Tiara

Hey Hoolahan aka MargaretH! Sorry to hear about your stones! I don't know why, but my husband managed to have the attacks on holidays - so beware, you did it once! He has a long history of stones. He has some gravel now that's just sitting there but it's been a while since he's had a bad attack. Good to see your post and take care of yourself!

Glad you refused. We, as nurses, have to remember that we are not responsible for the staffing patterns in the hospitals. We are responsible for the care of the patients and our own licenses. How can you give good care and guard your license when you are consistently working tired? The hospitals want our loyalty to administration but if we are patient advocates then we are torn and our loyalty cannot be with both.

Unfortunately, when you think about becoming a nurse and helping people, you don't give a lot of thought to the physical side of things. There are nurses who manage to get by without knocking themselves out, but if you really want to do a good job and take responsibility, guaranteed you will be exhausted in today's hospital scenario. There are many, many nurses out on disability with back and neck and other injuries from the job. It is hard, physical work and the idea of holding someone's hand and helping is just part of the whole picture. I never worked with a nurse in the hospital who was over 60 (on the floors, that is); most retired by early 50's.

My thoughts and prayers are with your aunt and family. God Bless.

When I worked the closed unit, there were quite a few nurses who were always glad to pick up an extra shift. We were occasionally floated someone else if no one on the staff could make it. The nurses on this unit looked out for one another.

I worked on a closed unit once. We were responsible for all our own staffing. In short, this meant covering for each other, working over, etc. However, there were periods in this unit when the census was down and nurses were told to go home. Sometimes they had the option to float to another unit, but otherwise, you went home with no pay. Staffing your own unit can be a risky situation at best in my opinion.

There has been a lot of talk about the image of nursing. I really think the image went down the tubes with the advent of silly print jackets and scrubs and ugly sneakers. I don't think wearing white takes away one's individuality. There is not a lot of respect attached to some of the cheap-looking print scrubs you see out there. Just my opinion.

That's a big, controversial topic and there's a lot to cover. If you search the internet, you should be able to find something. Assisted suicide is, of course, illegal in most states. Euthanasia gets into passive and active and there are a lot of gray areas in this issue. If someone is removed from a vent, some do not consider this euthanasia but technically it is a form of passive euthanasia. I know nurses who stopped working with ventilator patients in ICUs because this was against their beliefs.

Your aunt will be in my prayers. God Bless.

I agree that it is all about compassion and doing for others. I believe that. However, you can have the best intentions in the world and make an error, omit something, lose your judgment for a minute, and it's a write-up and possibly your license on the line. Altruism will not help you with this situation. I know many nurses who are trying to do their best with compassion and good intentions, but the conditions can be unsafe and your license can be in danger.

I find it interesting that the American Association of Nurse Executives has come out in opposition to the mandatory overtime bill introduced in the House on Thursday by Democratic Representatives Tom Lantos, CA, James McGovern MA and Hilda Solis, CA.

Buck, I'm glad you found another position elsewhere. This is the kind of petty nonsense which contributes toward passive-aggressive behavior in nurses. It is deplorable.

If things are as you say, then what are the reasons for nurses wanting a union? There must be something lacking. Do they have input with administration re conditions and what directly affects them (nurses)? Unfortunately, because things might be worse in NY or somewhere else, it doesn't mean they aren't better somewhere too. I would be interested in knowing their reasons. Perhaps there are issues of which you are not aware?

If you read the articles about mandatory overtime (www.healthleaders.com) bill, you will see 55,000 RNs and LPNs in California are choosing not to work in hospitals. There are many nurses across the country of the same opinion. I think you can safely say the reasons for the shortage have to do with mandated overtime and short staffing. Many nurses are leaving and have left. New nurses are finding other better-paying positions both in and outside of nursing and hospitals. I think nurses need to develop more respect for each other and unite; however, I would not attribute the shortage to this. It is directly linked to conditions in the hospitals.

Natalie: I did notice that the first paragraphs are personal! Yours mentioned your letter and mine mentioned the press. Ha. Maybe his clerks know us!

Best of luck to you Robin! Hopefully, hospital conditions will have improved considerably. If not, there are many other areas in nursing worth exploring.

Good for you. Nursing is a noble, honorable and intrinsically rewarding profession. However, I would not view posts as negative if I were you. Forewarned is forearmed. It should be obvious that nurses would not be discussing these issues if they didn't exist. I do not think anyone should lie or even coat the truth as it has become clear there's a healthcare crisis and who doesn't read the newspapers or watch the news? Those who are determined to pursue nursing as a profession, I believe, will continue to do so with the hope that the appropriate changes will come. Those that are scared should know that nurses are working for change. The problem is not with the nurses who are tired and venting on these boards. The problem is with administrators putting the emphasis on the bottomline rather than on patient care, and whether you are a veteran nurse or a student, you should know that. It will be history.

I was shocked when I saw a list of employees needed at the hospital where I used to work. The list comprised mostly Patient Care Technicians. They wanted them for ER, OR, and Critical Care. From what I've been hearing, it looks like the hospitals are either importing nurses or hiring these Care Technicians. Unfortunately, if you're the RN in one of these situations, you can bet your responsibility is increasing at a real fast rate! I can't imagine taking the responsibility for people who through no fault of their own, have been put in positions they are not educated or trained for - - this is making scapegoats out of nurses. Just my opinion.

Could you call your State Board of Nursing and ask them? I would think they could direct you on how you would do this. Best of luck.

There is a big discrepancy between what the hospitals feel is safe staffing as opposed to what the nurses feel is safe staffing. This is apparently an issue in California where they are trying to get a safe staffing ratio. (www.calnurse.org)

I know you're a relatively new nurse, but whatever you do, don't make it your problem. One of the reasons nursing has not progressed, in my opinion, is because they're hard on themselves and tend to blame themselves when it's not warranted. It is unreasonable to expect a nurse to give prudent and judicious care with ten or twelve patients plus admissions, transfer, etc. It's not right and believe me, administration is well aware of that. If you want to stay to get more experience then you have to realize you are doing the best you can in an unsafe environment. If you leave, you are not a failure.

Agree! This is an interesting situation. This hospital has been anti-union for years and I think they're concerned to say the least.

The practice of nursing is not the problem. The issue is this is 2001 not the dark ages. Technology has moved forward at a fast rate but the treatment of nurses hasn't changed in years and years.

It depends on what your state Board of Nursing dictates. In most states, the RN must perform the assessment and delegate accordingly.

That's a valid point. The nurses do become exhausted from their own work and then having the added work of teaching. This can lead, of course, to a higher stress level.