Is anyone interested in a grass roots organization? An organization of nurses and other interested parties that tell the truth about health care: it's about the money and egoes, not the patient.
Does anyone know how to go about it? I'm serious. I'm a lousy manager. It would have to be grassroots because so much of the media is caught up, financially via advertising, with the health care players. Also, they don't seem to find nurses interesting.
I suggest The National Organizations of Nurses on Sabbatical, The "NONOS"; who say NO to -
Mediocrity, incompetence, dollars over patients;
Physicians handmaiden (not in my license)
Hospital gofer
We say YES to:
Professional role of nurses
Patients first
Respect for the professional nursing role.
Anyway, something like that. We could start with bumper stickers, small ads in papers.
Never have taken a sabbatical. I love nursing and am not going to switch careers. This new house keeps me from taking a sabbatical.
But I do believe in vacations. Fortunately the hospital I work for lets us take long vacations if we have the time. I took the month of September off, plus a 3 week vacation last March. I come back to work renewed and refreshed. Six months is about my limit, then I start to really need the time. I take it for me.
It would certainly get alot of attention, but mostly when the male staff started wearing them.
I understand that males comprise a very small percentage of active nurses, mainly because they leave the profession at a higher rate, but this may be part of the problem. If males are excluded by gender specificity, you will lose 4% of all possible support on day one.
You can get a company to logo anything. Companies that do that have the items that you use most, ready to print.
I have yet to find a facility that allows FT nurses to take as much time off as you do, 3rd shift guy. You must work in a very unusual facility...(or you are PRN) . With the 'shortages' and staffing crunches in my area requested vacation times are frequently denied. (at least long ones) They also browbeat the staff into donating the vacation time to another staffer in crisis (like they are the only deserving ones) One could say it's the nurses' fault for allowing the manipulation, but it sure leads to burnout having to fight tooth and nail for a well deserved day/week/month off.
Actual conversations: "You can't take this vacation you asked for 3 months ago because upper level administration has a freeze on agency and we have nobody to cover you." "You can't take your requested vacation time unless you find your OWN coverage for EVERY shift. " This usually means all nurses on killer OT if the nurse insists on going.
They may 'generously' allow FT staff 'short' vacations but only as staffing needs dictate. (ie on the hospital's schedule not the nurses) They freely put out notices 'no vacation time approved through the end of the year' or 'until further notice'...and have done this 1st of Sept many times.
This is why I feel fulltime facility nursing is like slave labor, and I see many nurses here agree with me. PRN is the only way to go if one doesn't need benes!!
It's the only way I survived in nursing this past 25 years to be honest...PRN and agency. :)
Have ya'll noticed hospitals hire fewer PRNs now??? They want more FT'ers to manipulate it seems...I'm looking for PRN work but finding only FT slots....which I will never do again.
Mistreated workers have found relief only through unionizing and collective bargaining. Unfortunately I don't see anything changing til this occurs and we force facilities to treat us better as a group ...like the textile workers and coal miners (and many other groups) did. Union voices are heard, nonunion voices are too weak.
I agree with MattsMom about unions - the best places I worked were surrounded by unions and did not want unions in. We got a lot of vactation but - if asked to work on a vacation day, you got paid for the vacation day AND time and a half. I bet they've changed that now.
Besides a union, though, I believe we need a professional organization that cares more for quality nursing than hospitals and doctors. Frankly, I find most national nurses organizations are afraid to hurt their feelings or something. They certainly put the needs of hospitals in front of the needs of the profession.
So, a professional union.
As for caps. OF COURSE men should wear them. They're nurses too, aren't they?? So, maybe we should all wear some cross between an old time nursing cap and a baseball cap.
I opt for no black band. I don't want to mourn Florence Nightengale for two reasons. First, the spirit of nursing - professional care of patients has survived despite her flaws. Second, I don't want to mourn the person who cursed the profession as she did.
I do not flame. If you disagree or don't understand, tell me or ask me. Then we can debate it.
Mattsmom. Sometimes I feel they shouldn't allow such long vacations, because it does leave us short. In ten years though I have never been denied a vacation request. I'm not prn but staff. I plan way ahead and ask four or five months in advance. They have been known to deny vacations, when more than one person takes off. It's only been recently that I've stretched my vacations out to a month. It is sooooo nice.
We have a supervisor that takes a seven week vacation every summer.
If we all had it as good as you, we'd all be happy too. Do you think it's us or the places we work? Just curious.
Seems to me you think it's us - even though Mattsmom requests vaction months in advance. Is it not enough months? Maybe we just don't get the vacations cause, well - when would the guys get off?
Or, since you've got yours, you don't want to worry about anyone else? Then why read about it?
Mattsmom. Sometimes I feel they shouldn't allow such long vacations, because it does leave us short. In ten years though I have never been denied a vacation request. I'm not prn but staff. I plan way ahead and ask four or five months in advance. They have been known to deny vacations, when more than one person takes off. It's only been recently that I've stretched my vacations out to a month. It is sooooo nice.
We have a supervisor that takes a seven week vacation every summer.
Where do you work, 3rd shift guy?? I wanna move there...LOL!
I was on a short sabbatical, only wished it could have been longer. I concur with Youda , Kona & others...my job totally sucked the life out of me..and yes, it made me lose my spirit. It truly made me sad.
Just posted this on https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=27383, but wanted to also reply to this thread. Like the bumper stickers. Could this forum use the revenues? for selling the bumper stickers or caps? How did we as nurses, probably the largest group of professionals ever allow nursing to come to this? Do coal miners work this hard? Not to be able to take a bathroom break or lunch or even a drink at times and feel selfish for the thought? I know nurses who take work home to do. unpaid work. Aren't there laws about this? Sorry, I get all fired up. :angryfire
Tweety, BSN, RN
36,284 Posts
Never have taken a sabbatical. I love nursing and am not going to switch careers. This new house keeps me from taking a sabbatical.
But I do believe in vacations. Fortunately the hospital I work for lets us take long vacations if we have the time. I took the month of September off, plus a 3 week vacation last March. I come back to work renewed and refreshed. Six months is about my limit, then I start to really need the time. I take it for me.