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.
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