What do you think is a major problem in nursing?

blue chips · Mar 4, 2005

When people decide to sue they go after the money. It's usually the hospitals, nursing homes or rich doctors that get it first. But I have seen many CNAs being let go. Same with nurses. The only time they make newspaper headlines is if the nurse is a mercykiller and had poisoned 34 patients or so or if the CNA got drunk and ran somebody over with her car and dragged him home to her garage or something like that...

IF YOU HATE CNA'S SO MUCH, WHY NOT TELL THE HOSPITAL TO GET RATE OF THEM SO YOU CAN DO ALL THE BATHING, TQ2, AND FEEDINGS. MAYBE WE SHOULD GET RATE OF ALL ADN TOO, AND HAVE ONLY BSN. :angryfire

aleksmom13 · Mar 4, 2005

I believe one of the biggest problems in nursing today is poor nursing management. I believe that a nurse manager must create an environment of respect, shared responsibility and open communication, as well as, demonstrate trust and support for the staff. The manager must also encourage education among the staff. Our manager is harshly critical and lacks empathy and sensitivity. She also lacks the clinical experience and education that should be required for a midlevel management position. Our staff turnover rate is very high and overall morale is quite low. We do however, work as a team, despite the fact that we have very ineffective management and leadership in our unit. There are alot of changes going on with our hospital in the near future. We want our unit to be the BEST! Any managers out there that may want to reply, please feel free. I really needed to vent a little. Thanks.

I suppose I am one of the lucky few. I have a great nurse manager. She stays in touch with all members of her staff. She will always stand up for the them to whomever (the patient, the family, administration, etc.) if the employee is in the right. She goes to administration on her unit's behalf and makes requests that will make things better for those on her unit (nurses, techs, patients and families) and many of those requests are implemented. She comes to work everyday in a uniform and will help out when needed. I personally know that she truely cares about her employees. All of these qualities in a nurse manager really does make a difference in the success and happiness of a unit. We have the reputation of being one of the best units in the hospital. I wouldn't leave it for anything.

imenid37 · Mar 4, 2005

I think we are just bombarded w/ one demand and expectation after another . It seems like every week there are more questions to ask pt's when we take their histories, more data that the physicians want before they are called, etc., etc. Morale where I work now is so low because we get 100x as mant complaints as we do compliment and we are doing a good job. The doctors are stressed out over all of their malpractice issues. The hospital admin. told them our dept. (ob) loses a lot of money because of nurses salaries among other things and they keep commenting about how many of us are working and what are we doing. Busy day? So, they ask where are the nurses? Get some help in here NOW! Maybe I can invent nurses in an aerosol can... You know spray and they appear in seconds, when you are done...wipe them away w/ a dry cloth!!! (of course it would have to be a self cleaning substance, since dr's are too important to clean up when they are done) Maybe the nurse in a can can evaporate before she/he collects her paycheck! OOPs! Did I mention being pulled to med-surg all of the time where there is never enough help and when the staff complains they are told someone else would be "glad" to have their job. So why the he!! don't they hire some of these glad people? Med-surg generates plenty of $, but according to their manager they have "enough help". Looks like another job for nurse in a can! AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!! :angryfire

BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN · Mar 4, 2005

maybe i can invent nurses in an aerosol can... you know spray and they appear in seconds, when you are done...wipe them away w/ a dry cloth!!! (of course it would have to be a self cleaning substance, since dr's are too important to clean up when they are done) maybe the nurse in a can can evaporate before she/he collects her paycheck!

:chuckle :chuckle :chuckle :chuckle i love it!!! :chuckle :chuckle :chuckle :chuckle

jenruth · Mar 4, 2005

Your post really "put the icing on my Friday afternoon cake". I understand why you and your co-workers have low morale. I can't understand why this blatent abuse of nurses is still going on. Some places have really tried to make working conditions better for nurses, but many are still hanging on to old tactics. They're not going to wise up until the entire Nursing Dept.says, "We're just not having this anymore." Then what? Will they sit down and try to solve problems, or will they fire everyone for insubordination? Who will take up the slack? Agency nurses, new grads, and new nurses will be recruited with a sign-on bonus and other perks. Eventually, they will also burn-out. I've heard that the State of Pa. is having a tough time keeping nurses and doctors. Now I know why. Write a letter to your State Senator! Tell me his name, and I'LL WRITE TO HIM!!

Bonnie Nurse · Mar 5, 2005

Just how many hours did you work before typing that reply? I've never seen such garbled writing in my life. Perhaps a nursing problem is that some can't spell!

There are do many problems in nusing today.
So heard I go.. For one Nursing schools. I think that is should go back to the
way it was 20 years ago. More time in hospital and less in the class room.
Students comimg out of school have no clue!!! It si very scary.. I work in a teaching hospital and have trainner many new RN's. examples are
NewRn"s do not think they have to wash pt or turn they help feed, or anything a cna does. I guess what i am trying to say is they need to know the basics of nursing.Whaen a new nr tells me that she has never put in a foley and was not tought that in school. Iwas shocked.
and not knowing medication and reactions ,labs, teaching.
Also I think CNA's need to be more accountably if they dod not tell a Rn a pt temp was 101. that if any call light is ringing to get it.They are not at risk of being sued. I went on line to see if any CNA was ever sued and the only thing i could fine was if there was abuse or if the CNA was drinking on the job.. And most of these cases they CNA could come back to work in a few days or went to another hospital to work..
ok i will stop there

allamericangirl · Mar 5, 2005

Just how many hours did you work before typing that reply? I've never seen such garbled writing in my life. Perhaps a nursing problem is that some can't spell!

Bonnienurse:

Well, that's one perspective. I do realize that you were a teacher at the college level before entering nursing, but I am uncomfortable with your post.

We are not all expert typists, and most posters here probably would not post if they felt they were going to be chastised for spelling errors and typos. I am not certain, but I thought that the managers here had stated that we aren't to criticize for this sort of thing. Of course, you have every right voice your very interesting opinion. :chair:

Personally, I think that the lack of kindness, poor inter-personal behaviors in relationships with coworkers and peers, and an abundance of bad manners in today's society, as a whole, factor the underlying problems in every professional sector. Perhaps a Dale Carnegie Course should be a requirement in all degree programs. It doesn't seem to matter how well educated or well read someone is, if manners and kindness are missing from the package. :flowersfo

I would like to share an article that everyone here might find interesting.

Author unknown:

"The Pnaeomehnl Pweor of the Hmaun Mnid"

"Aoccdrnig to rscahecerh at Cmbadrgie Uvsiertniy it deons't mteatr in waht oedrr the lreetts in a wrod are, the olny iptoramnt tnihg is taht the fsrit and lsat ltteer be at the rhgit pcale. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sltli raed it wuiohtt a peolbrm. Tihs is bsacuee the hmaun mnid deos not raed erevy lteetr by isletf, but the wrod as a wlohe."

Myabe the rael polberm is taht a csals in rdeiamel rndaieg is in oerdr. :innerconf

BeenThereDoneThat74, MSN, RN · Mar 6, 2005

i would like to share an article that everyone here might find interesting.
author unknown:
"the pnaeomehnl pweor of the hmaun mnid"
"aoccdrnig to rscahecerh at cmbadrgie uvsiertniy it deons't mteatr in waht oedrr the lreetts in a wrod are, the olny iptoramnt tnihg is taht the fsrit and lsat ltteer be at the rhgit pcale. the rset can be a taotl mses and you can sltli raed it wuiohtt a peolbrm. tihs is bsacuee the hmaun mnid deos not raed erevy lteetr by isletf, but the wrod as a wlohe."
myabe the rael polberm is taht a csals in rdeiamel rndaieg is in oerdr. :innerconf

man, that is weird :uhoh21:

DARLINGLILITH · Mar 9, 2005

Courtesy and professionalism and just plain respect for oneself and one's profession. I have worked hard since feeling "burnt out" several years ago to increase my respect and repair my manners for myself and my patients (and my colleagues!). Amazingly enough, it has paid enormous dividends not only in my working relationships, but my homelife as well. I love nursing again- can't imagine ever being anything else. PS a few years ago I was almost ready to quit and go back to waitressing (or almost ANYTHING else!)

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Mar 9, 2005

IF YOU HATE CNA'S SO MUCH, WHY NOT TELL THE HOSPITAL TO GET RITE OF THEM SO YOU CAN DO ALL THE BATHING, TQ2, AND FEEDINGS.

Plenty of hospitals/units already have.

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Mar 9, 2005

Where I find the lack of professional respect towards nurses to be one of the major problems in todays world of medicine, I find the lack of respect between nurses to be the core behind the heartbreak, hopelessness, powerlessness, and detourment in nursing today!

I am seirous, I have seen more respect from even MD's fighting passionately over probelms they can't agree on, but they show eachother a respect level because they are MD's!

Some Nurses..heck no! Some nurses will easily send another nurse down the river if they assume there is a probelm with a co-worker than actually find out what may be the probelm and help! Be quick to jump to conclusions, be quick to say that things must go as they know them to go vs someone actually having a different way of doing it. Pointing out errors may it be spelling or anything else...

(I screwed up the other day when swamped and accidentally put on a fax to an MD Ensure, One can by mouth for >50% of meal eaten instead of

IF I didn't have to watch my own back all the time, then add my own collegues who are actually more backstabbing, manipulating, brick headed, and more 'know it all' than a cardiologist on a good day...I would be more apt to enjoy my work, feel the satisfaction I know has to be out there, feel the teamwork I so feel is necessary for my patients and ourselves, and work with a group of folks I feel I can trust and even help from time to time which is what I like to do.....

Once those hurdles are overcome, and nurses start really banning together, things will improve substantially! I mean, we all are in this together...we share very common probelms, delemas, joys, sorrows, happiness, fullfillment goals...why not see that and band together for the greater good of the patients..and ourselves too :).

(remember I am not talking all nurses..I have met quite a few that are more like me and find helping is better than complaining or harming..and we open communiation up before sending a nurse to 'trial' with other nurses or admin...I show respect, just wish I got some back more than not like it is now!).

allamericangirl · Mar 9, 2005

Yes, I understand that they have gotten rid of CNAs, and instead of hiring educated, licensed Certified Nurse Aides, they are hiring people off the street calling them by catchy titles like "patient care technicians", "patient specialists", and other creatively contrived labels. How lovely. I would think professional nurses would be appalled.

I just finished my clinicals in a LTC facility where I never observed a nurse in a resident's room, not once! And the nurses station was totally unstaffed 80% of the time. I have no idea where they were, but I can assure you that they were NOT in the patient's rooms or anywhere else easily found! Call light alarms rang for a minimum of 30 minutes continuously during the ten days that I did my clinicals there.

The facility ordered too few Depends and we were told to not change the residents except after BMs, because they didn't have enough disposables to go around and wouldn't until a new shipment came in, some two weeks later. The DON didn't even have enough sense to go to the petty cash drawer and send some one out to buy the needed supplies from the thousands of Walgreens, Walmarts, and grocery stores in the Denver area. When I did their perineal care, their bottoms were inflamed, they stank with urine, stool, and dirty body odor, greasy unwashed hair, etc.

When I did nail care, every resident had wedged, caked dried goo, food, feces, and grime under their nails, and their poor little fingers had to be soaked over and over to soften it so it could be removed with an orange stick. It had been there so long that it had become part of the skin, and if not extremely gentle when removing it they bled when it was removed!

Light bulbs in rooms remained burned out the entire time I was there. Sinks in many bathrooms would not drain because they were so stopped up. The linens were grey/brown dingy and the fabric was so hard that it was absolutely scratchy. The towels were more like brillo pads. Everyone had decubitus somewhere.

I heard the RNs and LPNs say things harshly and rudely, over and over again to residents like: "There is nothing wrong with you! Be quiet! STOP THAT! Don't do that! What's wrong with you?! Now what?! Why are you doing that?! What now?! You never stop do you?!"

I observed residents who had fallen asleep in wheelchairs, leaning so far forward that only guardian angels were keeping then from falling out onto the floor. There is so much more that I could go on for hours. I observed others that couldn't hold their heads up with their heads over to the side, forward, back, in extreme cortorted positions with no support. I went home at night and cried. My clinicals ended yesterday. I called the omnibudsmen this morning and reported everything that I observed.

So hospitals and Medical facilities are under staffed and you prefer not to have the help of licensed and educated nursing support? I assume by your comment that you prefer to be working with unlicensed individuals that have not had any formal training in patient care. Choice! Isn't that something?!

Plenty of hospitals/units already have.