The Nursing Licensing Cartel

Guest219794 · Aug 15, 2015

Congrats on your new job! You clearly have an aptitude for documentation - I'm sure your new employer will appreciate that about you. I mean, 7.29 hours! Your attention to detail is impressive to say the least.
Will you be following up with a detailed account of relocation expenses and the moving industry cartel?

Good attention to detail if the OP means 7 hrs, 17 minutes 24 seconds.

OTOH, if it was 7 hrs and 29 minutes.....

rickbrown23 · Sep 10, 2015

Well, you could look at it this way: The cartel charges a hefty price in order to weed out those who got into the profession for the wrong reasons...Maybe the requirements should be even more strict if verifying license and non-criminal background bothers those who are being trusted with the very lives of their clients. If this was an "easy" profession to enter, what would it look like, and more importantly, would you want lesser "proofed" people caring for your loved ones? I think you should count yourself lucky to get a job in Texas with this attitude. No one likes bureaucracy, but your attitude is pretty unusual for a brand new nurse who respects their chosen profession of caring. I am sorry for you, because things will only get tougher as you go through the challenges presented by the workplace. Being an RN is a privilege, not a right.

I'm a bit confused by this response. Are you inferring that increasing licensing costs will somehow "weed out" those in the profession for the wrong reasons? Exactly how would that work? At what price point would only the good nurses being willing to enter the profession? Perhaps I am naive in thinking that the way to "weed out" potentially bad nurses is to have them complete a degree and pass a licensing exam. Apparently the better way is to simply jack up the price. So simple!

In all seriousness, some of the responses here are bordering on the absurd. No one on this thread has advocated for less background checks, exams, schooling, etc. In fact, I think we can all agree that these hoops are necessary ones through which to jump to ensure we don't end up with truly dangerous practitioners. It is simply the bureaucratic gymnastics that I believe are burdensome. I find it hard to believe that some of the respondents on this thread find ZERO problem with the current system.

"No one likes bureaucracy". Indeed, which is the POINT OF MY POST. But casually inferring that my honest frustration with the system has ANY adverse affect on my "respect for the profession of caring" as you put it is insulting and wholly off base. I absolutely LOVE being a nurse and consider myself extraordinarily lucky to work in this profession. But I reject in its entirety the notion that one must passively submit to every onus put upon us to be considered "respectful" of that profession.

I am fortunate to have a job in a great hospital in a world class city. That is true. And I'm also fortunate to work for a hospital system that doesn't hire "yes men and women" but rather hires those who have the ability to critically think and not blindly accept the status quo without questioning its merits. Perhaps your hospital is different--in which case, I feel sorry for you as well. See, I care!