Horizontal violence

A fancy name given an on going problem, that of nurse to nurse violence. I have been reading a lot of stories lately in chat rooms about other nurses stories, stories of verbal abuse from coworkers, all too often coming from managers. The consequence of course is an added burden to the nursing shortage as nurses leave the profession because nothing is being done. And I mean nothing. Fancy articles published in journals by those holding PHDs about how we need to pull together, methods we could use for handling stress in our lives and what managers should do to increase mentorships, nurse to nurse. Reality check here...it is not being done and we continue to lose good nurses.
Let's cut to the chase shall we. There are far too many crappy (and cranky) managers, whose own managers are probably just as bad if not altogether blind. I'm tired of reading pretty theories, it is time for real action. Nursing is a powerful profession but we are using this power wrong. Put in to the hands of professionals with real vision nursing can become a vibrant and caring strong hold that nurtures its' own. It can be seen as a profession that many will want to embrace because of what we can accomplish for the health and well being of the world. That is not a load of crap! Think about this for a moment...if health care systems around the world lost nurses the entire health system would crumble. It would become nothing more than a hit and miss entity when sought out by the sick or injured. Nursing holds it all together. FACT!
There is no excuse for abusing and mistreatment of coworkers by coworkers, management or governing bodies. It must stop now! We are well educated and well practiced and we are necessary. If you want a strong future for nursing we must all find the strength to stand up and say STOP, and we must do it now. The only consequence you need to worry about is that if this horizontal violence continues you will have no one to blame but yourself.

Nursing still viewed as lowly work

As I was researching nursing life in other countries I turned up some disturbing facts. Countries such as India and Indonesia still view nurses as nothing more than hand maidens of doctors. Training is not comparable to North American standards (and I'm comparing here because this is where i was trained) and more highly educated nurses are not entirely welcome by upper management of hospitals. Letters to newspaper editors in these countries often state how poor people can not afford health care (in some instances must show up with own chemo drugs for treatment) and are treated coldly by nursing staff.
Here we are in 2007 and depending upon what country you are in women...nurses...are treated poorly, as is the profession overall. The profession has much work to do indeed, to increase government and overall understanding and respect for what we do, who we are.

If nursing were run like a business

I know I have mentioned in the past that part of the current problems with nursing and the health care system might be attributed to management treating health care more like a business. I was at first upset by having to refer to patients as clients and taking customer service courses. Now I think health care organizations may have better luck retaining nurses (and others) if they treated them as well as many larger retail chains treated their employees. I have spent a little time in the retail industry during these last 11 years of nursing and have been left impressed with how managers encourage sales associates to grow through performance incentives and employee discounts. The hours of work may be long, the days very busy, but I have always found more enjoyment in my work (in retail) because of these factors.

Poorly paid nursing faculty adds to nursing shortage

In researching the part of my book dealing with the question "is there really a nursing shortage" I found information regarding the pay scales for nursing faculty. Now, one of the reasons nursing schools turn away prospective students is because of lack of faculty. And it seems that this lack of faculty may have everything to do with poor pay. Most faculty members are prepared at the Masters level (at the very least), yet they are paid (in the USA) at 39% LESS than a Nurse Anesthetist.
Underpaying nurses for their skills and knowledge is, in my eyes,a show of disrespect for the profession.

Elections using nursing shortage as leverage

The "Saskatchewan Party" is using the nursing shortage in that province as an election promise. No new news here as political parties are almost always using health care as an election tool. Well for the last couple of years I have been trying to encourage nurses to speak out. I did today on the feedback page at CBC.ca

My advice to the political party was they were not likely to magically pull 800 nurses (that's what they were quoting) out of a hat with promises of money. We are more intelligent than that and what we require are governments with backbone who can address the real issues around the nursing shortage. One of those issues I told them was nursing management who would provide respectful workplaces for us. I for one have had enough of being treated like a second class citizen, using outdated equipment and even more outdated educational resources.

Extraordinary Nurses

When hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans 2 years ago little was said about how nurses responded. The only news afterwards were accusations about possible mercy killings by doctors and nurses. There is much more to the story and it continues as New Orleans tries to recover. If it ever will.
Many hospitals remain closed today and health care is sparse. But in the midst of it all are caring individuals who continue to look toward donating their skills to help in times of disaster. Real heroes, heroes who far too often go unrecognized.

I invite you to click on the link provided and learn more. Be proud of your profession.

http://www.calnurses.org/rnrn

Back on track

Well, it has been a while since I made an entry in to my blog. I do appologize but I have been rather busy updating the web site. I have added a page for news articles. I figured if I was doing reading and research in to what was happening in healthcare and nursing around the world it only made sense to take my readers with me.

One of my previous posts was in regards to hearing very little in the media around Nurse Week. A reader recently responded with a very understandable dislike for nurses. The typical phrase we must tell callers, "I'm sorry but I can not give you that information". He was concerned for a family member and "we" were instructed (by legalities) not to give out information except to immediate family.

I definitely do not blame him for his anger and frustration. Governments and health authorities give little explanation to the general public (in too many instances) as to why we do things, PLUS, there are far too many (unnecessary) rules. What ever happened to human compassion as opposed to "let's not get our asses sued".

I'm frustrated too!

Nurse Week invisible

Nurses Week here in Canada came and went and I just realized I had not seen, or heard, anything. I am self employed as a nurse presently so, like many other community members, I am not exposed to the goings on in hospital, clinics or nursing homes. There was nothing in the local paper, I heard nothing on the local radio (though I do confess I don't listen to the radio very often) and I saw nothing on either the local or national news networks.
I think nurses failed again. Failed to become visible in the public eye, failed to publically announce our importance in the global health scheme and failed to take serious pride in the profession. It is 2007 and still we are unable to make our voices heard where it really counts.
Is nursing then still considered in the eyes of many a lowly profession? Is it simply "womens' work" (I know that's not true) and so deserves no special mention?
I am truly disappointed.

Recruiting frenzy

I have spent the last couple of months talking with companies who recruit nurses for jobs in the USA. That seems to be where the big push is. Most of these recruiters have few positions in Canada, or atleast are working for few canadian employers. I'm not quite sure why hospitals, and staffing agencies, in the USA prefer to use staffing agencies as opposed to how many Canadian health care agencies are recruiting. Cost perhaps. Many staffing agencies make good money off of employers, charging far more than the give the nurse in salaries. For profit hospitals in the USA can perhaps afford this style of recruiting better than Canadian hospitals.

Several agencies have found my web site and are soliciting my help in recruiting nurses. What I have discovered with the process is that most of the nurses looking to come to North America (mostly to the United States) are from India, Africa, the UK and the Philippines. I have also discovered that several staffing agencies are geared to helping these international nurses.

I have missed several career fairs lately because for the most part they were just too far away physically. Still, as my resume is posted online, and I have emailed same to companies that are hosting the career fairs, and do find potential employers (ie staffing agencies) contacting me.

Health care is hungry for nurses

Nursing: A Wicked Profession

This controversial book is now available on CD (in PDF format).

For those who are, or have ever been, a part of the nursing profession you know how difficult the art of nursing is to practice. Problem is, few others really understand what is involved in caring for others.

Nursing: A Wicked Profession was written to help people understand who nurses are and what the profession is really all about. Nurses are not angels, not bit players in a movie, but the essential backbone of healthcare systems across the globe. Without nursing professionals people requiring care for illness or injury would die more often, would suffer greater pain and life expectancy would fall. Medical breakthroughs would mean little without nurses to carry through on treatments and support of patients in hospital or out in the community.

This book takes a very real and human look at who nurses are and what they feel as they practice the art of caring for others.

As human beings some have succummed to the temptations of power resulting in abuse, even death, of others under their care...the "wicked side of human".

As the world population ages, new diseases emerge and nursing schools turn away potential students, it becomes "wickedly difficult" to provide the kind of care needed. Abusive situations are on the rise, baby boomer nurses are set to retire and fear of persecution...and prosecution...all contribute to present nurses leaving the profession.

Few, including governments, realize the "wicked power" nursing professionals have. We influence patients on a daily basis, have and continue to influence world health policy and out of necessity have become inventors of equipment, procedures and policies used everyday by nurses and other health care professionals.

Nursing is one of the most powerful professions in the world today and probably the least understood. This book opens the doors to understanding and I hope, like it's title, will cause controversy and discussion amongst professionals, governments and the health care consumer.

To order your copy on CD please click on the link above or visit
www.nursesentry.com

Coming soon: Paperback version

Nursing shortage made worse through ignorance

Expereinced nurses, that is, "well rounded", are unable to land nursing employment at this day and age because they are not "specialized". I don't know how many nurses today realize that being well rounded, or a "jack of all trades" will not pay off in the long run. There are nurses today who would like to work but are having difficulty landing ANY job because potential employers want "experienced" nurses. Even in long term care facilities, where they are often hurting for the lack of staff, are not hiring unless the nurses has previous experience.

In a time where nurses are desparatly needed employers seem to be cutting their own throats, and perhaps in essence risking the health of the patients in their facilities. If there are unemployed nurses WILLING to return to the work force (and sometimes this unemployment has lasted no longer than 3 months from their previous job) employers should be willing to train and mentor.

For myself, I feel much like a high school student who is unable to find work because they do not have experience, and can't get that experience unless someone gives them work. I have been an RN for 21 years (working fulltime for 17 of those; casual the other 4), have never been "let go", "fired", or placed under investigation, I'm honest, hardworking, a team player, willing and able, yet because I have been a generalist for so long I am not seen as employable. Due to financial situations I have not been able to complete my BN studies. Now, I have not written this as a "poor me" entry, but as a warning to other nurses and certainly employers. Specializing in several areas of nursing (1 or 2 anyway) will be in a nurses best interest for the long haul. For employers, under todays circumstances they must think more ahead, perhaps change their ways of doing things and learn to use potential staff more wisely. If nurses can no longer find work in their profession they will not, can not afford to, just sit and wait. They will seek work (education too as monies and circumstance allow) in other fields. The world will lose yet another health care worker for the future because of blind site by those who could make a difference.