This article truly highlights exactly the depths of indifference, incompetence, greed and immoral practice which has been imposed upon nursing practitioners. Management has accepted all acts of power mongering and bullying tactics as key to nursing control- a form of corruption.
How this impacts health care, both in quality care and cost amounts to almost criminal intent. The sub-human treatment of seasoned nursing colleagues by inexperienced nursing management with advanced degrees demands legal advice. The reality is that all nurses and patients are being placed under attack through misguided, poor managers with non existent decision skills.
Health care, education and social stability are key aspects of democracy, good government and accountability. A break down in any of these areas negatively affects everyone with serious secondary run off effects. . It is time this was collectively exposed by nurses in practice to the public. Nurses are not disposable commodities and their role in healthcare cannot be underestimated.
All nurses applying for Executive Management jobs in nursing need to be tested and thoroughly examined re. their ability to manage, to think and to assess problem solving and interpersonal skills. levels of reactivity, subjectivity and objectivity in practice need to be measured. This is the routine applied to other executive managers in any industry. Business managers have to be put through such testing due to the need for the right fit for the job.
Nursing does not apply these rules and the consequences, having been ignored as management competency is not thoroughly examined. Rather when faced with management dilemmas, the preferred practice has been to hire externally, a non health care professional with multiple MBA or management degrees. This has proven over and over again, how incompatible this is in a healthcare setting. Nurses are educated, competent professionals and unfortunately, this often proves incompatible to new, highly qualified, non healthcare professionals who desire to see nurses as little more than bedpan givers without the ability to think, as this further feeds the new managers sense of power. The consequence as we know, is always disastrous. Nurses can make good managers. Not every nurse wants this and not every nurse can do this particular job.
Two mandatory words stand out in healthcare and nursing, Experience and competence with education. If applying for management roles, nurses need to undergo similar testing for the appropriate fit. This is not to say that nurses do not make good managers, it is rather to assess where in management they actually belong, thereby ensuring continuity in best practice at all levels of the profession. WE, as nurses, know what is needed, what works and what does not. Being able to assess the right fit and have further training is crucial to eradicate the level of incompetence and quasi-corruption right now.
