PeeWeeQ

This isn't rocket science. It's not conditioning, misogyny, or patriarchy---men and women ARE different. Let me set this up--where I work, we are EXTREMELY short on RN and CNA staff. For several months, our facility is offering an incentive program where you commit to work so many extra shifts (HOURS, actually) per month. The number of hours are tiered (for example, tier 1 would be 24-36 extra hours, 2 is 48 hours, 3 is 72 hours, and 4 is 96 hours). Each tier has a bonus attached to it, payable (in addition to regular, OT, charge, weekend, and shift differential pay) at the end of the month so long as you meet your hourly commitment. In addition, we have been "mandating" nurses and CNAs to stay past their scheduled shifts to cover for shortages. Of course we can tell someone they are being mandated, but there is no real teeth behind it and they don't HAVE TO stay. Males on in our facility are numbered a little lower than the industry average, that is, roughly 7% of our RNs are male and most of them work in CCU or the ED, not on med floors like I do. I FAR surpassed all of the female nurses I work with in pay a couple of months ago, because I keep picking the top tiers (3 and 4) to work extra. The females have decided that they'd rather have the time to spend with children, or on family or leisure time. I know, because I am very close with my coworkers and we talk about it. I and the other 2 males on our floor have more months on the incentive program longer than any of the females combined. Most will do 2 months at a time and then they either stop altogether or take a month or two off of it. On the program, I've made as much in 6 months this year as I did all last year. How much do you suppose that skews the earnings charts? If you didn't know what was going on, you could look at a female RN who had been there 5 times as long as me and say that I made more than she did and claim what? Misogyny? Patriarchy? Unfairness? Wage gap? I also take charge nurse A LOT. Is it because I like it? NO. It's because I'm less likely to say something about it, like calling the outgoing charge RN to ask that they not be made charge for their shift. This also drives up my wage comparatively. In addition, with the "mandates," I've been told by several female RNs that they need to get home to their babies and that they WILL NOT stay. So, the next person in line (based on their last mandated date) has to stay. I've never said I wouldn't stay. In fact, I've stayed INSTEAD of others who would have been mandated had I not volunteered. MOST of the female nurses on our floor also covet daytime shifts and prefer 8-hour vs 12-hour shifts. Why? Who knows?--more family time, more regular sleep schedule, school schedules, daycare schedules.... How do I know? Because I am either involved in or overhear the talk. We also have maternity leave for both mothers AND fathers. The mothers almost always take the max amount of time allowed. I've not known any male/father to take more than 2 weeks... Say what you want, but the bottom line is that the gender "wage gap" is more behavior driven than anything else.

As an EMT as well as a nurse (I have been the former for a lot longer) I have started to see where these problems arise. I think the main thing is that nursing (even in the ER) has different goals than pre-hospital care...

Just had a computer training module on this a few days ago. Apparently, the research shows that the because the stomach and the lungs are in close enough proximity that the test could yield deceptive results. It also that stated a tube in the lungs is not always symptomatic right away... Thats what I remember from the CBL. I can look it up when I am there again and check for some sources for the info...

Hello Everyone, I'm a brand new RN, just graduated in December. I start basic orientation next week and start orienting on the floor with my preceptor for 90 days on the following week. I'm in my early 40s, have been an EMT-B for many years, an Infantry Medic, and an ER Technician. I'm excited and I'm also a little nervous. What are some of the things you wish you had brushed up on before starting as a new nurse? I know I just finished school, but, in a two-year ADN program, you get crammed with so much knowledge in such a short period, you start to realize you have all of this knowledge, passed the NCLEX, and yet, feel just a bit inadequate--maybe more than just a bit. That is, particularly having worked around RNs for some time in the ER, I've had time to realize how much I DON'T know and how hard it can be sometimes to exercise your ability to recall info when you need it. Thanks everyone!

I also went into nursing with an EMS and Army Medic background. I don't know about you, but, I struggled in nursing school trying to get out of the EMS mindset. Its not easy. EMS goals are different than nursing goals--even in an ER (I worked as an ER Tech during my last six months of nursing school). I find the cliched competition between nurses and medics a little perplexing because they simply aren't the same and they don't have the same goals. Nonetheless, anything you learned in EMS is valuable in nursing, even if its simply knowing how to get hands-on a patient (though its obviously more than that, particularly when you are talking about technical skills). As a newbie cardiac nurse just out of school, I once felt your frustration. I hope your search is productive and you find a home. There are a great many places that would be lucky to have you.

The statistics don't lie. Statistically, across all professions, in an apples to apples comparison, there is no gender wage gap. Its not there. Is there anecdotal evidence to show that there are situations where it happens? YES--they are anomalies, not the norm. This should be addressed when it does. I am also in my mid-40s and spent 17 years in 3 different unions. I'm really not sure how it is possible that another union member makes a different wage than another that is outside the union contract. In 17 years amongst in professions mixed with both men and women, I NEVER saw that happen.

Hello Everyone, I'm a brand new RN, just graduated in December. I start basic orientation next week and start orienting on the floor with my preceptor for 90 days on the following week. I'm in my early 40s, have been an EMT-B for many years, an Infantry Medic, and an ER Technician. I'm excited and I'm also a little nervous. What are some of the things you wish you had brushed up on before starting as a new nurse? I know I just finished school, but, in a two-year ADN program, you get crammed with so much knowledge in such a short period, you start to realize you have all of this knowledge, passed the NCLEX, and yet, feel just a bit inadequate--maybe more than just a bit. That is, particularly having worked around RNs for some time in the ER, I've had time to realize how much I DON'T know and how hard it can be sometimes to exercise your ability to recall info when you need it. Thanks everyone!

So, what I'm getting here is that there is really no substitute for CCU experience. I'm about to enter my 4th and final semester in my ADN and will be continuing on with to my BSN. I have some years of Army Medic and EMT-B experience, but, I was wondering, might it worth it at all to pursue Paramedic certification or would that be nonsensical and the time better used gaining CCU experience? Thanks for the input...

You should really look and see how well having the government "pay facilities...to hire more nurses" is working out in the UK. Hint: its not. It always strikes me as funny (and sad) when people think "the government" just has the money to do, whatever....Yes, all of society's ailes could surely be cured if each one just got a few more bucks from their rich uncle. The problem with that is that money isn't the only problem and that's not "the government's" money to spend as it sees fit---it belongs to the people. I'm not getting into this profession to live well or to make my nest egg--if you have grown up over the last 3 decades and, at any time, you've had it in your head that SS is going to be there for you when you retire OR that healthcare work (other than being an MD) is the best way to have a good retirement, you haven't been paying attention. I was a locomotive engineer and if I was more concerned about wanting to make a six-figure salary and have an OUTSTANDING retirement (look up railroad retirement), I'd have held out and stayed there. I liked my job, had union protection (but, I'm glad to be rid of the union), and would have eventually been untouchable due to seniority---or so I thought and many still think. Look at the technological changes coming to the railroad--it doesn't bode well for maintaining the current size of the workforce, and, they've been downsized before by technology. I'm going to be a nurse because I enjoy working with patients. Yes, I do understand that I could get tired or burnt out or something else can happen which is why I will continue my education to open up other avenues of opportunity and why I will also maintain other certifications like EMT and a class-A CDL. I'm already pushing my mid-40s and I've already had one career that was ended by technology and, another one that eventually would be. I'm not bitter about it, its simply a reality of the modern world. Another reality is that the government does not and never will have the money nor resources to prop up one profession, no matter how noble a cause it may be. And, if you think that government involvement would make any certain job more secure, well, think again--political winds change all of the time....

"My truth", "careers are BS", "not my dream job", "stuff I'll never use"---yup, you've honestly just confirmed that you basically are or are just like a whiny millennial. And, don't give my that crap about 'labels' either because I just don't care. "Your truth"---no such thing. There's true and there's false. You may have opinions, but there is only one truth. "won't change the world"--this is another unfortunate misconception like the 'dream job'. Relatively few individuals on this planet have 'changed the world' on their own. It's a collaborative effort. That's not skepticism or pessimism, its simply a quantitative reality. You'd be better off and be less disenchanted if you stick to what human beings are really here for--each other. You CAN make a difference in people's lives, and, that's what the what the world is really made up of... "Careers are BS"---I've heard variations of the same thing over the last decade now from the same generation. "People weren't made to have careers." Not true--we just don't take as good of care of ourselves as we used to, even when we possess the knowledge to do so. That said, yup--your body is going to break down a bit every day no matter what you do. Wanna be a job bum, moving from career field to career field for the rest of your days? Well, good luck providing any financial stability for your family. Unless you already have a pension from somewhere else, you might want to look up what history, experience, and statistics say your chances are of doing very well without a 'career'. "Not my dream job"--Some people have theirs land in their lap, some people find it after a lot of hard work, but the reality is that MOST people don't find their dream job. The hard truth is that most people have to work to find a balance between work, family, and what makes them happy. That's just life. I know the younger generation thinks they can arbitrarily change that little bit of reality, but it hasn't been panning out too well for them so far. "Stuff I'll never use"--ah yes--spoken like one with years of experience in a given field. I've at least got a bit of experience in the medical field--I think maybe you should be an EMT or Paramedic. What you 'need to know' and the 'stuff you'll use' is a bit more defined. You don't have QUITE the autonomy (I'm going to draw the ire of a few paramedics with that statement for not expounding on my point--yes, I know that it's not completely true--autonomy may not be the right word). What I mean is, what you can and cannot do as an EMT or Paramedic is defined more by protocol and algorithm and is a much more specialized field (pre-hospital care)--nursing is all over the place. You also spend more time with patients as a nurse and have to apply a more broad approach to medicine and all-around patient care. To be fair, I'm just on my way to a 'career' (there's that dirty word) in nursing too, but, having spent time as an EMT and a military medic, I'm very rapidly learning the very important differences between pre-hospital and in-patient care. One isn't necessarily more difficult, but, they are very, very different. I'm also in my mid-40s and came to the place I'm at having spent 15 years in one 'career' that I left before it became a dead end, 3 years in one that I loved that came to a premature end (my 'dream job', if you will--driving locomotives), and another 13 years, throughout all of that, in part-time endeavors like the military, firefighting, and EMS. In my humble experience, people with your attitude (one of arrogance and entitlement) don't last long in any career where they start off thinking they know what they 'need' to know and 'don't need' to know. That attitude on the railroad, in the military, and in the fire/EMS service will get you and/or someone else killed. I doubt the stakes vary too terribly much in the nursing field. It seems you're trying to find as many people as possible who will validate your feelings of frustration, and, inevitably, you have and will get a few. I'm at the PEAK of stress and frustration--I work full-time, go to school full time, I have 4 kids (my oldest is 20, youngest is 12), and a wife who is MORE sick of my schooling than I am. Sleep? What's that?!? But, it's all temporary. It's crap that you just have to push through, and, if you're THIS frustrated THIS early on, and you are THAT concerned about your time, I really doubt that this is the program or 'career' for you...

It doesn't have to be that way and it shouldn't be. How many nurses work in the exact same specialty their entire careers? From what I've seen, not a lot. A nurse is literally a jack of all trades, master of some. Look, I work 40-48 hours per week while in a program where I am constantly reminded by my instructors that working that much while doing this program is not recommended and I'm maintaining As and Bs... I used to think like you did. "Why do I need to know all of this?" Now, the nursing theories---I agree---crap. But, the A&P, Pharmacology, Alterations--why would you WANT to skimp on that when you are training to be a medical professional? You also never know where you might end up. When I was an infantry medic in the Army, I didn't go lazy on my regular soldiering like shooting, moving, and communicating, or my knowledge of infantry battle drills. Why? Because you never know what kind of situation you may end up in, no matter what your 'specialty'. What if you're forced to float somewhere else? What if you work in an ER? CCU? Med/Surge? You'll see all kinds of things, like people with comorbidities that cross 'specialties'. Do yourself and future patients a favor and change your attitude about it. Yes, SOME of that stuff is too deep and you'll only see it in a test, then forget it. Once you start seeing patients in clinicals, you'll figure out what you need to know and what you don't. I think you'll be surprised how much of that knowledge that you really do use... Good luck!

As if a surplus is the single indicator of a healthy economy.... Sorry, Reich is quite simply a "tax the rich and find ways to spend it" economist. And, the Sec of Labor does not "preside over an economy". Have you tried Sowell or Friedman? I'm neither a left or right winger, but I too study economics--the very and most basic principals that most mainstream economists today like to ignore. You can't tax us into prosperity. You can't create a surplus via taxes, when, by your own admission, we are in the midst of a major economic shift, particularly by way of labor. We're going to have to start looking at things like a universal basic income because, as you hinted at, tech will eventually start to hedge out labor, even in places like agriculture. With automation and drone technology (I'm a drone pilot myself) running wild, it's only a matter of time. There will be less and less need for unskilled labor and, I know leftist hate to hear it, but, people can't simply do "whatever they put their minds to." Human beings don't work that way, and where by basic rights we may all be created equal, by intelligence, talent, and skill, we are not. That's why there is scarcity in all manner of employment markets. But, Reich, like "tax the rich" economists, makes no effort to understand basic economic relationships like sacrcity nor has he much regard for facts. He LOVES corellary relationships, but, even my 12-year old can come to seemingly logical conclusions using those. The most basic rule he ignores is what economics or economy actually is and what I already hinted at: the use of SCARCE resources which have alternative uses. Scarce simply means that people always want more than there is, the implications of which are often grossly misunderstood, even by highly educated people like Mr. Reich. Like here where he is taken apart, piece by piece, because he has to twist words and ideas in order to make his points stick.... https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2013/09/12/sorry-mr-reich-your-economics-grade-is-still-f-reply-to-robert-reich-2/ Enjoy....

I live in WI....

I'm almost 3/4 of the way done with my ADN and I can tell you from the clinicals I just finished on the cardiology floor that YES---you need to know and UNDERSTAND your A&P. In the program I am in, we have progressive courses that build on A&P more and more (it goes deeper and deeper--Health Promotions, Health Alterations, and Complex Health Alterations, 1 and 2) each semester. In your first semester, it's not such a big deal when you're just learning to take vitals and a head-to-toe and history, but, as you move on and you are passing meds like lasix, warfarin, metoprolol, and diltiazem---all on one progressive care patient, you'll be glad you had all of those "gen-ed" classes, especially when your trying to explain endocarditis and heart failure to family members and why they need to be taking so many meds AND when it's up to you to follow a weaning protocol for those meds and you have to apply some critical thinking. As for the other stuff, it rounds you out a bit and also aids in your ability to think critically, think outside the box, and to look at patients (and family memebers) from all different sides. I'm just a 3rd semester ADN student and I have A LOT of learning left to do, and, I am certain that the learning will never stop. But, you really do need that gen-ed base if you want to be a good and well-rounded RN....In our program, those are pre-program courses. That is, you don't even get accepted into the core at all until you are a CNA and have completed A&P, Advanced A&P, and Developmental Psych......

Shortage isn't a good word for it. A better word, from an economic standpoint, is 'scarcity'. Economics is defined as "the use of scarce resources, which have alternative uses." Scarce simply means not enough to go around, and, in nursing, there are all kinds of "alternative uses." Think of all of the different types of positions that RNs hold that aren't involved with direct patient care. That said, as I believe many have stated already, it depends on where you are. Where I am, we DEFINATELY have a shortage of nurses and CNAs. There is a major university here that graduates BSN RNs twice every year and a tech school that graduates ADN RNs and LPNs twice per year. The tech is adding a summer 4th semester this year in order to add 16 more grads for another hiring period due to increased demand by employers. We have 3 hospitals here and countless clinics and long-term care facilities. I don't know anyone that is adequately staffed except, perhaps, a few of the clinics. Over in Europe, particularly the UK, it is about to become a crisis. "More than 1,000 NHS staff who belong to the Observer and Guardian's healthcare network were surveyed. Almost half of respondents (48%) said care had been compromised on their last shift, while only 2% felt there were always enough people to provide safe care. More than half (53%) say they cannot provide the level of care they want to." We could argue the reasons, but, that gets into politics, which I'll stay away from here. Its easier to post the news articles from over there than to explain, so, here are a few... Thousands of NHS nursing and doctor posts lie vacant - BBC News NHS facing ‘unprecedented’ nursing crisis with 4