Whining nurses

Originally posted by goldilocksrn:

I don't know about any of you, but I am SICK of whiny nurses who complain all day, but when the opportunity arises to stand up and make a difference about what they are whining about, they sit back and keep their mouths shut. We had an opportunity to make some changes at our hospital, but we couldn't get the participation from a good number of staff on our unit. How do we get these stick-in-the-mud nurses to stand up and fight for what they are entitled to?

Hi goldilocks. Did these nurses say why they did not advocate for themselves? It's becoming more apparent to me that we as nurses are not using the power available to us. We have over two million nurses in the US alone-the largest group of health care workers. How is it that we can continue to allow ourselves to be exploited? Nursing is so versatile. Do we really need to stay tied to our jobs? If we do, why is it as you wrote, that we can whine but not actively and effectively endorse and engage? It's like we have been experiencing the trauma of abuse and we can't break the cycle.

Goldilocks, do any nurses serve on any committees? That's one way of being proactive. These nurses need a taste of power. I think that bedside or trench nurses should serve on all committees including the board of directors. Sorry things did not work out this time. I hope you continue to be proactive on behalf of yourself and others. Best wishes.

The only obstruction to the advancement and survival of nursing, is nurses themselves. We readily identify and then proclaim the problems with administrators, and those percieved to have control of nursing, but fail to stop and look at ourselves. The survival of nursing begins at home - we need to find a common thread, flock together and stop "eating our own". Only then may we stand together and as a body, move forward towards achievable greater goals.

Anytime you say a problem has "ONLY" one cause it is oversimplifying a complex situation.

There was a March On Washinton in 1995. 35,000 nurses filled the steps of the Capitol and Pennsylvania Avenue to the White house. We got NO coverage in mainstream TV, radio, or newspapers. The LA Times correspondant who had gone with a cameraperson and read our Press Release said, "Look at the advertizers. That explaines why the story was deemed not iinteresting enough."

Check us out at

www.calnurse.org

Thousands of us are working on staffing etc.

I, too, am tired of nurses who complain about workplace issues and don't do anything about them. I'm active in my nursing association, and when I'm told by a co-worker that "you should tell them to do such- and-such" but that person won't even fill out a ballot that has been mailed to their home, I get really tired of listening to them. I've told some co-workers that "I'm active in my professional organization so I have a say in what happens in it and I'm not speaking up for them- if they get involved, they can make changes in the organization" the same as I do. It is interesting that these people just go on complaining and making the workplace more negative, but they rarely get involved in fixing the problems. It's that old saying "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem." I say, if you aren't willing to fix the problem; then shut up!