Survey: Do nurses have a voice??

[ASparks]

I am concerned about some of the work conditions that many nurses face...high nurse-pt ratios, poor salary, and not being heard by administration. Do you think these are issues? What do you think about your working conditions?

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6653VJJ

[LeeMy49]

No they don't have a say!!!

[GHGoonette, BSN, RN]

Not in "my" hospital. Very demoralizing; also very stupid. When management respects and interacts positively with its staff, and invites their opinions, you have a happier work environment.

Happier staff=more productivity=greater efficiency=happier, safer patients.

[evolvingrn, BSN, RN]

not where im currently at , but that is not true everywhere

[ericleroy]

Join the UNION !!!

Then you can have a voice

The NNU is growing very fast

[GHGoonette, BSN, RN]

Join the UNION !!!

Then you can have a voice

The NNU is growing very fast

I belong to a union, but I'm waiting to hear them voice my opinions

Before the recent public service strike in South Africa, there were dozens of media articles highlighting the plight of nurses and other essential staff (teachers, police, etc), which caused quite a wave of support from the general public. During and after the strike, however, there were so many negative reports that a great deal of good was undone.

Unions might be well advised to embark on public education campaigns to spotlight the exploitation of nurses and the resultant endangering of patients, especially in the current economy. They can do this without threatening industrial action.

[Chrissy Lou]

I worry that our voices will continue to be slowly silenced. Our facility has gone from a private owned to a corporate owned- and we are silenced even more. Now, it seems like everything we do, the type of care we give, is judged by how much we are spending-period. Our staff is being thinned to the point I am scared- How to expect a nurse, yes one, to pass meds to 30 people ( a morning and a lunch pass), plus insulins, neb tx, complete the mountain of charting, treatments, wraps, round with doctor..........I just want to cry! To speak up about safety, etc. brands you as "not a team player", and then you worry about your job, your residents, your aides.....How do you get someone to hear you, you would think that surely someone actually would be interested in your concerns. It makes me question why I should continue to be a nurse. I feel like the actual "caring of the people" is gone- Joining a union is frowned upon, not allowed according to our handbook. How do we get the word out, where are our advocates? I am tired, frustrated, and feel like the greed in our world has gone too far. There has to be a balance somewhere!

[efda3]

I am concerned about some of the work conditions that many nurses face...high nurse-pt ratios, poor salary, and not being heard by administration. Do you think these are issues? What do you think about your working conditions?

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6653VJJ

Absolutely issues.

No, they don't have a voice because they don't stick together...they're too busy fighting each other instead of backing each other up.

[ericleroy]

No union is perfect, but we have to make them better by fighting within them.

You also have to face facts; industrial action is the only thing that will win us decent nurse/patient ratios and decent pay and conditions. The government would rather spend money on bailing out Wall St and invading countries than nurses' wages. And private hospitals are driven by a profit motive, so we really have to fight against all of that.

There is strength in numbers, and only in numbers...

[ASparks]

Thank you for your thoughtful responses. I became a nurse 10 years ago. Like most nurses, I wanted to be the best nurse in the world :) I worked on a medical surgical floor and found it difficult to give the care that I wanted. The ratios were too high, the patients too ill...I considered leaving nursing, a profession that I loved, like many others nurses are doing today. But, then I realized if we all leave...if the nurses who care the most leave, who will be left to care for the patients. I didn't leave the profession. Instead, I went back to school. And, I vowed that I would give a voice to the nurses, to us. I believe that our profession is growing, evolving and we each have a role in its destiny.

I believe the way that we can best make change is to show how nurses impact patient outcomes. If, as a profession, we can show how nurses impact care, organizational costs, etc...then we can create a platform for the best work environment to do our jobs.