nursing going extinct

We have had a good union contract at my hospital for a long time. The last 5 years we have had a 1% raise a year.  Nothing, in other words. However, everything else has remained the same, which in these economic times is a good thing.  Those days are over.

I really feel like my time in nursing has been really good in terms of economic gain.  Good raises up until the last few years.  Good health insurance.  A pension. We have staffing ratios in our hospital (not in ER though).  In other words, we have a lot more than a lot of hospitals.

Our contract is up in 2 years. I anticipate a slaughter.  Health insurance will probably change to lesser policies.  Pension will soon be gone. Raises will continue to be small.

Already hearing all the whining about decreased reimbursement, blah blah blah.  Need to cut millions of dollars blah blah blah.  My thought:  The industry has known for years about coming decreased reimbursement, changes with Obamacare, etc.  Most have not prepared. They are screwed. I always wonder why when healthcare corporations are in this position and didn't prepare that the administration is not fired like they would be at any other corporation.  Can't do job, bye bye.

Other factors in why nurses are screwed economically in hospitals in the future:

- Todays nurse won't stay long term in hospitals because of many other
opportunities available outside of the hospitals. Why would they want to stay in
a stressful environment for years on end?

- Nurses as a group are wimps. We rarely stand up for ourselves.  We will cave when they decrease our wages and benefits.  As a group we already feel guilty about having jobs and good benefits.

Its possible nursing will be completely changed. The job as we know it could be gone, replaced by technicians. Oh, yeah, I can hear people saying, you can't replace a nurse with a cheaper technician.  Ah yes...you can.

When you don't value your profession as a group and aren't willing to fight for it, you are doomed to extinction.

man candy saturday - a shady character

welcome to my jungle

mean nurses

In ER we work in a sometimes abusive environment. The other day some clown cussed me out at the triage window.  With that in mind, why are we as nurses mean to each other?

I have worked in the same ER for a long time. In the last few years I have watched it change. We have a fair amount of just plain mean people working there. Sometimes its like high school, people talking about each other. Cliques.

Its really discouraging to see nurses treat each other badly. I've been the subject of it myself a couple of times. It makes me feel like leaving. I mean seriously, it gets to be too much.  The job itself is hard enough, let alone seeing nurses be so mean. We are own worst enemy.

drug seeker 101

Sometimes I am amazed at how stupid drug seekers are. In an effort to educate them, I offer Drug Seeker 101: an ER nurses guide to what not to do when seeking drugs..

1) You came in the door just fine and then by the time you get to the desk you are limping like the hunchback of Notre Dame: RED FLAG.

2) You say you are allergic to: tramadol, NSAIDs, tylenol: RED FLAG

3) You say your pain is 10/10 and your BP is 100/60,  HR 62: RED FLAG

4) You are too polite: yes sir, yes ma'am: RED FLAG

5) You say you just got here from out of town, you can't get an appointment for a couple of weeks, your meds got stolen/lost: RED FLAG

6) You kneel, lay on the floor, lay on the bench out in the waiting room: RED FLAG

7) You say you were seen at another hospital and "they didn't do anything": RED FLAG

8) You have been here a couple of times recently, received narcotics and never followed up: RED FLAG

9) Your relative says you need a stretcher and have to be lifted out of the car, but somehow you made it into the car at home: RED FLAG

10) We know your name without having to ask: RED FLAG


There will be a quiz later...