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Doris Carroll BSN

L&D/HIV/ID/OB/GYN Primary Care Adults/Children

RN committed to making change đź’Ş RN-BC, CCRC

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Doris Carroll has 37 years experience as a BSN and specializes in L&D/HIV/ID/OB/GYN Primary Care Adults/Children.

Doris Carroll's Latest Activity

  1. Doris Carroll

    CEO Says More Nurses Won't Improve Care

    Doris Carroll replied to Nurse Beth's topic in Nurses

    While I agree with you about staffing, I disagree about what you say about “union heads”. I’m a nurse of 37 yrs, work full time in academic Ambulatory clinic, and am the VP at state level and Chief Steward at my hospital for my union. Those 2 union positions are unpaid. I volunteer my time. I give back to nursing and am passionate about safe staffing. I’m fighting every day with management to get nurses and patients what they deserve. Better staffing. Improved outcomes.
  2. Doris Carroll

    Staffing and Unions: Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak

    Doris Carroll replied to Melissa Mills's topic in Headlines

    Nurse Unions do work effectively to provide shared governance—a voice at the table, requiring administrators to be transparent, safe workplace conditions. Listen, management despising unions is as old as baked bread. It’s easier to control staff than to negotiate with them. Unfortunately, many nurses view unions as unprofessional. Is it professional that you have mandatory overtime? Staffing ED with 6 patients? ICU with 3-4 patients? Med-Surgery with 8 patients? No mechanism to voice concerns to effect change? That’s called abuse. The patriarchal systematic abuse of an administration over a mostly female-dominated profession. A nurses union will train you, support you and make it legal to fight for the much needed reset of the nursing profession. Unions are successful in making staffing safe for nurses. Almost two decades of research support having adequate numbers of skilled nurses at the bedside ~>improves patient outcomes, nurse satisfaction and reduced nurse injuries. The question should be: Why would you NOT join a union? #NursesUnite #NursePatientRatiosNOW #INA #NursesTakeDC Vice President, Illinois Nurses Association
  3. Doris Carroll

    Illinois Nurse Staffing Survey

    Doris Carroll replied to NursesTakeDC's topic in Nurses

    HB2604, Safe Patient Limits Act of Illinois, may be brought to the House floor for a vote next week. The Illinois Hospital Association is practing fear mongering, telling legislators: staffing is not cookie cutter one size fits all; nurses will lose their critical thinking skills (sounds like the ANA); hospitals will close; studies inconclusive re: ratios and patient outcomes; ED will divert patients, and the cost will be $2 billion. ALL NOT TRUE. Here’s a interesting study from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, published 4/23/2019: Ratios will potentially SAVE hospitals 1.4 billion, by reducing nurse turnover, decrease nurse injury rates, reduced care costs, and lower re-admission rates. Who is right? Can we continue to ignore the research? At what cost? This is now an ethical issue. And a moral one. Do the right thing. Call your Illinois legislators. Tell them to vote YES. https://illinoisepi.files.wordpress.com/2019/04/ilepi-the-fiscal-impact-of-safe-patient-limits.pdf
  4. Doris Carroll

    CEO Says More Nurses Won't Improve Care

    Doris Carroll replied to Nurse Beth's topic in Nurses

    I’m sorry. Our state already has Acuity Based staffing law in place x10 yrs. Hospitals either ignore it or refuse to implement the staffing committees recommendations. The IHA only just now, faced with a ratios bill, wants to “strengthen” it. Again their proposals are weak. No reporting mechanism and only a financial penalty as a last resort. What does that mean? Give the hospital a chance to comply despite noncompliance for 10yrs? Again more rhetoric.
  5. Doris Carroll

    CEO Says More Nurses Won't Improve Care

    Doris Carroll replied to Nurse Beth's topic in Nurses

    The Illinois Nurses Association (INA) is a Nurses Union. Not affiliated with the ANA. We were, but we separated in 2012-and now there is the ANA-IL and the INA.
  6. Doris Carroll

    CEO Says More Nurses Won't Improve Care

    Doris Carroll replied to Nurse Beth's topic in Nurses

    I was afraid you’d say that. It isn’t easy. 20 would be ideal. 10 would be doable. Just saying.
  7. Doris Carroll

    CEO Says More Nurses Won't Improve Care

    Doris Carroll replied to Nurse Beth's topic in Nurses

    In Illinois’ we DO have an Acuity Staffing law. For 10 yrs. We’d expect Acuity and Ratios to be the our perfect world.
  8. Doris Carroll

    CEO Says More Nurses Won't Improve Care

    Doris Carroll replied to Nurse Beth's topic in Nurses

    What I mean is if nurses are ready to organize, if you have 20 nurses representing different units in the hospital, who are ready to work hard to talk to their colleagues, what union representation can give you , then >50% of your staff willing to sign union cards, then you’re ready to bring a union in. Because a union is not the staff but it’s the nurses in that hospital who are the union. It means working to step out of your normal comfort zone to make it happen. Union staff can teach you the tools. But it’s you who must collectively push each other to get improved work conditions, etc. Yes it’s difficult. But it can happen.
  9. Doris Carroll

    CEO Says More Nurses Won't Improve Care

    Doris Carroll replied to Nurse Beth's topic in Nurses

    And no one here in Illinois is saying that. Acuity and ratios. We have the Acuity law which needs MUCH strengthening. And now we are attempting to pass the ratios legislation. Please. Be informed. I am a former L&D RN. I see how administrators manipulate in a state with an Acuity staffing law in place for over 10 yrs.
  10. Doris Carroll

    CEO Says More Nurses Won't Improve Care

    Doris Carroll replied to Nurse Beth's topic in Nurses

    I’ll find one for you. Really.
  11. Doris Carroll

    CEO Says More Nurses Won't Improve Care

    Doris Carroll replied to Nurse Beth's topic in Nurses

    I feel such frustration reading your comments. Yes. Like Cher in Moonstruck I want to slap them and say “ Snap out of it!” Because those who stand back, leave you hanging, kowtow to admin and/or complain are people who feel powerless. I’m told we need to educate—give them the tools to realize the power they have as long as we are unified. I then do continue to educate. Rarely do I see others step up. Those who believe unions are not professional— right. Go ahead and keep beating that dead horse. But I’ve found the brain drain, the emotional drain is taxing. I’ve rarely been the follower. And I have a big mouth. So I’m easily rattled by apathy. This is our time. I won’t want to hear 30 yrs from now that staffing remains the same.
  12. Doris Carroll

    CEO Says More Nurses Won't Improve Care

    Doris Carroll replied to Nurse Beth's topic in Nurses

    We could change that.
  13. Doris Carroll

    CEO Says More Nurses Won't Improve Care

    Doris Carroll replied to Nurse Beth's topic in Nurses

    Good grief is right. They just don’t get it. And I’m tired of them saying “do the best you can” This is not my best! When will they hear us? When you have a union forcing these issues through monthly meetings with management, grievances and legislation.
  14. Doris Carroll

    CEO Says More Nurses Won't Improve Care

    Doris Carroll replied to Nurse Beth's topic in Nurses

    From 2015. The ANA does not support ratios. https://info.nursingworld.org/staffingwp/
  15. Doris Carroll

    CEO Says More Nurses Won't Improve Care

    Doris Carroll replied to Nurse Beth's topic in Nurses

    The ANA does agree staffing is an issue. However, they are anti-ratio and Pro staffing committees- where bedside nurses are still ignored.
  16. Doris Carroll

    CEO Says More Nurses Won't Improve Care

    Doris Carroll replied to Nurse Beth's topic in Nurses

    No. It is not the best approach. The best is ratios and acuity. Since Illinois has the Acuity Staffing committee law in place x 10 yrs, this ratio law would be utilized in conjunction. However since this law has no penalties, for the past 10 yrs many hospitals here are not complying. How do I know? Nurses call me from central and southern Illinois with 1-4 ICU ratios. Dangerous. An Oregon nurse stated earlier on this article that their law doesn’t work either. Talk to nurses in OH, CT, TX, NV, WA, OR and IL. They’ll tell you the truth. If you think bedside nurses are the driving force of a hospital hiring more nurses, you are sadly mistaken. We must demand transparency and penalties in any staffing law. Because hospital administrators will manipulate the #s if they can.
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