For comparisons sake, I made a couple of phone calls -
First to the Texas Nurses Association – according to them, there are about 170,000 nurses in Texas, but only 3,800 of them are members of the Texas Nurses Association. That means that about 2% of all nurses in Texas are members of the TNA.
In contrast, the Texas Medical Association has 40,683 members as of March 31, 2006 according to a phone call placed to their membership department. There are about 53,000 physicians in Texas according to the Texas board of medical examiners. 76% of physicians are members of their professional organization.
HUH???? Are we listed in Webster's under the definition for apathy?
Specializes in home & public health, med-surg, hospice.
Well, it's been almost a full year since this thread's last entry and the subject matter, I still find near and dear to my heart. With school over, I can now pursue my areas of interest and breath for a second.
I finally got my RN license a couple of weeks ago and attended a TNA meeting in my district last week. The focus does seem to be largely that of management. However, that said, there were very few nurses there to represent bedside nursing.
Personally, I think these two views should be in concert with one another. I don't see why they have to be opposing ends of the spectrum of focus. This is one of the fears I have with union involvement. That it would further divide us and only create another layer of bureaucracy to wade through.
However, I do know CNA is courting RNs in Tx. pretty aggressively and it is my understanding that they pursued control of nursing issues in CA for a solid 10 years prior to their majority of acceptance. So, I don't figure they're goin' anywhere soon in TX. And they certainly are advocating for protections to the direct care nurse.
So have any of you given any more thought to this issue? Any new developments? Any progress? Any ideas?
I will never join the TNA or the ANA for that matter. They do not trepresent my political or personal beliefs at all and infact are diametrically oppsed to some of the things that I hold very near and dear as some of my core values.
Specializes in home & public health, med-surg, hospice.
Hey, Kyrshamarks, thanks for responding.
It's cool to say you don't want to join TNA or ANA. Many people have voiced that they are opposed to their positions. Personally, as I mentioned my intention before, I joined in hopes of gaining a better sense of their true perspective and primarily to bring about change in their philosophy by being a voice, which would offer a differing view. Because on the face of it, I don't agree with the majority of their foci either.
However, to simply say you won't join them still doesn't lead to any solutions or advancements towards gaining support for nurses in Texas. Like for protections against "credit reporting agencies," such as group one, or ratios (if that's a viable solution) or encouraging dialouge between all levels of practicing nurses, or clarifying issues like "unsafe" harbor, you know?
Do you think creating a new organization would have any support and would lead to any positive results?
Or do y'all think Texas nurses have become so downtrodden and disheartened that group organization amongst ourselves would never work?
Or do you all think just tryin' to make changes as lone wolves, while everybody bitches and complains in the med room but then remain closed-mouthed @ staff meetings is cuttin' it?
Texas definately needs a strong and cohesive nursing organization that represents nursing at all levels, is not politically biased, and that lobbies for changes that provide safety and protection for patients as well as nurses.
It needs to be cheap to join - 40 to 60 a year, and ALL nurses and nursing students need to be eligible for membership no matter what type of nursing they do or degree they have.
Numbers add up. Lone wolves are often shot on sight it seems.
This is just my personal assessment but unless there is union representation with a board of directors made up of bedside RNs, LVNs, CNAs (nurses majority vs. union majority) to oversee the union progress to 'our' standards OR there is another association created for the bedside nurse, there will be no progress for Texas nurses. In this state (and I can say this since I am not from here and have lived in many others) bureaucracy will run rampant until 'WE' decide to do something about it.
What good is an association if it cannot protect you from legalities of federal and state laws? Some unions have that ability. What good is an association if it cannot get you better wages and working conditions? Unions can do that.
I agree with you but unfortunately that hasn't happened yet. The reason I am suggesting unionship is because as I stated before they are more familiar with the techicalities of the state and federal laws (that's their job) and can more easily manipulate those laws (and loopholes) to better serve bedside nurses. We all know there is a line between bedside nursing and 'paper' nursing. Most professional organizations cater to 'paper' nursing, agree or disagree? Personally, I would love to see a professional organization be able to do what we need them to do. And I'm sure most professional organizations started out with that very same intention but evolved to serve corporate and managerial ideologies. It's about politics and business not what's best for the nurses.
You do not need a union to do those things. A STRONG professional org can do the same without the obligation created by unions.
Both organizations can hire their own lobbyists, do lobbying activity and change things for the better - but they have to have the support of their members to do that.
We can sit and wait for something or someone to come along and change things - or we can take action, don't wait for everybody else. It doesn't happen in any GOOD way when people sit back and wait.
The time is ripe in Texas for a new org - one that does not stand just for management and the ivory tower, one that does not leave bedside nurses in the dust, one that iincludes LVN's, AD-RN's, BS-RN's and APN's, one that ALL nurses can agree with because it deals ONLY with supporting, promoting and protecting patients and quality nursing care, one that does not support partisan candidates on one side of the fence, one that doesn't settle for mediocrity and allow incompetence to continue because people CAN'T be fired, one that allows nurses to be the solution - not another problem. That org is NOT a union.
WOW ...where to start. I've been a nurse in Texas for 15 yrs with specialty in ICU, ER, PACU, CCL IR. I've never given TNA or ANA a second thought largely because they serve the needs of the hospitals more than they are commited to patient safety and nurse empowerment. That is evidenced further by their lack of participation in HB 1707 (an efffort to mandate safe staffing ratios much like that of California - where I've also had the pleasure to nurse). To think that the big business interests of modern healthcare (wake up that is what it's all about...the gasoline companies' profits pale in comparison...take a serious look)would or could be trusted to look after patient advocacy is akin to putting your head in the sand...that job always has and always will fall to the nursing profession..Thank God!! Our patients need us to be up to date on the latest data about morbidity and mortality rates and the effects of staffing ratios on those rates...they are well documented.....
The TNA and ANA sisded directly against the notion of any mandated ratios for patient safety, despite the success rate of the ratios in California. No ill effects have occurred in California except for the reallocation of finances from the upper echelons of nursing management and hospital administration. So you can see why there is littlesupport for the TNA / ANA...it is not apathy it is boycott....a big difference.
There is a problem nation wide about nurses joining the nurse associations. I am close to retirement. I have RARELY joined any of the 'nurse' associations because:
1. cost and what u get for the price and
2. the same issues that were supposed to have been addressed in the 1970's are still being 'discussed'.
The best thing to happen to nurses is thtat the shortages has given much better wages and more mobility without starting at the bottom of the wage scale.
I work as travel RN and often leave TX. Perhaps if the 'girls' would grow up to be real professional women, then real solutions can happen and the back stabbing and lies would be much reduced and the work place would be nicer.
It is a set up for failure when nurses are expected to be everything to all at all times of the day and night and do this without coffee breaks, lunch breaks, etc. Then add the 'crap' that OSHA comes up with 'no drinks/food' in the work area.....but yet we serve patients THEIR food in the same area.... and oh, we ware to work 8-12 or more hours with little or nothing to drink or eat and they wonder why there is a shortage of people who want to be nurses???? DUH!!!
The reason I am suggesting unionship is because as I stated before they are more familiar with the techicalities of the state and federal laws (that's their job) and can more easily manipulate those laws (and loopholes) to better serve bedside nurses. We all know there is a line between bedside nursing and 'paper' nursing. Most professional organizations cater to 'paper' nursing, agree or disagree? Personally, I would love to see a professional organization be able to do what we need them to do. And I'm sure most professional organizations started out with that very same intention but evolved to serve corporate and managerial ideologies. It's about politics and business not what's best for the nurses. 
Kelly_the_Great
553 Posts
Well, it's been almost a full year since this thread's last entry and the subject matter, I still find near and dear to my heart. With school over, I can now pursue my areas of interest and breath for a second.
I finally got my RN license a couple of weeks ago and attended a TNA meeting in my district last week. The focus does seem to be largely that of management. However, that said, there were very few nurses there to represent bedside nursing.
Personally, I think these two views should be in concert with one another. I don't see why they have to be opposing ends of the spectrum of focus. This is one of the fears I have with union involvement. That it would further divide us and only create another layer of bureaucracy to wade through.
However, I do know CNA is courting RNs in Tx. pretty aggressively and it is my understanding that they pursued control of nursing issues in CA for a solid 10 years prior to their majority of acceptance. So, I don't figure they're goin' anywhere soon in TX. And they certainly are advocating for protections to the direct care nurse.
So have any of you given any more thought to this issue? Any new developments? Any progress? Any ideas?
I'd love to hear 'em!