In a perfect world, what would you change about nursing?
I changed careers to become a nurse because I wanted to help people. I was dissatisfied with my former life and just wanted to follow my dreams for a change. Here I am years later and although I love my patients I can't say I always love what I do. What would I change, lets see:
I would make it so that people could SEE how HARD we work as nurses
I would put administration in a room and lock the door until the end of the work day is over
I would pay us hire and give us better benefits
There would be enough jobs for all of the nurses that have wracked up all of this debt training to be nurses
Facilities would be staffed adequately
This is just the five that immediately came to my head, what do you all have to add?
Specializes in Med-Surg/Peds/O.R./Legal/cardiology.
Let me add to the rest...ALL MDs and administrative staff shall be sick as HELL at least once in their lives, when not a soul knows or gives a rat's ass WHO they are. They shall be totally dependent upon a nurse for every blooming need they may have (even a sip of water). They will see EXACTLY what we do and how valuable we are to their royal behinds!
1. Require every manager to work a floor shift AT LEAST once a month.
2. Make backstabbing another caregiver a fireable offence.
3. Find a way to measure the number of times our patients are happy to see us coming and the positive energy we share and base our pay on that. That would get rid of all of the nurses who spread negativity wherever they go.
4. Guarentee that every nurse who delivers terrific care has access to the same.
5. Above all, change the system so the patients can ALWAYS come before the paperwork. (Can't we create, like, a proffession just for charting to free up the nursesto get out on the floor to take care of patients?)
6. Create flexible staffing to provide for the patients that truly need that extra attention today, so that some days you may have 3 REALLY NEEDY patients, and another day, you might have 10 patients that not only don't need much from you you, but don't even want you in their room.
I know I'm dreaming, but don't wake me up, this is gettin' good!
1. Require every manager to work a floor shift AT LEAST once a month.
2. Make backstabbing another caregiver a fireable offence.
3. Find a way to measure the number of times our patients are happy to see us coming and the positive energy we share and base our pay on that. That would get rid of all of the nurses who spread negativity wherever they go.
4. Guarentee that every nurse who delivers terrific care has access to the same.
5. Above all, change the system so the patients can ALWAYS come before the paperwork. (Can't we create, like, a proffession just for charting to free up the nursesto get out on the floor to take care of patients?)
6. Create flexible staffing to provide for the patients that truly need that extra attention today, so that some days you may have 3 REALLY NEEDY patients, and another day, you might have 10 patients that not only don't need much from you you, but don't even want you in their room.
I know I'm dreaming, but don't wake me up, this is gettin' good!
I nominate you for the position of Minister of Health.
Great question!!! Honestly I wouldn't change a whole lot. I do however, wish I could change the minds of the nurses we work with and the doctors we work with. I think sometimes we forget why we got into medicine in the first place. I think it has become so "all about the money" or "all about the business" that we forget to take the time to take care of our patients. We are so understaffed at times that we can't get to know them. We have to cram 100 pills down their throats and run to the next patient. So I guess that is what I would change.
Staffing
The hearts of the people we work with.
P.S. I am not anti-money....The more the better. But we should warn people that nurses do not get rich.:heartbeat
Educate the public as to what a nurse actually does.
Less charting.
Having the other departments call the MD themselves instead of going through the nurse to do it. Their fingers work just as well as mine. And no- I do not have the authority for the echo or MRI to be put off till the next AM. Call the MD yourself and ask them if it is OK.
Or the lab will ask me if they really have to draw that lab and why. It is so maddening.
ebear, BSN, RN
934 Posts
Let me add to the rest...ALL MDs and administrative staff shall be sick as HELL at least once in their lives, when not a soul knows or gives a rat's ass WHO they are. They shall be totally dependent upon a nurse for every blooming need they may have (even a sip of water). They will see EXACTLY what we do and how valuable we are to their royal behinds!