you may get some. If not, demand/command it in your acts as a nurse daily. THAT is a start, anyhow.
5. 
   Jul 22, '03

   I guess I could have posted this on the Nurse/Activism thread. Thanks Deb! Don't know why I didn't think of that. Perhaps one of our lovely moderators can move this to Karen's Forum for me.
   
   Deb, I am like you. Give respect....get respect. If someone wants to be treated fairly, treat others fairly.
   
   jnette, it's awful what is happening to the nurses where you work. Good for you for writing that letter to your admin folk. And, if they fire you for speaking up for the cause of nursing, take them to court, and if that doesn't work, maybe Brian will let us take up a food collection for all of us nurses who will probably be following you out those employment doors for trying to make a difference in nursing today where we work. :chuckle
   
   We cannot cure the entire world, but nurse by nurse, we CAN make a tremendous difference if we really want change to come for us.
6. 
   Jul 23, '03

   You mean to tell me NO ONE has SOLUTIONS to stopping nurse abuse?????? Guess everyone is satisfied! Maybe I do need to come work where you all work so I can be a satisfied nurse too. Ya think?
7. 
   Jul 23, '03

   I too am not happy as a nurse where I work but I know it could be a great place to work and It wouldnt even take that many changes. My nurse manager is very paper and organiziation oreinted she needs to see the facts on paper. So what I have decided to do is make a pros and cons list along with some problem solving ideas. I have already left her a voice mail telling her that I would like to meet with her to discuss the pros and cons and problem solving ideas. I just did this this morning so I am waiting to hear. I would like to think that we floor nurses might be able to make a difference. We shall see.
8. 
   Jul 23, '03

   Nurse abuse by patients, co workers or management?
9. 
   Jul 23, '03

   Originally posted by Furball
   Maybe we should start with ourselves....go to this thread page 4. I couldn't believe what I read....from a "Christian" no less....
   
   
   https://allnurses.com/forums/showthr...threadid=39759
   
   "100% of my unit is Christian" and then the bullying behavior is described that is experienced by the nurses who have to float to that unit who may be different.

   I saw that post Furball, it gave me chills. I completely agree with you.
   
   Cheerfuldoer...I do whatever I can do...but, I see so much frustration at work because there seems to be a unified feeling of helplessness....it truly is frustrating. Morale is low, because nothing seems to change...just gets worse. Nurses are leaving the profession and doing something else, I may be joining them soon, I really don't want to...but, the environment is really starting to get to me and it is affecting my health.
10. 
    Jul 23, '03

    I would be interested in hearing from today's unionized nurses on this issue. I suspect that nurses get more respect and less abuse when we are organized into a group and have a third party ie union (which is all of us of course) to help resolve problems, and help mold policy to more nurse friendly environments.
    
    When I was union at the beginning of my career, we filed reports to our managers in triplicate and our union rep always got a copy. Sure seemed to help keep management in line...they knew that they couldn't bully one nurse into 'taking it' cuz we were documenting stuff on THEM.
    
    I truly feel organizing and becoming proactive will start to change things for the better for us.
    
    Good thread Renee!
11. 
    Jul 23, '03

    I do find I have been treated "better" in the unionized enviroment. What I mean by that is, the pay is a lot more fair/commensurate with the local economy and comparable to hospitals around us. Also, NO ONE has ever attempted to foist overtime on me when I have been unwilling or unable. I have never ever been told "you have to stay cause your replacement is not coming in today".
    
    Neither was true in the non-unionized hospital. I was paid horribly and was guilted too many times into overtime I did not want---even threatened once. Of course, I was a newer nurse then and more likely to let others push me around.
    
    Anyhow, I hate to see this become a *union versus NON-union* thread. That is not what Renee is looking for and we have TONS of those already. This is just me making my personal observations known here in response to Mattsmom's question. Just MY experience in both environments.
12. 
    Jul 23, '03

    Our nursing issues are so similar and yet so different but here are some of my thoughts that might give a different insight into the problems facing nursing.
    
    I. Identify the problems
    
    a) injury - too many are lost because of personal injury from lifting - often these are the nurses who WANT to stay but can't
    
    b) fear of litigation
    
    c) bad press and lack of understanding of our job
    
    d) administration driven by the dollar not the outcome
    
    E) bullying in the workplace
    
    2. knowledge of solutions
    
    Too many nurses in the USA seem to be leaving because of injury. You need to look at "no lift policies"
    
    So many threads here talk about the fear of litigation and elsewhere in the world a worker is covered by "vicarious liablity" which means that the employer is sued not the employee. It is a principle held under law that since they employed you they are responsible for your actions. The emploer can in turn sue the employee but since they are less likely to get return on this it is not often done.
    
    Our Union here in QLD is also our professional insurer (basically because no one else would do it). We DON't have to go hunting a lawyer - you go to the union.
    
    Talk to people around the world and see what thier solutions have been. This board is a good start
    
    3. Activism
    
    Nurses greatest failing is the ability to complain to each other without actually adressing the problem. I keep coming back to a calssic story about the ward that was converted to a day surgery unit and the terrible complaints of overwork from the staff. I went there for another issue and saw them runnign around wasting time looking for BP machines - tuens out there was only 2 for a 30 bed day surgery. when I asked why they had not petitioned for more tehy replied "mangement knows and doesn't care." Turned out management DIDN"T know and did care.
    
    The nurses had been talking to each other and not to management it is easier to grizzle amongst ourselves than to put oout money on the table.
    
    We also have to learn how to do this so that it becomes a win/win situation.

    Last edit by gwenith on Jul 23, '03
13. 
    Jul 23, '03

    Good advice, Gwenith. Trying to do my little part in my little section of the world. Nurse abuse often starts in nursing school. Trying to always be respectful to the students, to be fair, to go the extra mile.
14. 
    Jul 23, '03

    Thank-you Vicky I do believe that we have to share and pool our knowledge and you are right - nursing abuse often starts in the school but even when it doesn't it may be absorbed from the "hidden curriculm" of the clinical area.
    
    I have read the bullying thread and what is obvious is that often we have poor response techniques to bullying. we end up fighting fire with fire and wondering why we are sitting in the middle of a conflagration.
    
    One I forgot ot mention above and I know you will understand.
    
    We HAVE to adress the theory/practice gap. I see this and it's persistance as being a major problem with our profession. Recently I was reading a thread on vital signs and medications and marvelling at the disparity of opinion. Some are wedded to the "party line" of "you must assess all patients before you do anything else whilst others acknowledge the workplace restricitons and assess as required. I think it comes down to the basic difficulty in defining our primary role.

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