Thirteen years of bedside care has taught me a lot. Yes, my clinical skills have been honed, my resume is stellar and I can approach clinical situations with confidence. I am a good nurse. My skills are a testament to my experience, as is my realization that modern day nursing is a farce. In this post I would like to pose that the nursing profession has become a perverse exploitation of manpower in the current age.
In the landscape of modern day healthcare the profession of nursing has been marginalized. Merriam-Webster defines marginalization as " to relegate to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group". This definition should ring true to any nurse who is currently working at the bedside of a healthcare organization. Powerlessness should be in the descriptive of any bedside nurse job description. Powerless over unsafe staffing, administrative dictates, abusive patients and family members, dysfunctional hierarchies and the right to a work environment supportive of basic human needs and free from harassment.
The hospital business model has changed with many institutions operating as for-profit. Healthcare dollars are becoming increasingly tighter while those in the c-suite; CEO, CFO, etc. still want their great big piece of the pie. Consulting organizations are the best friend of the profit driven CEO with little or no insight as to what transpires at the bedside. Regulatory commissions justify their existence with endless mandates that become workplace priority (although some of these interventions do protect the patient I suspect this outcome is secondary to the money that is saved by the organization for compliance). Hospitals have become big business. Unfortunately for us, nursing's outdated model only serves to make us work harder to achieve benefits we never realize.
There is no place in the new business model of healthcare for compassionate care. An org cannot be reimbursed for compassion. Still we as nurses are manipulated by our desire to fulfill this outdated model of compassionate care giver. We are the scapegoats of organizations commitment to making someone accountable. Don't make waves, your job is dependent on it. We have all heard this message loud and clear.
I say no more!! The modern day role of a nurse is a joke. The landscape changes and we are required to carry on - business as usual. I cant stuff 14 hours of work into a 12 hour workday and I wont. I will take my breaks. I won't take abuse from patients and/or family members. Our rights as employees in the US mandate we are entitled to an abuse-free workplace. Amen. If administrators want to run their hospitals like a hotel let them employ consierge service around the clock. I didn't go into the hospitality business, I am a nurse. For every hair-brained scheme for manipulating the public the buck seems to stop with nursing. I refuse to pilot your business initiatives and be held accountable.
I am tired of being vulnerable to nursing administration that would rather align itself with hospital administration than represent nursing. You may be well compensated for your turncoat behavior but know you are a disgrace to your profession. It's time we reclaim these important roles and have a voice!!
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics 2010-2011 there are 2.6 million nursing jobs - 60% of those in hospitals. We outnumber hospital admin and nursing exec's by a very large margin. Why don't we have voice? Let's get it together and stage a nursing revolt. Nothing will change until we learn we can stand up for ourselves, our profession and as a result our patients. Grab hold of a copy of the Code of Ethics for Nurses. You will see this is our right and more importantly our duty.
I'm ****** and I'm not going to take this anymore. The first step to change is a unified voice. I'm not advocating unions - I don't know enough about them. All I know is change has to happen if we are to survive. Are you with me?
we am sending this letter to ask for your help in a very crucial matter. we are nurses, we work in hospitals, long term care, clinics, dr’s offices and every where else nursing skills are needed. we have heard all about the nursing shortage we are supposedily in. and yet we see many of our sister & brother nurses unable to locate employment. we also see severe understaffing in many areas such as long term care where the nurse to patient ratio is between 25:1 up to 30:1.
time spent on required charting and other paperwork ( 1 hour minimum) =
60 minutes
time spent calling dr’s, answering phones, writing orders (45 minutes)=
45 minutes
time spent feeding or toileting patients (2 hours)=
120 minutes
time spent on medication pass (2 passes @ 2hours each)=
240 minutes
time spent on treatments (1 ½ hours)=
90 minutes
time spent on assessments (1 hour)=
60 minutes
ending shift changeover= 30 minutes
30 minutes
the total time spent on the unit = 675 minutes , this equals 11 1/4 hours work to be accomplished in an 8 hour shift. keep in mind this timeline does not address the time spent giving prn (patient requested) medication requests, sending patients out to appointments, and answering the phones to give updates to families, questions from the pharmacy, finding and giving additional information to dr.s, and answering callbells, admissions or discharges, and if a patient becomes seriously ill and requires additional 1 on 1 time with the nurse. this is unsafe for both the patient and the nurse. in our rush to accomplish all the work alloted to us, mistakes are made and things overlooked.
we rarely take our breaks or lunch, we punch out to complete paperwork on our own time because management doesn’t want us working over our scheduled 8 hour shift. indeed we are often “spoken to” if the work is not completed in 8 hours. we have had our persons, property and licences threatened by patients and their families and had management ask what we did to cause it.
in the landscape of modern day healthcare the profession of nursing has been marginalized. merriam-webster defines marginalization as " to relegate to an unimportant or powerless position within a society or group". we are powerless over unsafe staffing, administrative dictates, abusive patients and family members, dysfunctional hierarchies and the right to a work environment supportive of basic human needs and free from harassment.
we, as a profession are asking for your help. we want to be able to preform quality care for all those placed in our care. there has to be changes made, better staffing to start with.
this is a start, please make changes as needed and post changes so we can all see them.
And now you see why we will never get any changes done. Nurses will not unite to make the changes we desperately need. Only, what, 22 people replied to this thread. Sad really, Nursing will degenerate and everyong will cry about it but, very few will stand up.
i hope the list and links i provided are still current. let me know if they are not and/or if you have any others. i am pretty good at finding stuff on the computer. everybody else is welcome to add to the list too.
have a hot news tip, celebrity photo or celebrity video? people magazine
One more thing I forgot. I read similar discussions on other threads about the state of nursing/complaining. I think whenever we see those, we should link them/let them know about this thread. I am not sure how exactly to do that, but it's gotta be pretty easy.
this is an amazing piece of work you've put together. i would also like to add that if you guys do start taking action, to remember this should be a marathon, not a sprint. it you will take a long time and a lot of dedicated work to get results. y'all are awesome for starting this! ow keep it going......
so, voice your opinion. we are going to be the new generation of nurses. if we want things to change then we need to stick up for ourselves, and what is right for our patients. i keep hearing that nursing are the largest medical profession - so then why do such crazy things occur: not hiring new grads when they know they are going to need them, treat rn's unlike any other "profession", whereas every other profession gets their lunch break and even the ability to go to the restroom when they need to. where they are treated with respect and are expected to be part of the medical team and voice their opinion and have their suggestions be listened to instead of shrugged off.
until we start changing the way we respond to issues, and begin addressing them head on, only then will things change. we have to do it together. i'll keep on writing my letters. how about you?
i've written so many letters as well. i made a list (with emails/contact info) of all those i sent mine to. here goes my list...(i am in ca, so some obviously may not apply) if you want to send your letter on to them as well. sorry it's wicked long and i made it last year, i hope the links still work. i will review them and correct accordingly is some one would like to write “the letter”.
*american academy of nursing. the aan serves the public and nursing profession by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, syntheses, and dissemination of nursing knowledge. washington, dc office, 888 17th street, nw, suite 800, washington, dc 20006. phone: (202) 777-1170; fax: (202)-777-0107; e-mail:[email protected]
*american association of colleges of nursinghttp://www.aacn.nche.edu/aacn is the national voice for america's baccalaureate and higher-degree nursing education programs. its main goal is the establishment of quality standards for nursing students who are working to obtain their bachelor and graduate degrees by helping the nursing profession improve healthcare through its influence, and by promoting public support of nursing education, research, and best practices. director: jennifer butlin, email at [email protected]
[color=#404b55]* american nursesassociation/american nurses credentialing center
8515 georgia avenue, suite 400, silver spring, md 20910-3492
*american nurses association california, 1121 l street suite #409, sacramento, ca 95814
916-447-0225, 916-442-4394 fax. send your story to [email protected]
*american nurses foundation, the anf is a national philanthropic organization that promotes the continued growth and development of nurses and services to advance the work of the nursing profession. [color=#404b55]8515 georgia ave. suite 400, silver spring, md 20910
**california institute for nursing & health care (510) 486-0627 www.cinhc.org
to better understand the current scarcity of rn jobs, including those for new graduates, cinhc conducted a nursing employer survey from march through may 2009 and recently solicited response to the data at meetings throughout california entitled the graduate workforce study. it was really informative.
[color=#3366ff]send your story to deloras jones, executive director at [email protected]
[color=#3366ff]and nikki west, project coordinator at [email protected]
[color=#3366ff]and diane welch, project director at [email protected]
*congress.org go to http://www.congress.org/ and type in your zip code and send your story to your rep.
*fox news, www.foxnews.comsend your story to [email protected] especially in relation to anita vogel’s 1/25/2010 article entitled “recession proof jobs”, where she states, “according to a recent survey by forbes magazine, health care is the most solid industry offering careers with job security. registered nurses topped the list as the number one most recession proof job, in part because there is a nursing shortage across the country” (http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/01/25/recession-proof-jobs/).
*interagency collaborative on nursing statistics (icons) promotes the generation and utilization of data, information, and research about nurses, nursing education, and the nursing workforce. email your story to email: [email protected]
*international council of nurses icn is a federation of national nurses’ associations (nnas), representing nurses in more than 128 countries. founded in 1899, icn is the world’s first and widest reaching international organization for health professionals. operated by nurses for nurses, icn works to ensure quality nursing care for all, sound health policies globally, the advancement of nursing knowledge, and the presence worldwide of a respected nursing profession and a competent and satisfied nursing workforce. email your story to [email protected]
letters to the editor for the u.s. print edition: send your story to [email protected]
mailing address: newsweek 395 hudson st., new york, ny 10014
**new york times, in regards to article by sarah tompkins (http://nwitimes.com/news/local/article_72575cfb-a853-57ab-ad63-179f857501dc.html) where , “carol schuster, chief nursing officer at st. anthony medical center in crown point, said clinical partnerships also help hospitals see if a student would be a good hire. but right now, hospitals do not have many openings, she said, because of the economy”. that is the only line that references the new grad nursing job shortage. tompkins reasoning for the so called nursing shortage was based on the lack of faculty – which is one dimension to this problem. send story to [email protected]
(219) 836-3780 | posted: sunday, january 3, 2010 12:10 am
also, to send comments and suggestions (about news coverage only) or to report errors that call for correction, e-mail [email protected] . to contact a reporter, click on the byline of one of his or her articles to access the reader e-mail form. you can also find any reporter's archive here (alphabetized by last name; reporters' names are italicized): times topics: people
*[color=#333333]nurse.com[color=#333333], home of nursing spectrum and nurseweek, a leading source of local and national nursing news, nursing jobs, nurse continuing education, and a thriving nurse community. leave your story at bottom of http://www.nurse.com/contact.cfm
**nurses for a healthier tomorrow (nht) is a coalition of 43 nursing and health care organizations working together to wage a communications campaign to attract people to the nursing profession. http://www.nursesource.org/mission.htmlthe nation is facing a potentially dangerous nursing shortage. the risk of a major nursing shortage is both short and long-term, and is more serious in some geographic areas than others. rather than wait until the problem is severe and patients are at risk, nht is working now to heighten awareness about the looming nursing shortage and the excellent opportunities that await those who seek a career in nursing. send your story to [email protected]
*the nursing organizations alliance™ is a coalition of nursing organizations united to create a strong voice for nurses. http://www.nursing-alliance.org/ phone: 859.514.9157 fax: 859.514.9166
*san francisco chronicle, news tips, if you have a story idea or breaking news tips, e-mail [email protected].
*service employees international union (seiu.org). a labor union for nurses working to improve patient care, enhance the nursing profession, and build a better future for nurses and their families.tell us what's going on and what you'd like to see covered on the seiu blog by emailing us at [email protected]
* do you have an enormous medical bill/cobra monthly payment? send an electronic bill to washington at http://medbill.seiu.org/ just fill in the 7 blanks (name, zip, bill/info, amount) and off it’ll go.
honor society of nursing providing leadership and scholarship in practice, education, and research to enhance the health of all people. send your story to [email protected]
*linda burnes bolton, rn, phd, faan, who is vice president of nursing, chief nursing officer, and director of nursing research at cedars-sinai medical center in los angeles. direct an email to her at [color=#3399cc][email protected]
*kathleen a. ream, ansr alliance contact, 6534 marlo drive, falls church, virginia 20042.
tel. 703-241-3947
send your story to [email protected]americans for nursing shortage relief, entitled testimony of the americans for nursing shortage relief (ansr) alliance
regarding fy 2010 appropriations for nursing workforce development programs
subcommittee on labor, health and human services, education and related agencies
committee on appropriations, united states house of representatives
Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.
Oh, believe me,I'm still in training! I'm walkin' 'cause I'm in it for the long haul. C'mon, everybody, join us! Whatever you can contribute, whether it's a postcard, or 10 little notes, or 5 letters, or prayers ........You don't have to take on ALL of it, and you are NOT alone. It may take a while , but there IS power in numbers and mass CAN gain momentum. Florence Nightingale was just one nurse, and look what she started.
i hope the list and links i provided are still current. let me know if they are not and/or if you have any others. i am pretty good at finding stuff on the computer. everybody else is welcome to add to the list too.
have a hot news tip, celebrity photo or celebrity video? people magazine
Wish we had found this before the 1st. Then we may have been able to get this to be a nation-wide vigil. That said, it is a good idea, perhaps if we can get enough people interested we could schedule another for sometime in August or September?
C'mon, everybody, join us! Whatever you can contribute, whether it's a postcard, or 10 little notes, or 5 letters, or prayers ........You don't have to take on ALL of it, and you are NOT alone. It may take a while , but there IS power in numbers and mass CAN gain momentum. Florence Nightingale was just one nurse, and look what she started.
No Stars In My Eyes
5,639 Posts
:anpom:Gonna have to go buy SEVERAL REAMS of paper for this!!!!!!!!!!!!!WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE!