Questions from Holland!!!!!

pickledpepperRN · Apr 7, 2004

1.My earliest personal ideas of Holland came from a friend who came to Oklahoma from the Netherlands when we were both 10 years old. As the 'New kid' I was asked to show her around. At first she spoke no English, but quickly learned. We are still friends. I think of Holland as more progressive and tolerant than we in the USA. My experience causes me to think the education is superior. I have met Dutch people who know more about our history than most citizens, all I have met are multilingual. Of course we learn that land was reclaimed from the sea. We think of tulips, windmills, and wooden shoes. We read Hans Brinker and about the little boy saving all with his finger in the dike.

We in California have a terrific nurse leader, Hedy Dumpel RN, JD (lawyer too!) who was educated in Rotterdam. She was born in Indonesia. This link has a photo of her:

http://cna.igc.org/saznc/MayJune.pdf

2.I know there is healthcare for all in Holland. I don't know the details of your system. Many of us wish for universal healthcare in the USA. How about sharing a link about your healthcare system? I believe you have more public health nurses visiting families at home for teaching and prevention of illness. Is that so? Here is a link to our Public Health Nurse Task Force: http://cna.igc.org/phn/

3.How do we work differently? Well, many of our hospitals have stickers or computers to keep track of items used so the patients' insurance company can be billed. This is everything from catheters to bedpans. We mostly do primary nursing. I have heard how nursing was in the Netherlands years ago with functional nursing, which is a medication nurse, intravenous therapy nurse, treatment nurse, and so on. We did that too then. Now in California each patient must be assigned to a registered nurse who is responsible for the nursing care. We are assisted by licensed vocational nurses and others. I believe that nursing care has more the same than different.

4.Our hospitals are mostly run on a business model rather than a service or nursing model. The signs are they have a CEO, the former director of nursing is the Vice President of Patient Services, and the former head nurse is a Nurse Manager too busy with the budget to know the patients. Direct care staff nurses, including charge nurses are taking control of our practice in increments. Here in California more nurses and other hospital workers are voting to become unionized.

5.I only know two Dutch nurses. One is Hedy Dumpel whose classes I have attended. She is a very special dynamic and empowering speaker. The other is a fine critical care nurse who has traveled the world and now is married to an American. When she first arrived she was surprised that we notice and discuss religion, politics, and race so much. I noticed she knows so much more world history than we ever did. I plead ignorance and want to learn more.

Euthanasia in Holland was in our newspapers a few years ago. It sparked a great debate here. I have read that although legal it is very rare.

We also hear of tourists going to Amsterdam to do legally what is criminal here.

I read that education and the arts are supported by taxes. What percent of income goes to taxes?

Do most people think the government services are working well?

Are they worth the high taxes?

Oops, I was only supposed to ask questions.

funmi · Apr 25, 2004

Hi,

I want to be registered as a nurse in Holland,please give me more information.I am a registered nurse/midwive in Nigeria and i wish to work in that country.Thanks.

Olubunmi Odumade

[email protected]

funmi · Apr 25, 2004

Hi,

I want to be registered as a nurse in Holland,please give me more information.I am a registered nurse/midwive in Nigeria and i wish to work in that country.Thanks.

Olubunmi Odumade

[email protected]

Aurora · Apr 25, 2004

1) My impression of Holland comes from having a Dutch son-in-law. The Dutch people I have met have been hardworking and capable. There must be a gene for clean, too, because my grandchildren were born with it. My further impression of Holland is that it is an overwhelmingly atheistic and morally bankrupt country -- at least in the large cities, maybe not in the villages.

2) I gather The Netherlands have been burdened by large numbers of immigrants from other countries, who drain all the public service systems. I would think public health resources are very strained at this time.

I have no basis for an opinion on questions 3-5.

Aurora · Apr 25, 2004

1) My impression of Holland comes from having a Dutch son-in-law. The Dutch people I have met have been hardworking and capable. There must be a gene for clean, too, because my grandchildren were born with it. My further impression of Holland is that it is an overwhelmingly atheistic and morally bankrupt country -- at least in the large cities, maybe not in the villages.

2) I gather The Netherlands have been burdened by large numbers of immigrants from other countries, who drain all the public service systems. I would think public health resources are very strained at this time.

I have no basis for an opinion on questions 3-5.