A Wicked Profession

Just a couple of weeks ago there was a news story on a teen who died in custody (at a boot camp sort of place for troubled kids). I can always research the exact article to be more specific, but what I want to mention is the fact that a nurse was charge in the matter along with the police officers.
I am angry! First off I doubt (I have been invloved with police incidences before) she had any say in the matter that was happening. There were several police offers trying to subdue the young man and you could see, in the video, the nurse standing off to the side. There was no way the officers were going to change what they were doing because I nurse might step in and say, "you're hurting him". But because she was present at the time she is being charged. I sometimes feel we nurses are damned if we do, damned if we don't. What do the powers that be think she should have done? That would have changed the outcome? It was a police matter, not a nursing matter.
This can be a wickedly difficult profession to be in when people do not understand what exactly our role is. IT IS NOT law enforcement!

Nursing: A Wicked Profession is the title of my upcoming book on the more human realities of the nursing profession. Due out in February 2007 I hope it opens the eyes and minds of many who thought they KNEW the profession. I also hope many who have never had any interest in nurses find time to learn something new. It will shock them.

Replace RNs with EMTs "occasionally:?

I was reading yesterdays local paper and came across a letter submitted by an area MLA. Some of the more rural hospitals in the area are short of nurses (no real news there) and one had to close it's acute care because they could not guarantee 24 hour nursing coverage. The MLA thought the provincial government as well as the refional health authority were not donig enough to secure RNs and suggested legislation could be changed to allow licensed practical nurses and emergency medical technicians to take over "on occassion".
We are nearing the end of 2006 and it is painful to see how little politicians understand regarding the role registered nurses have in securing the health and well being of patients (I hesitate to use the word "role" remembering how California's Governor Schwarzenegger referred to nurses as extras). Tomorrow I submit my own comment to the paper in an attempt to point out the the MLA the standards of practice health care professionals are governed by to ensure patient safety.

Provincial monies mispent again

I was reading on CBC web news how the Ontario government has just decided to put $142 million into ER's in Ontario. They discussed paying ER doctors more, opening more beds, putting more money into rural hospitals. The problem? You can not run an ER much less a hospital without nurses. When will so called knowledgable governments stop ignoring the real problem. Yes, there is a shortage of doctors, but the shortage of nurses will screw the health care system more.
Doctors will not give prescribed meds to their own patients; doctors will not do the dressing changes; doctors will not change the linens on the beds; doctors will not do the admissions paper work on the patients...
Where the hell is the money to get more nurses in to the system!
How can governments be so blind. More beds need more nurses. More money for doctors is good, but you must help the other important half of the health care system too.

Is there power in the color of white

I recently posted this question on a nurses discussion board and I'm already receiving some very varied opinions. Basically I asked if nurses felt more respect from patients, patient families, governments and even supervisors when they wore white uniforms.
Indeed some feel insulted, or like a "student" yet others immediately noted how patients referred to them as the "real nurse".
Could the disrespectful behavior of patients toward nurses (and might I add visa versa) change if we brought back an easily identifiable nurse symbol, like a white uniform, or is this bitterness (from everyone) just a sign of todays stresses in the world?

Health care consumers suffer losses from nursing shortage

I was talking to a collegue today who informed me one of our area hospitals might have to close because of the shortage of nurses. It is a rural hospital, down to 6 acute care beds. Now that number may not seem like much to some but for people who live one half hour, or more, from a larger city hospital it may at some point in the future be the difference between life and death.

There is no easy answer for the situation today; many hospitals are running on shoestring satffing, but there is an answer for the future. We must encourage others to enter the nursing profession. By word of mouth, through written word and by demonstartion, we who are already in the profession should take on the responsibility of showing just how powerful this profession is.

Calgary will be opening a brand new childrens hospital later this month. I have not to this point had much chance to research where the nurses will be coming from to staff the facility. Are they closing down another site? Are they luring nurses away from other facilities, and if so what other hospitals ...and health care consumers...will suffer because of it?

Time will tell.

Why nurses hurt people

To start with, let me say I can't answer this question. Only those who have done the hurting can.
In the researching for my book I looked at stories of nurses who have crossed the line. Those who have taken their position of trust granted them because of their chosen profession...and misused it. The result of that misuse is the injury, even death, of patients, or even coworkers. The most recent case I have read was the nurse in Grande Prairie who pleaded guilty to drugging her coworkers.
It is beyonf me to come up with a good reason as to why but I understand ultimately that we are only human. And any human being can be led astray by power. Nursing in its' tasks is difficult enough and yet we still must deal with the difficulties of overcoming the temptations of greed and power over anothers life.

Media view of nurses and the profession

During the research for my book, taking a human look at the nursing profesion, I have run across many opinions of nurses and what we do. Both good and bad, it is still shocking (and yet not) how much people, including the media, do not understand. And we have no one to blame but ourselves.
I found an entry from CBC News Online (Sept 7, 2004) with these statements;
"They check your blood pressure, they give you pills, they clean you and they comfort you. They're nurses...".
If only the job were that simple!

A little later in to the article;
"...because of staff cuts in other areas of the hospital, nurses are often left juggling their own responsibilities with a host of others. They may have to answer phones, clean up spills, and clear away food trays."
Nice to know someone has noticed that we do far more than "give you pills", but this still shows an understanding that does not go deep enough in to the realities of what takes place during a 12 hour shift.
On my web site (www.nursesentry.com) I encourage nurses to write about what they do. I sadly get very little response. But hopefully I have got many thinking about the possibility. It is up to individual nurses, not just our registering bodies, or other organizations to educate people, via the media, as to how "wicked" the profession really is; wickedly difficult and wickedly powerful. I will continue to urge nurses voices in to the open and hopefully my own book will start to spark some true interest in to a profession that is like no other.

CNA's views of the health of Canadians

When I visit the CNA web site they still have posted that people today live "longer and healthier". Strangely I am almost angered by this comment, perhaps because the CNA is supposed to be the representative body of nurses in Canada anf I believe they should know better. Both diabetes and obesity are near, if not already past, epidemic status. When you think about all the other diseases that are caused by, or compounded by these two diseases it has to be clear that we ARE NOT healthier. Living longer? Probably and it has much to do with all the drugs that are now available that doctors can give their patient to prolong their lives. But are they (we) actually "healthier"? In my opinion...by no means.

Please CNA, revisit this statement and outlook on the health of Canadians. Nurses can play a key role, if not THE KEY ROLE, in keeping the next generations healthier than myself or my parents. But we desparately need to entice more people in to this dynamic and powerful profession.

Humor in the ER

Last night I was reminded of 2 things; how laughter at work, in a hospital setting, has diminished over the years and the healing power of laughter.
We all probably know these things subconsciously but rarely talk about it.
Well, in my present position as a Nursing Shift Coordinator the ER is required to inform me of the need for beds for admissions, or overnight observations. The only ones I am required to screen and give permission for are for admits to the Medical ward. So when the ER paged me asking for an assessment for a pediatric screen I was perhaps slightly confused. Upon entering the ER and asking about the patient and who the admitting doctor was I was presented with a small white fluff ball of a dog. It was just a puppy and I like dogs so I did appreciate the slight humor.
It seems the dog was involved in a family car roll over accident. All passengers, including the dog, managed to escape with very minor injuries. But the on call physician, having a fine sense of humor himself, filled out an ER admission form on the dog, including assessment details such as "wet nose" and "tail wagging excitedly", and presented the animal to the xray department along with the proper requisition.

So perhaps it was not protocol but it was a wonderful uplift for the staff, not to mention the state of mental health of the human family members. They were very attached to their little pet, and though slightly battered and bruised, left with a smile and a little laughter in their hearts.

Humor, in just the right dose, can be a wonderful healing medicine...for everyone.

Finding inspiration

I attended just a few sessions of the 2006 Saskatchewan Festival of Words. I couldn't get in to see Margaret Atwood so I choose a session with a CBC announcer and a childrens writer.
At first I thought, "oh no, not what I wanted. I don't really want to know anything more about Canada's Native peoples" (Tom Roberts from CBC in northern Sask).
And on day 2, expecting to listen to childrens writers I found myself saying, "but I'm not really in to poetry" (Dan Tysdale and Pamela Porter).
But I came away both days with inspiration to write about my years of nursing experience in some new ways. Amazing where you might find inspiration. Looking past the more obvious and listening and watching more the people whom the words are coming from. Their inspirations, their lives, their experiences.

The move to independent practice

I have been spending a lot more time lately adding to my own web site.

I am, and always will be, a strong advocate for the nursing profession, but I have tired from hands on nursing. Instead of just throwing away years of education and experience I have chosen to use my skills and knowledge in a new way.

My web site, NurseSentry.com, brings together a comprehensive collection of information for nurses seeking employment within Canada or the United States. I am proud of the site and I continue to update information. I want to be the best, most reliable source for nurses and employers.

I mention this briefly for a reason. See, one of the other things my web site does is help to encourage nurses to stay in the profession, whether in a more traditional setting or as a nurse in independent practice.

Nurses started out this way, being paid in money, food, or what ever people had to offer them for their services. Florence Nightingale helped ensure all those calling themselves nurses were properly trained, thus ensuring patients received the best care possible.

Today, many are returning to independent practice either on a full or part-time basis. And I encourage this.

Why?

Nurses today are not exactly the picture of health. It's not that "traditional employers" do not care about nurses' health, but the nature of the work is not often conducive to a healthy lifestyle.
We eat on the run, if we eat at all; we do not rest enough; physical activity is limited after hours because it is impossible to muster the energy after a 12 hour shift to go to Curves.

A more sain lifestyle is better and can keep nurses on the job longer. A self employed nurse has the option of remaining in the profession atleast part-time. I hope to help avoid situations where a nurse "burns out" altogether and thus leaves the profession entirely.

Now, with so many nurses nearing retirement having ones own business could make retirement more busy. Plus help supplement any pension income.

If you are a nurse seriously considering leaving the profession, I beg you to reconsider and look at the options available for nurses in business for themselves.

Nursing continuing education too expensive for most nurses

One of the things that fustrates me most about the nursing profession is how "UNAFFORDABLE" continuing education is. I get fustrated, all to often, to the point of wanting to quit.

If nursing is so important (no doubt in my mind the health care system would collapse without nurses) why do the powers that be make attending workshops and conferences so damned expensively out of reach for the majority of nurses.

Leadership conferences, annual CNA conferences hold valuable information about the profession and its' future but it costs a minimum of about $700.00 to attend.
You must then add on the costs of hotel and food.
Damned near impossibe for most nurses unless they're (ie no need to worry about anyone elses welfare than their own).

I just tore up the CNA AGM and Conference registration form for June 2006. Having bills and 3 kids needs to care for, my husband and I just can't afford to see me attend.

There can be no good reason for such costs except that the heads of professional bodies and those that assist in organizing such events have little if any vision or foresight. They must also have very little real insight into what grass roots (hands on care) nursing is like.

Nursing image=Nursing power

This was the title of an article I found in the Sacramento Bee online news paper. Originally published in June 2004, the article by Dr Patricia Raymond deduced that people took nurses more seriously when they dressed professionally and could easily be recognized from other health care personell.
The colour white was the answer and not scrubs.

I am apt to agree with the author that a good part of the reason we are not taken seriously, by most people, is a fault of our own doing.

What are your thoughts?

Anyone out there got nerve, and professionalism, enough to speak their mind?

The ultimate cost in patient care

Several days ago I was listening to a doctor on the Womens Health Unit recounting stories she was told by another doctor in her practice. It struck me then how horribly the nursing shortage, and perhaps the physician shortage as well, has impacted patient care.
The doctor in question was from South Africa where he worked in womens health. Following the delivery of her baby, a woman is expected to get out of the bed and change her own sheets. She must also clean up the area including disposal of her own placenta in an appropriate container, located apparently "down the hall". She then goes to the postpartum area and as soon as her new born learns to latch to her breast she is sent home.
Now I will admit that I am uneducated as to normal patient care in Africa, but I am well aware that their nursing shortage is far more severe than that of North America.

At present I just have no comment to this fact but find my mouth still hangs open in disbelief and disgust.

Falsification of records cost nurses their career

I was reading some nursing message boards today and was horrified, though not surprised, to hear of some nurses who had recently been arrested for fraud.
Organizations have been known to actually ask nurses NOT to chartmissed medication, nurses have charted things that were not done and governments don't seem to give a cr...!! either way.

Professional bodies will say that nurses are responsible for their own professional conduct but will not step in to help health care organizations find better ways to deal with patient load (and care) and staffing shortages.

The public ultimately blames nurses for improper care of loved ones.

Doctors do not always practice safely, or can be overly demanding, and often place undue stress on nurses.

Ultimately though...

... if things go wrong...

...nurses are held as the responsible scape goats.

Some nurses will leave their place of employment to find a more caring and sincere organization; some will leave the profession entirely.

For myself, knowing the TRUTH about health care scares me, but also drives me to remain to do what I can to drive change.

If I can't maintain a management position that allows me to work toward this endevour, I will continue to drive change outside the more tradtional stream.

Being a freelance writer I am able to speak out on my own terms and make media and government aware of their role to make health care safer.

Nursing IS the BACKBONE of every part of health care and it is WE who must speak up. Only WE can make the change happen.

News headlines damaging to nursing profession

What do you suppose the general public thinks when they read headlines like,
"evil nurse" in reference to someone convicted of killing another human being?

I saw this headline this morning as a former nurse (they make no mention of whether this person was a nurse during the times of the crimes) was convicted of murdering several people, including a prostitute and his own father.

And frequently enough we read of nurses who assisted in suicides or killed patients in their care.

Nurses are no more "evil" than any other human being on the face of this earth, but the use of the title of the persons profession could, perhaps does, affect peoples' perceptions of the profession as a whole.

Influenza pandemic...coming

I watched the program 5th Estate this evening, on CBC television . They televised a reality show focusing on what would happen in North America (and world wide) should an Influenza pandemic occur.
Too real? Too true, and I hope many people took it to heart.
We take too much for granted; our ability to go to the store , any day, any time, and be able to get most anything we need or desire.
We take garbage pick up for granted; electricity and water supply.
We take for granted our "right" to seek and get medical care anytime, night or day.
And we are not prepared to deal with what WILL happen during an Influenza pandemic.
I personally am pleased, and feel somewhat comforted that country governments take the threat seriously and have prepared pandemic plans.
What scares me though are cities and towns who are not all taking this seriously enough; and it may be already too late.
Attitudes like,
"we're isolated, it won't affect us here", or
"My schedule is pretty full right now. Maybe we can meet again in a couple of months to talk about more planning".

Nurse will be at the front lines when a pandemic occurs.
Perhaps we should take on some responsibility, as did CBC, to open the eyes of our own local governments, help them realize the very real threat that is not too far off.
Tomorrow is too late to start planning.
It must happen now.