Our Friends: the Ortho Surgeons!!

[hollyvk, BSN]

I came across a position statement on the nursing shortage today, on the webpage for the American Acedemy of Orthopaedic Surgeons/American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS): http://www.aaos.org/about/papers/position/1158.asp

I'm so impressed with these guys!! (Doing a quick search, I didn't find any other physician professional groups with a similar posted statement of support). Here's part of the AAOS statement:

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) support the efforts of nursing organizations to obtain federal and state initiatives that would ensure quality patient care and safety by encouraging more individuals to join the nursing profession and by maintaining the supply of existing nurses. These initiatives could include loan forgiveness and scholarship programs for individuals in nursing schools, efforts to educate young people about the nursing profession, expansion of nursing schools and the amount of nursing faculty, and finally, legislation regulating the amount of mandatory overtime for nurses and appropriate staffing ratios for healthcare facilities. States should consider appropriating money from the tobacco settlement to fund these initiatives..

Most importantly, the AAOS encourages orthopaedic surgeons and other physicians, as well as hospitals and other healthcare facilities, to assess the work environment for nurses and take appropriate steps to reduce their job dissatisfaction. Mechanisms to reduce nurses' job dissatisfaction should include higher pay, flexible work schedules, ability to advance within the profession and increased staffing to help manage the nursing workload.

So the next ortho guy (or gal) you see, tell them THANKS! :w00t:

HollyVK, RN, BSN, JD

[EmmaG, RN]

At its 2006 Interim Meeting, the American Medical Association Organized Medical Staff Section (AMA-OMSS) referred OMSS Resolution 4 which called for the following:

1) that our AMA press Congress to fund programs aimed at increasing the number of nursing-education schools and the ranks of nursing faculty in order to reduce patient mortality and to increase patient safety in US hospitals;

2) that our AMA initiate a public education and letter-writing campaign to better inform our national elected representatives that the nursing shortage in US hospitals is an urgent and growing problem that can and must be addressed; and

3) that our AMA House of Delegates provide reports back for the next three Annual Meetings on actions taken pursuant to the resolution.

This report provides an environmental analysis of the nursing shortage from the perspective of hospitals, government, and society as a whole, along with recommendations on next steps.

Recommendation 1:

The Governing Council recommends that the following resolution be submitted to our AMA House of Delegates at its 2007 Annual Meeting:

RESOLVED, That our AMA work with the Joint Commission to consider nurse staffing as a National Patient Safety Goal and to examine the Hospital Accreditation Standards at NR.3.10 (regarding nursing policies and procedures, nursing standards, and nurse staffing plans), LD.3.15 (regarding management of the flow of patients to mitigate patient crowding and ensure appropriate care of patients in temporary locations), and HR.1.10-1.1.20 (regarding the hospital staffing plan and the qualifications of staff), to ensure that nursing staffs are adequate relative to patient number and acuity, are competent, and are appropriately oriented and trained in specialized departments;(Directive to Take Action).

RESOLVED, That our AMA support professional nursing associations in their efforts to educate the public and advocate for programs aimed at protecting patient safety by ameliorating the RN shortage in hospitals (Directive to Take Action); and be it further

RESOLVED, That our AMA encourage hospital organized medical staffs (OMS) to take steps to improve the working environment and professional standing of nurses in hospitals in order to improve the quality and safety of patient care (Directive to Take Action); and be it further

RESOLVED, That our AMA provide reports to the House of Delegates at its 2008, 2009, and 2010 Annual Meetings detailing progress made in its efforts to address the nursing shortage (Directive to Take Action).

http://www.ama-assn.org/

[RedZeppelinRN]

I came across a position statement on the nursing shortage today, on the webpage for the American Acedemy of Orthopaedic Surgeons/American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS): http://www.aaos.org/about/papers/position/1158.asp

I'm so impressed with these guys!! (Doing a quick search, I didn't find any other physician professional groups with a similar posted statement of support). Here's part of the AAOS statement:

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) support the efforts of nursing organizations to obtain federal and state initiatives that would ensure quality patient care and safety by encouraging more individuals to join the nursing profession and by maintaining the supply of existing nurses. These initiatives could include loan forgiveness and scholarship programs for individuals in nursing schools, efforts to educate young people about the nursing profession, expansion of nursing schools and the amount of nursing faculty, and finally, legislation regulating the amount of mandatory overtime for nurses and appropriate staffing ratios for healthcare facilities. States should consider appropriating money from the tobacco settlement to fund these initiatives..

Most importantly, the AAOS encourages orthopaedic surgeons and other physicians, as well as hospitals and other healthcare facilities, to assess the work environment for nurses and take appropriate steps to reduce their job dissatisfaction. Mechanisms to reduce nurses' job dissatisfaction should include higher pay, flexible work schedules, ability to advance within the profession and increased staffing to help manage the nursing workload.

So the next ortho guy (or gal) you see, tell them THANKS! :w00t:

HollyVK, RN, BSN, JD

Also, as professionals, the ones I have used have been great. They seem to be like sculptors or artists.

RedZep

[StacieRN, RN]

Ortho docs rely HIGHLY on nurses.

When I worked ortho, the hospital call light system would track call light usage monthly. The ortho unit consistently would have more than double the volume of calls as other units.

Ortho patients have a lot of pain and having a appendage that is impaired means you need a lot of assistance.

Patient satisfaction depends a lot on prompt response to calls. Which necessitates good staffing.

Thus, to keep their pts happy, orthopods depend on us! I found they were usually much more pleasant to nursing staff than other surgeons.

[Diary/Dairy, RN]

Wow - that's great!!!!

[Scrubby]

My experience with ortho surgeons hasn't exactly been great...they are part of the problem with low work morale at my HCF...

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

I hear ya, it's not the ortho docs I have a problem with...it's how we're expected to do more with less people. I can't help the fact that if they don't want to get out of bed, I can't force em.....I can't make the doctor give you x pill at 3AM, I'm not asking the nurse to change your diet at 3AM....etc.

People don't seem to realize that knee/shoulder/hip sx is a MAJOR procedure. You're going to have pain, and it's going to be tough.....so by extension, I have to be tough right back to you. I've got the whole male "nurse ratchet" thing going on...

[hollyvk, BSN]

At its 2006 Interim Meeting, the American Medical Association Organized Medical Staff Section (AMA-OMSS) referred OMSS Resolution 4 which called for the following: . . .

Good to know that the AMA has joined the bandwagon, but AAOS got there early, issuing their statement 5 years ago (in February 2003, 3-1/2 years before the AMA).

HollyVK