VCR Alert: Nursing Shortage on 60 Minutes

Stargazer · Dec 30, 2002

thanks, susy!

originally posted by love-a-nurse
why wasn't the entire show on the nursing shortage?

because 60 minutes has a very specific format--3 stories, 15 minutes per story, commercials, and a little rant by andy rooney at the end--a formula from which i have rarely, if ever, seen them deviate in the bazillion years this show's been on the air.

15 minutes would've been a good start if they had stuck to the real story.

P_RN, ADN, RN · Dec 30, 2002

My 2 cents worth has been donated to the cause. This was nothing more than a space filler in my opinion. "Hey there's a problem...hey they've solved it...now a word from out sponsor."

Of course 20/20 and the NBC Jane Pauley thingy (can't think of the name) probably wouldn't do any better.

nursing 101 · Dec 30, 2002

If they had let the Prof. from Penn U talk I think she would've addressed the issues. For some reason it seems like they cut off part of the interview or is it just me? Anyway it's so sad that a country like the Big US of A's that has alot of money and has the ability to take care of this shortage would rather take care of other nurses from other countries. Yes these nurses are working in poor conditions but so are the nurses here!

NurseDennie, BSN, RN · Dec 30, 2002

I thought that interviewing the professor was just as much a diversion from the POINT as the bit about recruiters trolling for nurses in foreign countries. The professor had a lot good to say about nurses, and I thought she was truthful about the danger of being a patient now.

But you know what? The ONLY people you EVER hear admit how important nurses are - are the people who make their money in providing nurses to the health care institutions! She's just another vendor. It's in her benefit as much as the agency people's benefit for the true problem NOT to be addressed!

I also wrote to CBS and I suggested that they interview more REAL nurses and find out their concerns. I felt that the part of the interview with the floor nurse about her pay concerns was another red herring. I'll betcha a quarter that yeah, she was acknowledging the truth that in another profession, she'd make more money, but either was afraid to talk about the real problem with her face and her institution on TV or else if she was brave enough to talk about working conditions, it was edited out in view of time constraints.

Love

Dennie

newgamma · Dec 30, 2002

I also watched the 60 Minutes segment on the nursing shortage...what a disappointment. When I saw the previews I thought that finally someone was going to address the real problems and focus on that. Instead, it turned into how unethical it is for the U.S. to be taking nurses from the poorer countries and using them to fill the nursing shortage. I agree that this is not the ideal thing to be doing...and certainly not the solution to the current nursing shortage in the U.S., but 60 Minutes really missed the mark here. What about all of the U.S. nurses who have left nursing because of low pay, poor working conditions, etc. Will anything ever be done to truely fix the problem or will it just continue to be "covered with a bandaid"? :confused:

Sleepyeyes · Dec 30, 2002

Interesting. In discussing this program and the nursing shortage, not once was education mentioned.....

mattsmom81 · Dec 30, 2002

This was a rerun wasn't it? I recall another show a few months back...it took the same exact spin.

I always said that when I got older and didn't need to work anymore, I would become a mouthpiece for nurses and/or nursing activist. Maybe it's time for groups of us to start mouthing off in an organized fashion. Works for AARP.

The reason I think retired nurses should speak up is that most of us suspect (and have seen evidenced) that younger nurses who speak up risk getting reps as bad attitudes and can get blackballed. This happens easily in nonunion areas and nurses who need that job don't dare say much, unfortunately. I know this is why so many nurses privately say what they publicly dare not...

So whaddya think fellow older, injured, disabled and/or semi retired nurses? Is it time for US to get together and make some noise?? Any ideas?? :)

Hardknox · Dec 31, 2002

Yes, MAttsmon, this was a repeat of an earlier show.

I know businesses are laying off people and opening new places in third world countries where they can pay $2/hr. If the hospital big wigs could, they'd hire all foriegn nurses. Lower wages and no flack from them for fear of being sent back.

There is a large tech company near me. They had a lot of people come over here to work for them on special visa's because they could not get enough American high tech help a few years back. Things have changed. They just had a big lay-off and guess who got laid off. The Americans. You want to bet the same thing will happen with nurses?

I wrote 60 minutes after the last show. Response? Reran the same show 6 months later.

RNSue · Dec 31, 2002

I also wrote a note to 60 Minutes. Told them to talk to some Real Nurses and the mystery of why there is a "nursing shortage" would become very clear.

Mattsmom1- I'm 20 years from retirement, but I'm ready to join you in the "movement" I probably won't make it to retirement. Not in nursing, anyway.

Remember the last "shortage"? I have two transcripts from that one, one from Donahue and one from Oprah. We are talking about all the same issues that never got solved back then.

Maybe I'll go back to school and get an MBA and then I can be the nurse AND the bean counter and figure out how to make the two work together.

NurseShell · Jan 1, 2003

Watched it on sunday....had seen it the first time it was aired too! Just as irritating the second time! It pizzed me off that they focused on the WRONG thing the entire segement! STUPID JOURNALISTS!! They know nutzing!!

They needed to focus on the REAL issues and they skirted them - acutally they hit the nail on the head cuz the reasons the "foreign" nurses gave for leaving their countries for the US were the reasons that US nurses are leaving nursing $$$$$$$$$$$ Until the CEOs, MD, etc get it through their thick skulls that nurses are worth their weight in gold nuttin' will happen.

I especially like the comment at the end about "for the first time" a study has linked the lack of nurses to "bad things" happening to patients - DUH!!