HemovacStew

I assume that RNABC is the "governing" body of nursing where you are from? I'm really not such an expert about political stuff, but let's see...like you said, such associations do set standards for practice in the (province?) you work in. They also advocate for RNs, and address issues that relate to practicing nurses. If all practicing nurses within your province have to be a member, then it helps regulate nursing practice and ensures that nurses remain competant and up-to-date with their skills and knowledge... So how can that help you? Being directly involved in these organizations, you will be up-to-date on the issues facing nurses, and will always "be in the know" when it comes to the activities of the association. It will also give you a chance to speak up on behalf of yourself and your colleagues. You can address concerns first hand and hopefully recieve some answers. You may even have access to workshops or courses that help further your knowledge. Hope this helps.

About a year ago I attended a workshop on handling confrontation in the workplace. If somebody is in your face, and you aren't ready to deal with them, tell them you'll meet them in 5 minutes (or 10, 15) in breakroom/medroom/storage room. This gives you a chance to think for a few minutes and cool down before going in to face the situation. Gives you a chance to decide what to say and prevents you from saying anything rash. This tactic has worked for me several times in the workplace since I learned it. You can use it with coworkers, patients, or patient's family members (provided this does not put you in a dangerous situation). If you feel endangered at all, remove yourself from the situation. Get away, call for help, but DON'T stick around and get hit or worse.

Is it just me or does there seem to be a lot of people posting like they are students with a homework project? Not that I mind of course, happy to respond. I am a surgical nurse, and where I work we are usually short staffed on most shifts, RNs and LPNs. I know that we cannot provide the best possible care for our patients in this environment but the hospital where I work has a high turn-over rate of nurses leaving because of stress, injury, or jobs elsewhere--we just cannot staff an adequate amount of nurses for our needs. It's frustrating and things really need to change around here, but we're stuck in a deep rut and change would be difficult. Perhaps we need more students whose minds are open to change to shake up this tired old system and help improve the working conditions! hope this helps with your project.:wink2: *HemovacStew*

I'm a surgical nurse who is casual but I usually end up working the equivalent of full-time hours often with overtime. Our hospital is so short on nurses, both RNs and LPNs, that we are short for at least one shift every day. We are all tired and snippy by the end of the shift and I know our patient care suffers. We have less time to spend with them than we should. Our nurse-physician relations within the hospital stink. many of the surgeons are older and act like they are superior to us. I know we would all be happier to be treated like members of a health care team instead of survants that do the surgeon's bidding. I don't know about the politics behind this shortage but I agree with the part about making the workplace better. If we had a better environment I would think we could retain more nurses.