RNS for Unity

1/31/07 I'm sure we all know of cases where medical malpracitce has resulted in a patient death, but all too often the wrongful death gets concealed and the death is labelled caused by another reason, like a risk of surgery or otherwise procedure.

I think the ANA or WNA need to poll nurses on how many have gotten fired for reasons other than negligence or malpractce. They should teach nursing students the art of politicking or sucking up to the heirarchy. Also nurses need unions and laws to protect them, from being terminated if their practice is sound. Your professional colleagues should be supportive of eachother and not attempt to play games by sabotaging your career to make themselves look better.

1/16/07 Dear REHAB Nurse, I feel for you. You poor dear. You might want to consider whether you are eligible for SSI disability, considering you have cancer. The disability income and medicaid/medicare might make your situation bearable. You need to focus on getting your health back. Take care, I'll say a prayer for you. It must take tremendous strength to face such adversity. Talk to an attorney. RNS for Unity

TNN Nurse, Hi it's RNS for Unity, wondering how you're are doing? You had sent me an E-mail on my computer.

12/20/05 UNIONIZE NATIONALLY! CONTACT THE CNA IN CALIFORNIA, THEY ARE TRYING TO DO JUST THAT! RNS for Unity

12/20/05 UNIONIZE NATIONALLY! CONTACT THE CNA IN CALIFORNIA, THEY ARE TRYING TO DO JUST THAT! RNS for Unity

12/17/05 As you may or may not be aware, that most federal employees are in unions, including all the Veterans Administration healthcare facilities. The Veterans Healthcare Administration is the largest employer in the U.S.A..Consider also that the entire nursing profession in Minnesota are unionized, along with most or all of California, Michigan and New York. I often wonder what transformed these states into unionization, was it legislated in the state or did the nurses get smart enough, stong enough so that they decided they'd had enough. WE NEED TO UNIONIZE like the teachers, police and firefighters have done. LETS MOVE OUT OF THE DARK AGES!

12/16/05 As nurses we need to stick together, try unionizing the entire USA the CNA is making just that attempt. United we stand, divided we fall. When the Nurses group marched on Wahingotn D.c. and select RNS spoke to the Congress, the congressmen recommended that the RNS join/organize unions to get their employnent needs met.More than ever we as all citizens of the USA need unions for our protection, from unfair labor practices and our job protection. Happy Holidays, RNS for Unity

12/15/05 Excellent commentary. Pitty the fools, younger and older nurses alike, who have failed to see the motives of some of the hospital bureaucracy. Their mission statement of serving humanity and ministering to the sick. It's all about money, even the non-profit religious facilities. People will sell their souls for money. The AHA doesn't give a damn about their largest pool of employees, we nurses or as you put it slaves. We need to unionize, I currently work in a union facility and it does make a difference, there is job security. Take care all.:chuckle

12/12/05 Have you ever had a trivial pt. complaint result in disciplinary action? I recently bacame a no return to a facility,wher I worked agency, because the daughter of a pt. on my team complained about me regarding the following scenario. I had been working in the ER agency per diem , since a year ago part time on weekends, without ever having a complaint. Then I decided to help out on the med/surg unit and would work almost every weekend, besides my regular job during the week. Two weekends ago I answered the call light, a total of 6 times that night, (on the swingbed pt. who I had assigned the Nurse Tech to). On one of my contacts the Pt's Wife & Daughter were in the room. The wife said "Where's the hand towel on the rail?" (toilet grab rail), "There was one here yesterday." I politely responded that routinely the hospital doesn't hand out cloth towels, that there were paper towels in the bathroom and that we used the "bath in the bag" approach to bathing, in which the moisture evaporates, instead of drying with a towel. I also said that we weren't like the "Ritz-Carlton" and don't automatically stock towels in the bathroom. Meanwhile I turn around to find the 30 something Daughter, rolling her eyes at me, behind my back. I brought a towel within a half an hour, but the Pt's Wife had never directly or politley asked me for a towel. Later when I brought the towel, the Daughter was gone, but the Pt's Wife was there, the Wife apologized for talking to me the the way she did, as though I was the chamber maid. My agency called tme the following day to say I was a no return becauses of this. I've had it with patient/family trivialities and idiosyncrasies. They just don' understand we're there to care for their health and to save lives. We're not people's doormats. I am a consumer to and understand that people look at hospital care as an overpriced necessity, but we're all consumers. I'm an excellent nurse and provide excellent nursing care, people don't understand why you're there to begin with. This same hospital system,since buying this small community hospital in Wisconsin two years ago, has subsequently fired several of the veteran RNS who had better pay and benefits, all without just cause. For example an RN with 30 years of service in their ER was let go, because of being told she was rude to a patient, on the phone in the E.R.. Tell me what nurse hasn't ever been told this? Some Pt's & their families expect too much and are unrealistic and want to drain as much as they can from the nurisng staff to get their monies worth. With today's hospitals mission statements which ascribe to the perfect dream place, where every possible need will be met within a minutes notice."THEIR WISH IS MY COMMAND" attitude. They build the prospective patient population that they are royalty deserving the royal treatment, all to justify charging an outrageous bill for pt, sevices.

12/12/05 Have you ever had a trivial pt. complaint result in disciplinary action? I recently bacame a no return to a facility,where I worked agency, because the daughter of a pt. on my team complained about me regarding the following scenario. I had been working in the ER agency per diem , since a year ago part time on weekends, without ever having a complaint. Then I decided to help out on the med/surg unit and would work almost every weekend, besides my regular job during the week. Two weekends ago I answered the call light, a total of 6 times that night, (on the swing bed pt. who I had assigned the Nurse Tech to). On one of my contacts the Pt's Wife & Daughter were in the room. The wife said "Where's the hand towel on the rail?" (toilet grab rail), "There was one here yesterday." I politely responded that routinely the hospital doesn't hand out cloth towels, that there were paper towels in the bathroom and that we used the "bath in the bag" approach to bathing, in which the moisture evaporates, instead of drying with a towel. I also said that we weren't like the "Ritz-Carlton" and don't atumatically stock towels in the bathroom. Meanwhile, I turn around to find the 30 something Daughter, rolling her eyes at me, behind my back. I brought a towel within a half an hour, but the Pt's Wife had never directly or politley asked me for a towel. Later when I brought the towel, the Daughter was gone, but the Pt's Wife was there, the Wife apologized for talking to me the the way she did, as though I was the chamber maid. My agency called me the following day to say I was a no return becauses of this. I've had it with patient/family trivialities and idiosyncrasies. They just don' understand we're there to care for their health and to save lives. We're not people's doormats. I am a consumer too and understand that people look at hospital care as an overpriced necessity, but we're all consumers. I'm an excellent nurse and provide excellent nursing care, people don't understand why you're there to begin with. This same hospital system, since buying this small community hospital in Wisconsin, two years ago, has subsequently fired several of the veteran RNS who had better pay and benefits, all without just cause. For example an RN with 30 years of service in their ER was let go, because of being told she was rude to a patient, on the phone in the E.R.. Tell me what nurse hasn't ever been told this? Some Pt's & their families expect too much and are unrealistic and want to drain as much as they can from the nurisng staff to get their monies worth. With today's hospitals mission statements which ascribe to the perfect dream place, where every possible need will be met within a minutes notice."THEIR WISH IS MY COMMAND" attitude. They build the prospective patient population that they are royalty deserving the royal treatment, all to justify charging an outrageous bill for patient sevices. Bewildered?

12/12/05 Have you ever had a trivial pt. complaint result in disciplinary action? I recently became a no return to a facility,where I worked agency, because the Daughter of a Pt. on my team complained about me regarding the following scenario. I had been working in the ER agency per diem , since a year ago part time on weekends, without ever having a complaint. Then I decided to help out on the med/surg unit and would work almost every weekend,for the last few months, besides my regular job during the week. Two weekends ago I answered a call light, a total of 6 times that night, (on the swingbed pt. who I had assigned the Nurse Tech to). On one of my contacts, the Pt's Wife & Daughter were in the room. The wife said "Where's the hand towel that's supposed to be on the rail?" (toilet grab rail), "There was one here yesterday." I politely responded that routinely the hospital doesn't hand out cloth towels, that there were paper towels in the bathroom and that we used the "bath in the bag" approach to bathing, in which the moisture evaporates, instead of drying with a towel. I also said that we weren't like the "Ritz-Carlton" and we don't automatically stock towels in the bathroom. Meanwhile I turn around to find the 30 something Daughter, rolling her eyes at me, (behind my back). I brought a towel within a half an hour, but the Pt's Wife had never directly or politley asked me for a towel. Later when I brought the towel, the Daughter was gone, but the Pt's Wife was there, the Wife apologized for talking to me the the way she did, as though I was the chamber maid. My agency called tme the following day to say I was a no return because of this. I've had it with patient/family trivialities and idiosyncrasies. They just don't understand why were there. We're there to provide healthcare, do critical thinking and intervene as necessary to ultimately improve there health, provide a good recovery, and save lives. We're not people's doormats. I am a consumer too and understand that people look at hospital care as an overpriced necessity, but we're all consumers. I'm an excellent nurse and provide excellent nursing care, people don't understand why you're there to begin with. This same hospital since buying this small community hospital in Wisconsin two years ago, has subsequently fired of the veteran RNS who had better pay and benefits, all without just cause. For example an Rn with 30 years of service in their ER was let go because of bing told she was rude to a patient on the phone in the E.R.. Tell what nurse hasn't ever been told this. Some Pt's & their families expect too much and are unrealistic and want to drain as much as they can from the nursing staff to get their monies worth. With today's hospitals mission statements which ascribe to the perfect dream place, where every possible need will be met within a minutes notice. They build the prospective patient population that they are royalty deserving the royal treatment, all to justify charging an outrageous bill for Patient services. Nurses get treated like doormats. I'm bewildered?

12/12/05 I'm interested in moving from Wisconsin to California, where are the better paying hosptitals? I currently work in a VA Hospital. Also where are the most reasonable places to live? I hope you can help answer my questions. Pj RN

I myself am an agency nurse and a fulltime RN in a hospital. I've seen nursing from varied perspectives, nurses who aren't really nice, either agency or regular staff. I've seen blatant unprofessionalism, nurses often like to deflect blame from themselves and exagerate or accentuate faults of others. this psychologically is a way for themselves to bolster their own egos. Any nurse can be misperceived, while having a busy/stressful shift. often misunderstood. None of us are deliberatley trying to be rude to each other, and none of us is exempt from this. For the most part, all of us are guilty of thie type of behavior. Often times a nurse will accuse another nurse of something to defect blame or diminish thier own shortcomings or mistakes. If nurses are truly as compassiionate, caring as they see themselves, they wouldn't be so quick to judge fellow nurses. If we are expected to get along with our pts (who are total starngers initally) we should be welling to get along with our fellow nurses. Often I've found that I'm so busy in my own practice, that I'm unable to watch my co-workers under a microscope. Just imagine if we would always tell on the rude doctors, other medical personnel and visitors or pts who might also be rude or misunderstood. Why are so many nurses so over sensitized to emotional, knee jerk reactions to their fellow nurses. Maybe if you would make a sincere attempt to like yourselves you might have the ability to care for your co-workers. Many nurses act as though the agency/traveler nurses are aliens, not nurses who possess the same good intentions of other nurses. Plus why is it that when an agency staff are the focal point for blame? All nurses are human, all of us,are capable of making mistakes. None of us is perfect. Yet when an agency nurse makes an error they're ostracized, criticized and sometimes released when they make the same errors of ommision and commision, just imagine if our judical process functioned that way. Why bother with a trial, just do what you'd do to a nurse: judge, convict and hang them all at once. No trial, no fair evidence and inequivocal punishment. Also have inequality in the workplace, allowing some nurse to make mistakes and meanwhile allowing your favorite nurses to make these same mistakes and negative behaviors without reprisal. Walk a mile in someone elses shoes, bond with co-workers instead of allienating yourselves from eachother. Try to get along. Stop with the biased attitude toward other nurses, these nurses you despise are nurses just as you are, educated shared and differnet professional/life experiences. All nurses are human beings with a heart, brain and feelings. Demonstrate compassion and caring not only to your pts but to fellow healthcare workers. REMEMBER THE BIBLICAL PARAPHRASE ABOUT WITHOLDING JUDGEMENT, LEST YOU BE JUDGED.