USA Weekend Magazine article on Nursing shortage

slyhrtbt · Sep 1, 2003

The one problem I had with the article was that it gave the impression that CNA's don't know much about their patients. I realize the nurse is the best one to ask but I did feel a little disrespected as a CNA. I also agree that it would be dangorous to give unliscenced people the responsibilities of the LNP's and Rn's. As far as the "nurse" on the front cover. I don't know any nurses that look like that. But I would like to meet her. LOL.

Cmyst · Sep 1, 2003

I liked the advice to call hospitals and check the RN to pt ratio on the Med/Surg floor. It is amazing to me how many people think that they are going to get ICU level staffing on a Med/Surg floor!

If people actually call the hospitals to ask about this, it also makes the hospitals very aware that people are concerned about safety in staffing. I often break it down to interested consumers by using the analogy of a sick child: you know how much extra work a sick child or two is at home. This is like having six sick children, as well as writing reports about all of them! That usually blows them away, and cuts straight to the time/care/safety issues.

robred · Sep 1, 2003

Thanks for the feedback everybody!

Here's my take on the article...I give it a '6' out of '10'. First, you can't judge a book by the cover, but the representation of the nurse on the cover was either a 'fantasy of the past' as the title states on the cover or a medium once again representing nursing in a less-then-reality-based portrait. Secondly, to 'know the players', one must also know the qualifications and education of 'the players'. The article missed the boat...it would have been wise, in my view, to include these important features of the RN, LPN/LVN and CNA. Also, although mandatory staffing levels are a useful means to deliver safe care, I think one must take into account the importance of the acuity level of the pts...there is a BIG difference in caring for 6 pts on a m/s floor who require minimal vs 6 pts who require a moderate degree of nursing care. I would hope that a future pt/family member would also inquire if an acuity system is in place and utilized to make pt assignemnts. Third, I like to see a family member involved, i.e. helping with brushing hair or applying makeup, I would prefer that they not go into the linen closet to get an extra blanket, not help feed their loved one unless they have been instructed in how to do so (risk of aspiration/obstructed airway) with proper supervision, too, and that they not carry away the tray (I&O, diet tolerance).

I thought the rest of the article was helpful and accurate!

Mol · Sep 1, 2003

I thought the article was weak and i probably wouldnt bother to comment on it except to say that some of the best nurses that i have worked with have been foreign trained, eg irish and Philipino. What i will say is that when you bring in foreign nurses you dont deal with the issues for nurses leaving the field in record numbers, for the reasons for decreased enrollement in schools and why are nursing schools closing. The issues remain for nurses left in the field, sicker and sicker people to care for, awful work conditions, mandatory over time ,stress and more stress, and the list goes on. I would say to nurses that are planning to come to the USA to work DONT, it is awful here. Try European hospitals, much better work conditions!

Tweety, BSN, RN · Sep 1, 2003

Originally posted by Mol
I thought the article was weak and i probably wouldnt bother to comment on it except to say that some of the best nurses that i have worked with have been foreign trained, eg irish and Philipino. What i will say is that when you bring in foreign nurses you dont deal with the issues for nurses leaving the field in record numbers, for the reasons for decreased enrollement in schools and why are nursing schools closing. The issues remain for nurses left in the field, sicker and sicker people to care for, awful work conditions, mandatory over time ,stress and more stress, and the list goes on. I would say to nurses that are planning to come to the USA to work DONT, it is awful here. Try European hospitals, much better work conditions!

Good point. The foreign nurses are a band-aid, but not addressing the problem.

Rocknurse, MSN, APRN, NP · Sep 1, 2003

I'm an English nurse planning on coming over to work in the US and I honestly can't imagine that conditions are worse in America than they are in England. I will be fascinated to see the differences, but at least your hospitals in the US are clean and you can get supplies when you need them. Our hospitals in London are filthy with cockroaches crawling around, and the equipment is usually broken and dirty. You can't get a packet of gauze when your patient is bleeding, and you can't get an incontinence pad when your patient is lying in a pool of feces. The average wage of a UK nurse is $26,000 and there is a permanent nursing shortage here.

I can't wait to get to America and start working. I am sure you have your share of problems but certain things will be better without a doubt. In any case, I think I am a very good nurse and I have worked hard to get where I am. I bring great expertise from the UK and so I am not only taking from the US but giving back to them as well. Foreign nurses appreciate being a nurse in the US, and personally speaking, I will not let my inexperience with some of your technology hold me back. I will just learn how to use it, that's all. I guarantee within a year I will feel totally at home with it all.

Brita01 · Sep 1, 2003

Originally posted by Rocknurse
I'm an English nurse planning on coming over to work in the US and I honestly can't imagine that conditions are worse in America than they are in England. I will be fascinated to see the differences, but at least your hospitals in the US are clean and you can get supplies when you need them. Our hospitals in London are filthy with cockroaches crawling around, and the equipment is usually broken and dirty. You can't get a packet of gauze when your patient is bleeding, and you can't get an incontinence pad when your patient is lying in a pool of feces. The average wage of a UK nurse is $26,000 and there is a permanent nursing shortage here.

Holy Cow!

kahoro · Sep 1, 2003

I,VE ALSO READ THIS MESSAGE ABOUT NURSES THERE . THANK YOU ESSARGE FOR GIVING OUT THE WEB SITE IN FACT IVE ACESSED THE MESSAGE FROM IT

IM SO AMAZED TO KNOW THAT SOME OF YOU NURSES SHOWING A COLD SHOULDER ON FOREIGN NURSES WHY???????????

ANY ONE TO PLEASE LET ME KNOW REASONS

HAVE IN MIND THAT WHAT I LEARNT IS ALSO WHAT YOU LEARNT !!!!!

imenid37 · Sep 1, 2003

Good luck to you Rocknurse! I hope you enjoy working in The USA.

I thought the article was about a "5". It wasn't really about the nursing shortage, more of a survival guide for pt's and families. We need more real nurses RN's and LPN's not more people for us to supervise (CNA's, techs 's, etc.) although these folks are heplful and have their place for sure. There are only so many people you can assess and give meds to until it becomes unsafe.

The cheesy picture was a little out there, wasn't it? I guess it means those days when there were enough nurses to go around are as far off as the days when nurses looked like that!

essarge · Sep 1, 2003

kahoro,

I don't think the majority of the nurses are turning a cold shoulder to foreign nurses. I think that the nurses do not feel supported by our government (by laws and regulations) or by administration in the various facilities we work in. I believe that they also feel that by allowing foreign nurses to come and practice in the United States, it is not going to solve the problem of the nursing shortage here. It is only going to compound the problem by not regulating schools and institutions to have fair working conditions that keep up with technology and patient status and good money for schools to give proper training and good pay for instructors.

As with many governments in the world, ours sometimes sticks their heads into the sand until the problem lands in their own (personal) laps.

valene · Sep 1, 2003

i thought it was a good article. a pamphlet highlighting some of those key points for the family would be great to give to family when their relative is admitted. forming a "partnership" with the patient, family, and staff should in most cases improve the care the patient receives. The positive bond that forms between family, patients, and staff makes lawsuits less likely in the event of poor outcomes.

NICU_Nurse, BSN, RN · Sep 1, 2003

I thought the picture was beautiful, actually. :) Though, admittedly, I have less of a problem with "the image" ting than other people here do. I found it entertaining, but, then again, I've got a Naughty Nurse Nancy costume in my closet for Halloween, so take that with a grain of salt.

The thing I found most interesting was the recommendatoin that patients ask what the patient-nurse ratio is. I imagine legions of sick people screaming and flinging bedpans:

"Marjory, call the frickenfrackin lawyer! They said 1:4!!"

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Kohoro, please do not take personal offense! As essarge mentioned, there is a definite nursing problem here in the U.S., and a majority of the issues stem from hospital administrators attempting to find cheap, easy solutions to some very serious issues. We value ALL of our nurses, wheter they are from the U.S or otherwise. I have worked with a number of Nigerian nurses who were recruited to aid in the shortage here; they have all told me that the reason they were so popular with recruiters is because the conditions in their country are much more difficult (and the nurses have much more responsibility, work with lesser technology often, make less money for the work that they do, not to mention all of the political problems, etc.). The recruiters here, who are working on behalf of the hospital administrators, often see foreign nurses as the "easy" answer, because so many of them are willing to come over to the states to make more money and provide a better life for their families. What happens, though, is that the issues remain- many nurses in the U.S. have poor working conditions as well that require nurses to take unsafe patient assignments because the hospitals are simply too cheap to pay for more staff. It is very frustrating for those who are faced with that, and nobody wants to work where they and their services are not valued.

Personally, I would welcome a nurse from another country like I would welcome my family- a nurse is a nurse, and there is much to be learned from those of different backgrounds and cultures. However, I still would remain frustrated that the hospital were using them, in a sense, to ignore the larger issues at hand. Does that make sense?