It has been a VERY busy week for me; being a healthcare activist is something I have always though about, but could NEVER imagine being a part of-through union activism.
In my area, by the time I entered heathcare was becoming dormant-there were merging of hospitals and-my favorite made up word I used to throw around on here-corporization of healthcare was firmly in place; there was no way around it, and there was only one hospital standing that had unionized nurses before I became a nurse. Healthcare workers were unionized, and Registered Nurses were "not allowed" to be represented by a union because we are looked to as "leadership" at some area systems; in my travels as an employer some of the benefits and pay were elevated to us based on having a union in place because hospital admin wants to have a happy place to work.
Well.
To have a surge in union membership and to join a union that has a pretty good reputation from word of mouth because the pressure to do more with less-the true corporate models that take state, federal and private money that makes hand over fist while short changing real end users and people who juggle the day-to-day operations of the business was too much for the place I worked (and most places); not to mention power-tripping middle management making my unit almost like an abusive relationship; to sit on the sidelines shell-shocked on how they treated certain individuals, even knowing that they were hiring someone who had experience in leadership and had tutelage of "servant leadership" and to quote that buzzword without the actions was astonishing, and frustrating.
When a flyer appeared in my staff bathroom on New Years Day, there was no doubt in my mind to join the cause. I am from a union family, benefited in places where a union was in place, and knew people who worked in the union hospital where I received my education and how the nurses were activists at the bedside-some may call it fluff, but the Nursing 101 of introductory to nursing, bursting with information, at least in my experience, where the information form nursing educators preaching advocacy and "having a seat at the table" to make decisions and take to task how to be an agency of change IS my reality-and I wanted people who were awesome nurses, some who lived in the community I served, I wanted MORE for them as they have helped me be a better nurse; to educate and help others harness what advocacy and activism can look like while being professionals-we are professionals, we do a lot of critical thinking, along with life coaching and emotional management 3-5 days a week, and clocking in/out has NOTHING to do with professionalism-and seeing the results of peers that have taught me the ropes strengthen and blossom their inner activism and advocacy though the vessel the nursing process is amazing. It doesn't hurt that new leadership that supports nursing and nurses doesn't help either!
Being a newbie at activism, and heavily supported by creating new ideas and informing people though my experiences is a powerful exchange; something that I am in awe of and always humbled everyday.
So, What I Learned This Week (WILTW):
1. Hospital administrators have thin skin against educated nurses, and truly don't understand or like how contract negotiations diminish their power, especially when they have been ineffective and unfair to the communities that they claim to "serve".
2. I learned how difficult it is to get an IV in a kid with an active nephrotic syndrome crisis; with the blood being viscous due to hyperalbuminemia and clotting during the process, it also makes for craftily avoiding the blood clots to ensure all the labs can be performed.
3. That middle management can play nice and continue to support my clinical pathway; and I may be doing another education based on my presentation-which is exciting and terrifying at the same time.
4. That I need a great plan on how to juggle education time as well as overtime-I've snagged more bonus days, and I need to figure out how to juggle the two; sometimes when you have life goals the challenge to rest while you are trying to get closer to a goal makes it all more challenging.
This is has been my theme song all week while working and it has been getting me through the week.
