What if every nurse walked out for one day?

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What do you think would happen to the health care system if all nurses stayed home for one day?

:yeah:

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Specializes in Tele, ICU, ED, Nurse Instructor,.

It would fold. The patient will be taking care of themselves. Admin still be working in their offices working on budget cuts.

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The health care system won't be any more broken than it already is.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

Since we're dealing in "what if's"....what if one of your loved ones (your mom, your child, your husband) was inpatient on that day all nurses stayed home?

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

People would die.

there is a reason there has to be a 10 day notice for a strike.

the nurses on duty would not be able to leave, as it is pt abandonment to leave without turning over your patient.

But you can dream......:cool:

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Specializes in Tele, ICU, ED, Nurse Instructor,.
Since we're dealing in "what if's"....what if one of your loved ones (your mom, your child, your husband) was inpatient on that day all nurses stayed home?

You have a good point. It takes only one nurse to stay home or call in for patients not to receive the proper care. If the unit is staff, sometimes patient still not receiving care. So why would pay the nurses if they not going to work. It is just a thought in mind.

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Probably the same thing that would happen if all the physicians stayed home for one day.

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Specializes in Tele, ICU, ED, Nurse Instructor,.
Probably the same thing that would happen if all the physicians stayed home for one day.

Diagnostic test and labs will not be read and determined. Most important patient discharges will be delayed to the next day. This is not good for the insurance companies. They are no longer playing with the care is provided to the patients. D*mn if you and d*mn if you don't.

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If the intent is to show patients how important nurses are, then the point would be made and patients would suffer greatly without nurses.

If the intent is to show administrators how important nurses are, the point would also be made but indirectly and again at a price the patients would suffer. Unless the administrators are patients, the most they would feel is a headache from the phones ringing continuously.

If anyone has even been in an area where the transit drivers strike or have a sick out, the only ones inconvenienced are the members of the public they serve who are trying to get to work or to a hospital.

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Specializes in Family Practice, ICU.

Then new grads like me would suddenly have the pick of jobs. :yeah:

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Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

Laundry would have to work overtime.

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For those of you who are old enough to remember, in March of 1970, the US Post Office, went on strike throughout the country- all 50 states. The Postal workers, at the time, were very pooly paid, and were shown zero respect.

I don't remember, exactly what was the straw that broke the camels back, but the workers had had enough, and walked out, en masse.

The Federal Government did not take them seriously, and did not really believe that they would walk out.

They proved them wrong. It took the Feds three days to fold. The strike was over, and the workers had won!

I am sure that there were people who were inconvenienced, and maybe worse. But the point was made, that the party was over.

In spite of the reality, maybe it would/should/ take a coast to coast strike, one that nurses would just walk out. To wake up the PTB and unfortunately, the general public. I can hear it now- but the public voted nurses the most trusted career. But that does not mean, that they truly respect us. It should be evident from posts here on allnurses, how the public loves us until we put our foot down, and make them pick up their gypsy camp, and return to the waiting room.

At that point we are evil witches, and they go marcing into the NMs office demanded that we be fired.

It will never change, until nurses make the hard choice to be heard, and not worry about anyone/thing, except what OUR needs are, and until they are met.

If nurses had done this from the get go, nursing would not be in the shambles it is now.

Doormats are NEVER respected, they are just taken advantage of, over and over again. Fool me once, shame on you- fool me twice, shame on me.

JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Somewhere in the PACNW

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