Survey: Do you think the federal government is taking the nursing shortage seriously?

[Brian]

Here are the results of last months survey question

Do you think the federal government is taking the nursing shortage seriously? :

Please feel free to read and post any comments that you have right here in this discussion thread by clicking the "Post Reply" button.

Thanks

[Bambi]

I agree with most of these posts. I have had my license for less

than a year. When I first started working I really felt that I had

made a big mistake going into nursing. I was looking into busi-

ness instead of going for my RN. I was very stressed and thought

the pay really stunk. A nurse recruiter from a community

health clinic called me for an interview. The pay scale is the same

for MA's and it just went up to a whopping $10.20/hr. Very sad!

To add, at my job we have a new DON. Everytime you go to work

there is a new envelop with your name on it about something

you did not do. Mind you all of the nurses with 20+ years are getting

the same type of reprimands weekly. Don't prejudge me,

I love nursing, but the working conditions and stress are above and

beyond what someone should have to deal with on a daily basis. Life

is hard enough and way too short for this nonsense!

[KC CHICK]

From what I've seen..... all that our govt. and healthcare bigwigs are attempting to do is put a bandaid on a sucking chest wound. The shortage will get a lot worse before we see improvement, unfortunately.

So, I guess my answer would be NO!

Anne.

[sehbear]

Its obviously a world wide issue.

Silly really.... Australia is poaching nurses from Asian countries because England is poaching Australian nurses and it just goes on and on.......

Does anyone know of any worldwide plan to increase nursing numbers?

If it continues you would certainly be looking at a world health problem...

[Cafe]

Oh, and don't forget, the US is starting to poach from ALL countries- preferably poorer countries. Now, we are ready to go to war to protect our country and the world and can see the big picture, but we can't seem to figure out how to solve and understand the big picture here at home with our Nursing Shortage. Our govenment doesn't take the time to understand and so our hospitals recruit from other countries and feel it is still cheaper to bring families over here for 2-3 years. IF that isn't opening up another whole can of worms and will in the long run add to more resentment, unfair treatment, disrespect and a flurry of more nurses leaving this profession......... UGLY!!!!

[micro, RN]

no wisdom here.......

but nope, the govt. isn't taking it seriously enough.......

hospitals, doctors, nurses, facilities, etc.....are not taking it seriously enough........

I imho, think that a more socialized approach to medicine is going to have to happen or the state of health care is going to be the rich get taken care of(however poorly or well that the shortage allows) and those without funds or fall within the cracks.........

are out of luck and caring.........

and I also agree with another threader......

I think the shortage is not just effecting nursing, but also all other departments, etc...........

not meaning to sound negative, but it doesn't have a positive hue' to it.........

but hey.......

it is definitely going to be a challenge to work within and hopefully not have need for too intensive of care from the health care industry.........

imho.....and out

micro

[lee1]

Originally posted by caroladybelle

Why is it when MDs in a particular state decide to quit/strike over increased malpractice premiums, it rates national coverage, immediate attention and a big fast fix...........but when nurses' leave/strike/quit over dangerous conditions, poor staffing, mandatory overtime, and lousy pay, no one gives a darn.

And why is it that there are editorials and programs about how important it is to go take RNs from foreign lands BUT not do anything realistic about solving the problems here. I could almost scream another commentary in my paper entitled "We need to look abroad in this nursing shortage"

[acmoro]

Dear Colleagues:

Is there any reason why Bush, and his Congress continue to delay federal funding for the current Nurse Reinvestment Act? Perhaps if he personally needed a nurse to take care of his mama, more than he needs to get back at Saddam for his papa, he might wake up and realize that we don't have any nurses!

[pickledpepperRN]

Originally posted by LoisJean

"The point I'm making is that we, as nurses, are responsible for more than making Government aware...we are responsible for making the PUBLIC aware of who we are and why we are. It is the average Joe on the street who needs to be educated in the working life of a nurse. Your patient may know what you do at his bedside but he hasn't a clue as to what the rest of the story is. He doesn't know what you do each day on his behalf. He has not been introduced to one iota of data which would give him a good view of his nurse's responsiblities on a day to day basis nor what was required for that nurse to even be at his bedside to begin with. And not just in hospitals, as I said above. "

LoisJean I think you are correct. In a democracy the people ARE the government. If the people were as concerned as they should be public opinion would force politicians to improve access to care and enough safe competent nurses for all facilities.

http://www.calnurse.org

Restaurants are closed if there is a threat to health. Hospitals and clinics must be made to adhere to standards of safe staffing and sufficient adequate equipment too.

[night owl]

No, and they need to get up off their butts and stop looking at the healthcare industry as just a business. The bottomline for them is MONEY and it will always be money. Money is power and good healthcare is only going to be for those who have alot of money and can aford expensive health insurance plans. The rich get richer and greedier and the poor get poorer...it'll never ever change....ever. They don't give a rats orifice how loud we cry low staffing or low wages or better working conditions or what ever because that means they'd have to fork out more money and they aren't about to do that no time soon. They're willing to pay for more scholarships, tuition reimbersments and what not, and that's what they want joe public to think that's the way they are handling the NS, but what good is it if you can't retain the nurse at the bedside??? It's worthless. It seems that in the media, they always stifle the real reasons why there is a so called "nursing shortage." And why is that? Because if the media covered the real reasons, then the public would know. They are regulated to cover only what they are supposed to cover, not what they would like to cover and for that they would get alot of flack from the government. Certain things are not to be publicised and I believe that the real reasons for the NS are not to be brought out in the open and the media is made aware of this because public opinion would force politicians to improve (fork over the money) access to care and improve safe working conditions for better, more competent nurses everywhere. But is the gov't willing to do that? NO! why? Because sh!t floats to the top...

[maureeno]

Do you think the federal governments reduction of Medicare payments 5% last year, set to be cut another 4% this year and then 10% more over the next few years affects nursing? I do.

[MOMMY]

There is no nursing shortage. There are alot of licensed nurses who do not work as nurses or work out side of the hospital. For years I resisted going to work in a hospital. I either worked private duty or worked in home health and hospice. I feel this is my great love. However, since getting my RN I felt I needed to get the experience that a hospital would provide. What a crock. Hard, Hard work..., Abuse Abuse Abuse. Not only do your co-workers (other nurses) stab you in the back, eat their young, but you have to put up with bad attitudes from patients and their families over things you have no control over, but you also have to put up with tempertantrums and put downs my the doctors. I was treated better as a lowley E-3 in the service than I was at the first hopital I worked at. My first day there I witnessed a Doctor pitch a patient's folder across the nurse's station and punch another patient's folder with his fist. The nurse that was orientating me handled the situation by babying the doctor and promising that there would be no more missing x-rays! Needless to say I stayed at that hospital only 3 weeks. No one, and I mean no one can pay me enough to put up with that type of abuse. I have worked in many different jobs, from my first job cleaning neighbors yards when I was in 3rd grade, to being a gas-station attendant (remember them), a grease monkey cleaning parts, waiting tables, cleaning houses, baby sitting, working as a short order cook and working as an air traffic controller. In all of those positions and I believe in any job you have your ups and your downs and you can find fault in any job. The worst though is in nursing. How many people do you know who say I am going into nursing for the money, the great hours and the even better benifits? My sister has worked for 14 years as a teacher brings in only about $23,000 a year, pays about $ 300 a month in health insurance. My first year as an RN I brought in approximately $22,000 and pay about $150 a month in health insurance. The problem. She works from 0730-330 with weekends off, holidays off and summers off, while I work 12 hrs a day many times over time (it's hard to say no) with working every other weekend. She had no difficulty in obtain baby sitters as most daycares are open from 6am-6 pm, while I have had trouble finding daycare afte 6 pm, even at the one hospital that offered daycare as they also closed at 6pm. She teaches about 25 students with gauranteed breaks inbetween. while I have to take care of 7-9 patients, charge and perform those duties for the LPN's that they can't do for their patients. Talk about stress. I have thought about switching careers because of the stress that goes with nursing. If each of us was to look back at our graduating class we would see that there are plenty of nurses. Just not enough of them to work in the poor conditions that is offered. I have heard "I do not have to put up with these conditions, Nursing jobs are a dime a dozen, I'll hunt until I find one that will be good for me" believe it or not the person who said this did find one that was good for her, at an insurance company!!

[Merry1]

Norbert, you have done your homework. I was in school and I didn't do as much research as you have apparently done. The free market works, get as much government out of healthcare as possible and watch what happens. Would be a great thing!