PeggyOhio

HB 1289 was referred to Sub-committee on Workforce Protections 5/30/01. Please continue to write your legislators to support this bill so they know it is imperative! Don't let it die!

Hi Michele, I haven't gotten back to this topic because I've been flat on my back really sick the last few days. I see your point about ribbons being overdone. With every organization seeming to have one. While "industry greed" is a big part of the problem in health care these days, I think nurses wearing dollar bills could be misinterperated, and backfire sending the wrong message, with nurses seen as the one's interested in money. I suggested the ribbon be adopted nationally for several reasons: 1. Brockton nurses started it. So it is already out. 2. It would show solidarity with them and eventually hopefully all nurses across the nation. 3. It has high visablility in the community at large. As you can wear it, put it on your car antenna. Your front door. Mailbox. Trees. etc. 4. It's simple and inexpensive. That last thing I want is for this to dissolve into an endless debate about why one or the other is a better symbol, or this or that color would be better. And have nothing accomplished. Lets "JUST DO IT" Unfortunately we do not have one voice that we will all listen to and follow. So my one little voice is suggesting this: we adopt "WHITE" as the color of our grassroots nurse awareness campaign. And we show solidarity with the Brockton Mass ribbon campaign by adding "GREEN" and carry it forward! I propose we use the Brockton "GREEN" ro show solidarity with them and combine it with "WHITE" to symbolize nursing nationally . Other communities might use a different color and could combine it with white. So far I haven't heard that Youngstown or Minnesota have started any ribbon campaign. But suppose they do and they choose a different color. They could freely choose whatever color and add it to white for National Nurses Unity. So for example you have a big tree in your front yard, and you tie the green and white ribbon on it, or on you car antenna. And your neighbor asks you "what is that for" you can explain it is a grassroots public awareness campaign of nurses nationwide trying to bring attention to their concerns. The white is for national nurses, the green is for the strinking nurses of Brockton. Then if Minnesota starts a different color you could add that color, always having "WHITE" as the base color. Then as these strikes are resolved we could remove the color that symbolized that dispute but leave the white remaining until Federal legislation is passed to ban mandatory overtime. Does that sound too complicated? (Maybe it's the fever) I gotta go lay down. SOLIDARITY FOR NURSES! [ May 31, 2001: Message edited by: PeggyOhio ]

Doc I agree it's going to take a lot more than ribbons. But the problem is getting nurses past this "hopelessness" that they can do anything to change the situation. Wearing a ribbon is easy, simple, and inexpensive. It could be a huge psychological boost to nurses to know that they were all standingtogether to "draw the line". And the way they could communicate that to each other and to administrations is by seeing each other with the symbol of national nurses unity. Seeing other nurses from other hospitals wearing it also would bring solidarity to nursing issues, and public awareness. For sure its going to "take a lot more than ribbons". But "a journey of a thousand miles beings with one step". We've got to get nurses to take the first step. That is to insist on being valued for the vital resource that we are. Wear a ribbon show the public we are "drawing the line". Lets stick with the green the Brockton nurses have chose. We can get green and gold ribbon, -jt to symbolize the value of nurses. Ribbon There will always be naysayer's let's "just do it" and take that first step. [ May 29, 2001: Message edited by: PeggyOhio ]

Sheez! I was afraid of that Heather. I wasn't aware of the organ donation thing. Any suggestions? Maybe we could make it bi-color. What about green and white? Staying with the green that Brockton has started and adding white (nursing-white) for national unity. Is that too complicated? [ May 28, 2001: Message edited by: PeggyOhio ]

"Tie a green ribbon around the old oak tree. People are wearing green ribbons (the color of Brockton Hospital) and/or tying green ribbons around car antennas, trees and poles outside their homes and businesses in support of the Brockton Hospital Nurses." (who are on strike in case you didn't get it) I would like to suggest making the "green ribbon", (that the stiking Brockton,Massachusetts nurses have adopted), a grassroots movement by nurses nationwide. It would show nursing unity, support for striking nurses across the country, promote public awareness to the nursing crisis and generally just get us all feeling like we're doing 'something' instead of nothing. Sort of like the "pink" ribbon became the symbol of breast cancer awareness. We could make the "green" ribbon the symbol of "Nurses: our vital national resource in jeopardy" How about it fellow nurses? Put a green ribbon on your car, tree, coat, uniform. Then when someone asks you what it means, make them aware of the nursing crisis. [ May 28, 2001: Message edited by: PeggyOhio ]

NurseMark, You do not have to be an independent nurse contractor to write off all your uniform expenses, medical equipment, and continuing ed., professional magazines, etc,. Any nurse can do that now. I'm not convince making $40-50 dollars an hour is a great trade-off. Personally I think the hospitals will be the ones who make out on this kind of deal. Has anyone ever sat down to figure out what benefits add up to in an hourly rate. Things like health benefits, vision and dental benefits, PTO time, retirement plan, 401K, disability insurance, life insurance. Add it all up what would it come to, then we could compare apples to apples. Would this contract guarantee your hours and your shift? Or are you at the mercy of the hospital and work anytime any shift they need you. And when they don't they call you off. According to another post on this BB that is why hospitals prefer to spend $208,000 to fill one 40hr/week full time R.N. position through an agency rather than to have hire one full time staff person. Because when census is low they don't have to hire those people. I think the hospitals would be delighted to sign a contract with you. Especially with the cost of health care benefits projected to increase four fold in the next few years. It would save them big bucks as opposed to going through an agency, too. Although I personally would rather see individual nurse contractors than agency's, who do nothing but make money on the hard work of others. I see it as a very insidious trend that the hospitals are probably just smacking their lips over. I just hope I can hang in the 13 more years I need to retire!

You should take a copy of this article in to work. I'm going to. It's on the allnurses home page, from the Alberta news. I wonder if any nurses up there in Calgary can confirm this news item. Salary increase spurs return of ex-nurses Refresher courses in big demand Robert Walker Calgary Herald; Southam Newspapers Former nurses in Calgary are rushing to rejoin the profession following a recent provincial settlement of 22 per cent more money over two years. Calgary Regional Health Authority has had 500 phone calls in the past two weeks asking about a refresher course to get back into the workforce as nurses, said Tyler Cleveland, director of human resources planning at the authority. And 177 have signed up to take the distance-learning course run for the health authority by Grant MacEwan Community College in Edmonton. Cleveland said the timing of the nurses' settlement likely helped the recruitment drive. The contract agreed to this month means that by April next year, a nurse with nine years' experience will earn more than $64,000 a year, says the Provincial Health Authorities Association. "Being the highest-paid nurses in Canada helps," said Joanne Stalinski, vice-president of human resources for Calgary Regional Health Authority. "I think that has to be a factor." One former nurse, Wendy Isaacs of southeast Calgary, is excited at the prospect of going back to work. She stopped teaching nursing at the former Calgary General Hospital in 1972 when she had her first baby. "I thought I was too old," says Isaacs, 54. Now she's signing up for the Grant MacEwan course. "It's a great opportunity for me and the hospitals. They are getting experienced people with new skills," she said. Some of the nurses coming back to work are among the 1,000 laid off in the mid-1990s when government cut 17 per cent from the health-care budget.

Yesterday at work I heard that our hospital has successfully recruited 30 nurses from the Phillipines. Today I feel defeated and dejected. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against these nurses from the Phillipines. But it has taken the nursing shortage to make our voices heard regarding the problems in our profession. We were hoping to see some real progress in finally addressing the issues of staffing and wages and benefits. And now it seems the answer is the same as it has been for the last 7-8 yrs., i.e. if you don't like it leave we'll just get someone else to do your job. And they will be glad to get it. I have read that Phillipine nurses are also staffing Ireland and I'm sure other countries that have similar problems like Australia. My question is, how long will it take for the Phillipines to have a nursing shortage. Who will be left in their country to take care of their families?

I agree! We must stand together and demand that we as a profession be respected. And that includes our free time. Our time away from that horrendous work environment is the only thing that is keeping many of us going. Take that away and there will be a mass exodus of the few remaining stoic nurses left. We didn't create this mess and I for one am not going to be worked into the ground to bail out the idiots who did.

In Ohio the same is true as far as the definition of abandonment. And while your license won't be effected by refusing to take an assignment or refusing to be mandated, you can be disciplined by the facility were you work. Which would include everything from written disciplinary action in your file ( which may effect any jobs you might want to apply for in the future at that facility), to suspension, or termination. Peggy [This message has been edited by PeggyOhio (edited March 02, 2001).]

Here in Ohio the State Board of Nursing sent out a newsletter last fall. It is online at this link if you care to view it http://www.state.oh.us/nur/MomemFall2000.pdf I quote the first paragraph, "The Board of Nursing is the regulatory agency for the state of Ohio charged with protecting the public in relationship to the safety of nursing care. Within the past 12-18 months the Board of Nursing has heard numerous reports from nurses and others about staffing problems in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and community settings. Inadequate staff and mandatory overtime are not typically within the Board's authority to regulate: however when these reports indicate that staffing inadequacies are affecting public safety, the Board must respond. In addition to the anecdotal reports from nurses, the Board has increasingly seen evidence in disciplinary cases indicating that far too often unsafe nursing practices have resulted from a shortage of nursing personnel." I found the letter more than troubling because it seemed like they weren't even sure who was supposed to handle this mess. In the second paragraph it reads, "Ohio lacks a statewide plan for nursing and is not prepared to address the impact of the nursing shortage on its citizens ...What to do from a regulatory perspective was the subject of intense discussions during several Board meetings." Meanwhile you and I are out there trying to balance on the high wire to take care of people the best we can and not wind up in front of the "Board" for disciplinary action because we failed to do the impossible. It's like Catch 22. The letter continues. They (the Board)had a meeting of all the "stakeholders", which include, "state agencies, acute care, long-term care, home health, nursing associations, and licensed nurses, including nursing educators..." They conclude, "If Not Nursing Then Who?" Apparently there is no one at the wheel of this runaway bus. (Somebody call Sandra Bullock!) Even the "Board" is uncertain if it's their "jurisdiction". But somebody better take control! So, "If Not Nursing Then WHO?" They state, "Rather than relying on the workforce solutions devised by others, nursing should be responsible for addressing supply and demand issues; developing effective workforce recruitment and retention programs; collaborating with education and service to redesign educational programs to meet nursing work force needs." This is referred to as the "the initiative" in their next paragraph. So while they are in their ivory towers "developing", collaborating", and redesign(ing)" you and I are still out there on that high wire, now hanging by our fingernails! I envision that soon it will be so bad in our hospitals they will have to have the "Good Sam" law apply to nurses that are willing to go inside one and work. Wait it gets better! The answer to the problem, (the health care crisis, particularly the shortage of nurses, stemming from demoralizing working conditions created by a profit driven system), is the "initiative", (as described two paragraphs above). But the dilemma now becomes how to fund or pay for the "initiative". Any bets here folks? I'm sure all you veteran nurses out there know the answer! Yes that's right, let the nurses pay for it! At least in Ohio we will be, with a hike in our licensure renewal. Here's the reasoning the Board used. " It is unlikely that the general revenue funds will be available for the "initiative" given the other priorities of the state budget, most notably schools." HELLO! IS ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE TIRED OF TAKING A BACK SEAT FOR THE SCHOOLS?! Whew! I apologize! Just had to get that off my chest. Any teachers out there reading this, you have my greatest respect. But folks we are talking crisis now, CRISIS, I REPEAT. HEALTH CARE CRISIS! ANYBODY HOME! Getting back to funding the "initiative". Can't use general revenue, it's not in the budget. " In addition, the Board has no authority to seek general revenue funds....by law it must rely solely on the fees it is authorized to charge." (i.e. your license renewal) "Letting another state agency fund the "initiative" means that some entity other than nursing would decide for nursing how to deal with nursing workforce concerns." Hmmm, let's think about that. I'm wondering could "another state agency" possibly do any worse? Let's face it folks we got where we are today because of an abysmal lack of nursing leadership. Is it suddenly going to appear now, because now we have a "nursing workforce initiative"? What can I say? True we are not talking break-your-bank bucks here. Only part, of the ten dollars estimated hike in the licensure fee, will be used to fund the "workplace initiative". It isn't the money. It's the principle. We (nurses) didn't make this mess. Hospitals have abused their nursing workforce for years. For years they have given us two options, take it or leave it. Most of us chose the latter. They (hospitals) created the problem and now we (nurses) have to bail them out. Sadly we, as the severely co-dependent, people pleasing profession that we are, will do, it. We will pay for a "nursing workforce initiative", to try to get adequate staff so we can do our jobs. So folks don't expect anything dramatic from your Board of Nursing, at least not here in Ohio. If you have a different experience I'd like to hear it. The fact is, it's going to get a lot worse before it gets even a little bit better. If I weren't a single mom in my fifties, with two more kids to get through college I would have gotten out. My advice is, if you have options take them. I know that isn't going to make my life any easier, or our patients, but it will yours. The best answer I can give you Kim is document, document, document! On the unit where I work we all know, now. If we feel the staffing level is unsafe we write it as an incident report. That way if there is an adverse outcome due to unsafe staffing levels you are covered somewhat, the onus is on them. Remember always, always, ALWAYS make a copy for yourself. I have posted this information before but some nurses may not be aware of it. It is a useful tool. I have used it also where I work. It is called the Assignment Despite Objection form, at the Florence Project website, http://www.florenceproject.org/adodisclaim.shtml It has just about everything needed to write up staffing concerns on a concise form that you can turn into your supervisor. Again, make sure you make a copy for yourself, before handing it in. I do both. Because my understanding is, at least at our facility, all incident reports have to go through the legal department. And that's just fine with me. Lastly, if you do choose to stay in nursing, please get involved in raising our issues in front of the public. I believe that is the only way we are going to change anything. When patients start demanding that they have the staff available to meet their needs, and that insurance companies and hospital have to be accountable for the monies given to them, then things will change. There is federal and state legislation proposed to address the staffing concerns of nurses. Write your congressman. Get your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers to write to. Support H.R. 5179, http://www.house.gov/lantos/html_files/healthcare_NursesOvertime.html Write Rep Tom Lantos and thank him for proposing this important legislation at this link Tom Lantos http://www.house.gov/lantos/html_files/contact.html In Ohio write to support HB 78. http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=124_HB_78 Write to Ann Womer Benjamin Rep District 75. http://www.house.state.oh.us/jsps/MemberDetails.jsp?DISTRICT=75 Finally I need you and all your coworkers to meet me at the Million Nurse March in May 2002, in Washington, D.C., at the Lincoln Memorial so we can march shoulder to shoulder to the White House and demand that George "Dubya" listen to us! Good luck to you Kim, and God bless and help us all as we try to get through this. Peggy [This message has been edited by PeggyOhio (edited February 27, 2001).]

At the facility were I work we also are not permitted any food or drinks at the nurses station. We were told it is JACHO regulations and if they made an unannounced inspection and found it it would be a tens of thousands of dollar fine. We do have a "report room" close by that we can keep a drink in. But finding the time to go get it is something else again! There is also a water fountain on the floor were you can get a quick slurp. Peggy

Hello Michele and all, The archived material on the original MNM is all still accessable, except what was deleted by the then moderators. I did it this morning again. What is more important is that we all respect, and encourage each other in our efforts to solve this dilemma. If your interested in wading through the original material follow these instructions. From the allnurses home page click on "Click here for more Nursing Discussions" Next scroll to the bottom of the new page until you see a window on the left side with the words "Visit one of our Archives". Click on the arrow and a drop down menu appears. Select "MNM archive". Click "GO" On the new page two topics are available. Click on "MNM-Confused". After the new page load you will see in very tiny letters outside the highlighted area and above the first post it reads, "This topic was originally posted in this forum: Million Nurse March". Click on the blue words "Million Nurse March". You are now at the original MNM discussion, where you will find four pages of stuff dating back to ? not sure August/September? 2000. Hope this helps. A coalition of everyone interested in improving health care in general and nursing specifically is what we are all striving for. Let's all use our resources to pull in the same direction. For anyone in Ohio. A state bill has been proposed by Representative Ann Womer Benjamin of Aurora. It would ban mandatory overtime and set safe nurse/patient ratios. Please write or fax her a note of appreciation for spearheading this important legislation in Ohio. Ann Womer Benjamin 77 South High Street 13th Floor Columbus,OH 43266-0603 Telephone: (614) 466-2004 Fax: (614) 644-9494 Thanks, Peggy [This message has been edited by PeggyOhio (edited February 25, 2001).]

Planning and organizing the million nurse march continues after a temporary set-back. Please consider becoming involved in this effort to raise awareness to the problems in nurseing. We need all nurses to stand united. The website is now located at www.millionnursemarch.org This is the most current list of states organizing for the Million Nurse March on May 4th and 5th 2001. We hope to have marches in each state as well as the District of Columbia. If you are interested in joining this effort notify the contact person listed. If your state is not listed, please consider volunteering to begin organizing in your state or the D.C. area. STATE CONTACT Arizona [email protected] Arkansas [email protected] California MJRN [email protected] Florida [email protected] Illinois (need volunteer) Indiana [email protected] Maryland [email protected] Massachusetts [email protected] Michigan [email protected] Missouri [email protected] Nevada [email protected] New Jersey [email protected] New York [email protected] Ohio [email protected] Oklahoma [email protected] Pennsylvania [email protected] South Dakota [email protected] Tennessee [email protected] Texas [email protected] Virgina [email protected]