kbaker

I am a 22 year old African Amerian woman. There is nothing that I can do about it. I cant change my age, my skin color, or my gender. I am proud of my culture and my heritage and I do not feel ashamed to be who I am. It just so happens that I chose to earn a bachelors degree from a well respected Univerisity and to be employed at a prestigious NYC hospital as a registered nurse. (YES I do have to throw that in because from my experience, I find myself always having to prove to white people that I am "worthy" since I am considered "just" a young, black, woman). Personally I have to leave my home with a "shield" from racist bigots and the high level of ignorance that is allowed to exist in our society. My education and open mind allows me to see life on a higher level. I do believe that patients have rights, but so do the hospital employees. We must demonstrate respect for our patients views and wishes but we must not perpetuate ignorance and racist views. As soon as administration starts hand picking heath care workers based on ethnicity it is blatant discrimination and that is a violation of Anti-Discrimination laws just about everywhere. Approaching 2004 and we are still in need of making "policies" for dealing with discrimination. Once again, I learn that ignorance is so very rampant in America.

I totally understand where you are coming from, because at some institutions it is very difficult to get help from management when it comes to staffing and patient assignments. What I am saying to you is that when it comes down to it, the nurse is the one on that unit at that moment, putting her licence and health on the line. We can blame management (and we have every right to!) but we are the ones who actually take the unsafe assignments. We have a right to refuse assignments that are unsafe if we feel like our license is in jeopardy. I understand your point, but I feel that regardless of who is at blame (sometimes its the entire institution) we need to remember that we have to do the right thing for our patients and ourselves.

I think that the best way for nurses to ensure that all nursing care is documented for is time management (prioritization), delegation, and communication. If something cannot be done and documented for, then it is up to the RN to ask for assistance (if possible) or to pass it on to someone who is able to complete the task. I for one do not like to pass things on to the next shift, but sometimes there is simply not enough time to get everything done (ex. during a code, during 5 admissions at once, crashing patient, etc..) In the end, if nursing wants to gain the respect it deserves then each one of us has to do our part and take on the responsibility of patient care and be accountable for our actions. False documentation is a good way to lose trust and respect as nursing professionals. Remember that your nursing license says Registered PROFESSIONAL nurse.

A good hospital for a new graduate nurse in NYC is New York Hospital or Columbia Presbyterian. They have an excellent and thorough orientation program. There are plenty of resources for new graduates.