LockportRN

illinoishelps.net, I believe it was March 27th.

I don't really have a problem with people wearing masks in the grocery store but what gets me is that HCP's can't get them yet so many others can?? Thursday I spoke to my daughter. Her hospital gave her and her coworkers a single surgical mask and told them to wear it for a week. To put the mask in a brown bag at night and use it again the next day. She is a RD and is required to assess all new patients in her assignment. They could take the mask or leave it but if they choose not to wear a bacteria and virus laden mask for a week, they were required to sign a paper stating that they understood the risks. She signed the paper stating that she didn't feel it was a great idea to wear one mask to all the patient rooms she is assigned to, put it in a back to ferment and grow all night and them take those germs and place it right up to her nose and mouth to breath all that gunk in all day. So, anyway, I had to go to the store after we hung up. I would have to estimate that better than 30% of the people I saw there had every hospital type of masks on. So me, being curious (and more than a little p#$%), started asking them where they bought their masks as we can't find them for her. Every single one of them said they got them from 'a friend, a coworker, or family' that happened to work in medical sales. And I got madder after hearing that many of these people said they were HCP (even one was an anestheologist) or in medical sales. Soo, I know too many HCP's working without the PPE's needed to save their lives while they save others' lives, but there are enough masks for these people to walk around shopping???! I reigned in my anger and just told them of the horrible conditions I know too many are working in without PPE's and walked on. By the looks on their faces, I think a few got my drift My Boo is a single mom and is brave and is smart and strong...but she is scared. What if she gets it and can't work? What if she brings it home to her babies? So she goes to work. Takes as little risk as she can. And she washes her hands and face and uniforms, removes shoes etc. And at night, after she finishes homework with her girls, she cries sometimes...the tension/stress gets too much in the dark hours. So when I see so many out there using surgical or F95's so inappropriately...touching everything (yes, gloves on, touching items, scratching head, touching faces, touching more items), with masks hanging around their necks or under their chins while they talk/play with their phones, I lose it a little bit. I wonder, when they get sick, go to the ER, do they even think about the dangers these HCP have put themselves in? Do they even think about spreading their disease knowing they have a stockpile of PPE's at home while their HCP is forced to reuse theirs? I just wonder. I am sad for the world. I am mad at... I am scared for her. I am worried for many. And I've gone on too long. Thank you for listening. Be safe everyone.

You would think that this would happen but it not only isn't happening but many hospital nurses are being layed off and they are bringing in travel nurses instead. Or even using volunteer nurses.

I was going to sign up but look a bit closer at the government site. There it stated the voluntary basis (which was not done on the phone alerts they sent out). You would have to pay for everything, including your hotel. As for pay, all they would commit to is that 'they' were 'looking into how much, if any, they would reimburse you". So that's that. I cannot afford to just go wherever they need me AND have to pay all expenses. I don't have the money for that. Add to the health risk and I decided to abstain.

Nurse VOLUNTEERS. My state and from what I have read here, there are several states where the governor's have put out an alert asking for nurse volunteers. These are unpaid positions, you pay to get there, get a hotel, meals and this all with the understanding that if you loose your regular job because of this, they will not take responsibility.

I agree that there is either more to this or could it be that admins and CEO's are so enamored with the news releases that they lay off currently employed nurses and get travel nurses instead? Or are they simply replacing all the paid nurses and are instead, using the thousands of nursing volunteers? I know too many nurses at hospitals that have downsized so it would seem to me that the volunteer nurses are actually HURTING our profession, rather than helping the greater good.

That's even a lower number than what I have been hearing about. So I do wonder, why the call for nurses to return?

So, the Gov in our state said the same thing on Monday. He stated that there was a dire shortage of nurses. Sooo, I looked to see who was hiring. And, zip. I don't see anyone hiring due to the virus. So I began to wonder why he would say that and if he was looking to hire nurses. I went to state government sites, and no, they were not hiring. Then I began to wonder what was happening on the front lines HERE, from fellow nurses. Not news outlets. Not politicians. Not doctors trying to get their '15 minutes of fame'. What I found here is that hospitals have been running at 50 to 70% capacity. This was backed up by the numbers of available beds in ICU and ISO. Also, many said their ED's were noticeably less full/hectic than normal. Now, it could be the lull before the storm and nurses will indeed be needed once our country catches up with tests, beds, PPE's etc, but even then, I heard from nursing saying that they would simply be too busy to precept a returning nurse. So I don't know. Seems to me that there is no place for this to happen. Though I would be happy to be proven wrong as I know many nurses that would love the chance to get back in. Can't wait to see how others respond.

So, not really. I have worked during many a storm. Unable to get to my children in time to help them! But was sure stuck at work.....LONG after my shift ended. This went on for years until the last time. A tornado ripped through my state. Actually several that year. After this last one, once the sirens go, we can't leave. I quickly called my children to get to the basement. Once it was over, got home just in time to watch a large tree fall onto my house. And it was right over my sons bedroom...where he had been. I could have lost so much more than losing a job by staying. I am a single mom and should have been able to be there as it was a full 5 hours after my shift ended. Does that make me not a human because I would have rather and should have been near my children instead of at work? I don't think so and seeing what you wrote, well, it's wow, just wow!

Sooooo, by your snarky response, I assume that whenever there is a disaster, you jump up and go there to assist in any way that you can right? You just up and leave your home and family and/or pets and volunteer your time? So nice of you!

I am kind of surprised. No, really surprised at not one response to this topic. As an Illinois nurse, this definitely got my interest. As for mandating change, that is a hard one and not one that I particularly think 'we' will win. At least not until we can pull together as a profession and force this change. It seems that our country has focused mainly on the economy, jobs and to do this, has allowed the few to ban together, form lobbies and get laws changed that only enhances the fiscal economy of owners, CEO's etc. Seems that true focus on patient care, or even good healthcare in general, is not a real thing. Our country woke up to the 'healthcare crisis' by Obama and the new healthcare rules. It is too bad that his initiative was fully formed before passing it into law. But people did start to wake up. Unfortunately, so did those that own/run healthcare facilities. They learned even better ways to continue to make lots of money, but better patient care? No. Not even close. And as for staff, well that got worse for us as well. Add to the fact that Obama was the first African American US president and well, people seemed to only focus on that and instead of watching what new laws were being passed, either sided with or against Obama. Therefore, nobody was paying attention to the new law. Nobody could look past color, research the law and contact their states congressman to get them to hear what was going on. So we are here. The law is ...well, gone. People have even higher insurance rates that prior and are getting less healthcare. Many can't afford the deductables. And I know of 2 hospitals near me that are closing. Another has entire wings shut down. Many, many nurses have lost their jobs. Many more are waiting to hear if their hospital will be closed. So short staffing abounds. Corners being cut on many levels (housekeeping, closing coffee stations and even lunchrooms or shortening their hours). How can we do this? It can't be one area of nursing at one time, then another area of nursing. The people in power just walk right over us. I think WE will have to come up with the solution. Can WE do it? Can we work together...forget about "you have 3 initials after your name but I have 4". Can we forget that one works ER, one ICU, one HH, and another in Hospice, to see the value in each other. The VALUE of our profession, and force real change? I would love to be a part of that. I would love to be able to stand tall, draw a line in the sand that no pencil pusher or Business Management Company or even CEO could argue with KNOWING that all of my fellow nurses are standing right there beside me. In agreement, as professionals, that deserve and require respect and safe working conditions. For us, as well as for patient safety. Ahh, what a dream.

"The country needs more nurses who have earned a Master of Science in Nursing to confront this nursing shortage head-on." Ah, so now the solution to our big problem of the nursing shortage is to further increase the educational requirements (and years in school and racking up school loans), by having all the newbies become Masters prepared? No other of level of education that a nurse has could solve this problem! You so funny!!?

I really liked reading about the interventions. And like Davey said, "I've worked with patients diagnosed with dementia who could waylay a staff member with one punch and have no memory of it five minutes later. Having the zippity-do-dah knocked out of you, wrestling the patient down to prevent injury to him and others, giving a chemical restraint, and then have no idea when the next time he's going to go off is a patient with advanced dementia and difficult with which to deal." We had a patient with mid to late stage Alzheimer's as his diagnosis, though with advancing medical research, it would probably be more associated with TBI. You see, he had been a boxer his whole career. One Monday, he was so agitated, he punched a male CNA in the chest hard enough to actually stop his heart. After this, the staff wouldn't go near him alone, always with 2 but usually with 3 or 4. I was in my office later in the week and heard shouting that was done by multiple people and getting louder. I went to see the commotion and saw this resident being held down in his wheelchair by several staff members, while he fought them. One look at this mans face told me he was more scared and confused as to why they were holding him. I told them to leave him go and approached him in my usual calm manner, getting down to his level and asked him what he needed. After stuttering several incoherent words, I assured him I was there to help and got him to focus only on me, and not the surrounding 'army' of staff. He calmed enough to tell me that he had to use the bathroom. This poor man was simply agitated by the need to use the bathroom. As he was unsteady, he was in a wheelchair and staff saw his trying to get up as a possibility that he would try to hit them as he had done to the earlier mentioned staff member. They were all betting that when I approached him alone that he would punch me and kill me...literally. But hopefully, they saw that all he needed was assurance that someone would listen and take the time to allow him to work through his anxieties long enough to find the words to communicate his needs. I walked him to the bathroom myself and returned him to his chair with no further problem. There are many different ways to approach those with various Dementia's. Not all of them can be listed here. But watch and learn...from ALL of your staff. You may be surprised at the imaginative ways that help! And take the next step for the sake of your patient's and fellow staffers, include these interventions in the care plan and daily report. There is reason to reinvent the wheel when the very real possibility of harm to self, other patients or staff could be a potential problem and the solutions so easy. Best of luck to you!

Lol, my daughter is 'mostly' a vegetarian for the past 6 years, coming from a big meat eating family and we tease her with this all the time ?. Thankfully, she takes it easily and gives back just as good as she gets!