opinions on statements made by educator in this article

oramar · Aug 24, 2001

The statement "Beatty was amoung 40 educators and administrators who met yesterday to discuss ways to solve the shortage" got my dander up. Where are the real nurses? I admire Bebecca Beatty's candor in admitting the phone call from a new grad attempting to take care of 30 patients on an oncology unit made her uncomfortable. It makes all of them uncomfortable but usually their reactions range from denial to blaming the nurse. All the solutions to the problems offered like the career ladder for NAs, tuition reimbursement and career fairs at high schools are fine but what about RIGHT NOW. Miss Beatty's failure to outright support Mandatory Overtime Legislation is inexcusable. Does she think that nurse who is taking care of 30 patients can handle another shift? The best thing about the whole article is the last two paragraphs, they make some good points there. Of course the fact that an article like this appears at all is a good thing also.

Jenny P · Aug 24, 2001

Oramar, according to the article, these remarks were made at a forum sponsered by the PSNA for nurse educators and administrators. The interesting things about this are: 1) this was a small group of nurses and it was published in the local business news section of the paper; 2) although a small group of nurses, think of the potential power that this group has-- the educators of nursing students, aand the nursing administrators who have the possible power to advocate to increase nursing salaries and hire more nurses in the workplace. And 3) this was a forum sponsored by the PSNA, part of the ANA, which has been so vocal in bringing the nursing shortage to the publics' attention.

I am sure that if this meeting would have occured even 1 year ago, it wouldn't have hit the newspapers then. And even though it is such a small group of nurses, the potential political clout that this group has may cause some positive changes in the local area.

The idea of 1 nurse- and a new grad at that!- having 30 oncology patients and no help just scares the daylights out of me!!! I hope that that educator was a lot more emphatic in telling that new nurse to quit than the way the article put it.

mustangsheba · Aug 25, 2001

Two things stand out loud and clear: 30 patients anywhere no matter how much experience is outrageous. That's about 15 minutes per patient in an 8-hour shift - no breaks, no phone calls, and don't anyone dare spike a fever or call for pain meds. Overtime is never okay unless it is agreed to by the person working. Everybody's biorhythms are different and it depends on how horrendous the preceding shift has been. Mandatory overtime is not acceptable under any circumstances. I worked with a new grad who was working 16 hrs. evening/night and agreed to double back the next day. How safe can she possibly be. She was a little bit zombie like at 2200 and she still had the whole night to go.

cargal · Aug 25, 2001

Oramar and all:

Here is Pa state representative Patricia Vance's email. Please tell her what you think of mandatory overtime and if she doesn't support legislation bannig it, more nurses will flee the profession. Here she blows: [email protected] . This is the woman in the article who stated she may not support it. Let her come and work.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Aug 25, 2001

RE PA Nursing Shortage:

Penna. Cable Network (PCN) is carrying TV coverage ofNursing Shortages : PA State Nurses Association this SATURDAY Aug. 25th at 9:10PM for anyone interested.

Also, Check out PCN'c coverage Sunday, Aug.26th @4:40 PM

Drug Related Deaths

PA House Urban Affairs Committee, Philadelphia.

oramar · Aug 26, 2001

The article I posted was based on the program Karen recommended in previous post. I made two mistakes in my original post based on the impression the article gave. 1st of all there were people at the meeting who were actually working at the bedside. The article did not say that. Secondly, Rebecca Beatty was not the person who made the statement that she could not support anti mandatory overtime legislation. It was Patiricia Vance the Pa representative who made that statement. I am going to email Patricia and ask her if she thinks the nurse working with 30 patients by herself should stay for an extra shift. I commend Rebecca Beatty as a nurse and a educator because she did not allow that situation with 30/1 patient nurse ratio to stand as it was. She called some sort of patient safety board in on facility and the managment found themselves giving testifmony at a hearing. She really impressed me as a human being and a professional. All these PCN hearings have been very informative to me and I feel a spark of hope based on what I am hearing.

Jenny P · Aug 26, 2001

WAY TO GO PENNSYLVANIA! PCN is going to be your best friend yet! Maybe it's time someone wakes up and smells the coffee! One of you Pennsylvania nurses needs to grab that Patricia Vance and have her shadow you for 8 or 12 hours; or maybe a bunch of you can do a daily journal of a routine shift and let her see for herself what nurses do and then ask her why she wants nurses to put in another shift on top of 8 or 12 hours of backbreaking work. There is no faster way to kill a nurse (or their career) than forcing them to do mandatory overtime.

The only ways that we can improve the supply of nurses is to pay us better and make the workplace more palatable by safe staffing (lower nurse-patient ratios and no mandatory overtime!)