msbrady

I have been an RN for over 35 years. It seems that some things never change. I worked for 7 years at one of the affilliates of a nationally recognized medical institution. The "Nurse Manager" ruled her unit by using intimidation, and squelching her nurses. She once chewed me out in front of patients and staff for initiating the use of drawsheets on patient stretchers. She informed me that, if I were so concerned about nurses backs, then the cost of the drawsheets could come out of my salary! When, on another occasion, I asked about labels for IV medications being administered, she informed me, again publicly, that "when I was more familiar with my job, then I wouldn't need those "apron-strings". Obviously, this woman was crazy, and my every instinct said to get out now. However, this was an ideal job as far as the working hours were concerned, and I soon learned to work around her, and do my own thing. Several years later, when the Medical Director of the unit was terrorizing the nurses, I went (on the request of the other nurses) to the Nurse Manager. She requested to have our concerns in writing. So, with the cooperation of the other nurses, I came up with a letter stating our concerns. One of my "fellow" nurses went to the Medical Director, and informed him that I had written a letter, and he demanded that I be fired. The Nurse Manager, instead of backing her nurses, actually went to HR to put that process into place. HR informed her that there was no cause. I ignored the Medical Director's pouting, and several months went by before things returned to "normal". Later that year, I left to take a job that did not work out. Two weeks later, when I attempted to return to my old job (which had not been filled, or even posted yet), I learned that I had been black-balled from the job, and the institution!!! This, after many years of outstanding evaluations, and the verbal invitation to come back if things did not work out. Imagine the shock. This is my point. We, as nurses, allow ourselves to be treated the way we are. We are very good at consoling each other after an attack. But, while the attack is happening, the nurse being attacked is left high and dry, fending for her/himself alone. I have seen this happen time and time again, at many different institutions. So, the trend to intimidate and humiliate continues, without any control. How about this tactic? What if, when a nurse is being singled out, one or two, or even three, other nurses just walked over and stood next to the nurse being attacked? No words would ever have to be spoken, but maybe the attacker would feel some intimidation being returned to him/her! If this happened several times, consistently, maybe people would start to think twice before they go to "chew" someone out inappropriately!!! It's time that we stop letting ourselves, and each other, be treated unprofessionally. The practice will only continue if we let it. None of the things that happened to me would have happened if my fellow nurses (on whose behalf I was speaking) would have joined me in speaking up, AT THE TIME OF THE ATTACK!!! To quote Martin Luther King - "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." To quote Carmen de Monteflores - "Oppression can only survive through silence." Speak up, and stand beside each other!!!!

I am a Diploma RN with 36 years of experience. I would not have traded my career for anything else. It has provided me with a wide sort of varied experiences, including ER, OR, Long-term care, Home care, and Ambulatory. The one advantage that I feel I had during my education, is that I had 3 full days/week of "hands-on" nursing right from the get-go. I definitely had a good idea of what the profession was all about from the beginning. Most Diploma RN's that I know say that they lost about half of their class before graduation. I don't think that's a bad thing, because the people who were not cut out to be nurses got out before they had committed a great deal of time and money. Most of the remaining nurses continued in nursing, and got their hands dirty, for 20 - 30 years. I do feel that both the AD and BSN programs do not provide enough "hands-on" experiences for the students during the course of study. I do feel that both programs provide for a more rounded education, but feel that, if these same students were allowed to actually touch patients throughout their experience, then the real world would not be as much of a shock, and the nursing community would be better able to retain new graduates. I also agree that, no matter what "title" RNs or LPNs have, the person's heart and conscience are what makes them truly committed, and willing to fight for patients' rights and safety. Nursing is not an easy road to follow, and we all must stay committed and united in order survive and excel!

Our Endoscopy unit received a "complimentary" letter from a satisfied patient. He went on about the professional treatment he received from the nurses on the unit. He then concluded with the statement that our treatment of him was a direct result of the outstanding training and leadership on the part of the doctor in charge. Does anyone realize that the nurses are the ones who keep the doctors in line? Without our nagging, and emphasis on personal care and service, this patient would not even have known who his doctor was, because this "doctor in charge" doesn't deem it necessary to meet the patient before or after a procedure. I've been doing this for 35 years, and some things never change!!!