A Call to Action for Nurses-
Oh God, I feel like a historian today. LIke I’ve been around forever.
Over 25 years ago in my book “The Nurses Story” I wrote and spoke about the intimidation of nurses. Told all about the emotional costs of nursing on both patients and nurses. I feel like a woman before feminism, or someone before civil rights, where what we say can take away all our rights. What is going on? We’re like battered women/men standing by our man/doctor/hospital. I tried to see it another way. It’s not working! None of the nursing organizations have supported Amanda, even to say “We’re examining the situation in order to formulate a plan of action.” That’s sort of non-descript but it would allow us, as nurses, to know they had our backs. How have they got the nerve to require more education, more money spent, more responsibility, without growing as an organization and reassuring us that as we grow into expanded providers of healthcare, they’re there for us ? Otherwise, why would an intelligent, compassionate, woman or man want to be a nurse? Do you have to be a brain trust to see why there’s a shortage?
Carol Gino
I agree whole heartedly, we are abused daily by top management, most of them nonnursing. Bottom line is the black line. I have been in nursing for 27yrs, I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck. I shudder to think of all the things I have seen in those yrs. We are considered a necessay evil by most adm. We are called stupid, lazy, worthless, come a dime of a dozen among many names I have heard. We are the ones caring for pts while Adm count their money. Time has come for us to unite together and come as one to let the powers that be know we will no longer be silent. Knowledge is power. I have never been militant but there comes a time when one has to stand up and be heard. Thank you for listening to my rant. Sherry
Carol, let’s beat….huge name in health care with power of decision will not support Amanda now, not up front and directly, (and for ones that do THANK YOU ;), no ‘mam, but if Amanda will win, you will see, the big names will be there, because is TRENDY, lol. But before to be trendy to militate for patients rights, now Amanda fight for her licence first, before to fight with a wrong system. Why? Because people who took decisions are on TOP and from the top they rule MONEY, not patinet care. Who cares if Amanda will loose her licence and will not have food for her kid, as soon the overal bussines will keep going. No one! To be on Amanda side is NOT a good choice, now, but we keep going because what we seen we don’t like. And yes Carol you need to fell like someone before civil rights because on another dimension is just like then. Amanda will win, I belive on it… we need just couple of other nurses there UP to belive in what we belive… health care need to be BEFORE money games and if we belive on it, trutfully… we are NURSES. Amanda could keep the nurses flag for it! Keep going Amanda!
Well put, Zuzi. Of course I agree, and now we have to convince those who are afraid to speak, that there is no greater damage than self betrayal. We will continue to care because we must. It’s part of our nature we have to honor.
Thanks for posting.
I am not surprised about what happened to Amanda, because I still work on the front lines. Emotional and Ethical Intelligence is the next frontier in these Corporate Landmines.
Nurses are subjugated women. Pure and simple.
What can we learn from this?
Hi Kate,
I truly believe we can learn to stand our ground, to have moral courage, to stop fighting with each other and unite, and to gather power strategies that don’t allow others to make us less than we are. We can learn to revalue care-taking and nurturing and not to be fooled by reverence for the rational. We can also learn there are some things worthy of the “good fight.”
Sherry, I thank you for your rant and that you still care enough to rant. Sometimes anger gets things “unstuck” and both of us know that nursing has moved backward, not forward, and patients are getting worse, not better care. The good news is that the more healthcare costs the more nurses will be necessary to help them through it. They will need our information and education. And we will be there to give them the health they need. Imagine if we just called a “shift out” and all of us left for just one day. Admin would have a heart attack and suddenly learn our value. But for that we’d have to learn how to team play. Haven’t gotten that mastered yet!
Thank you for posting.
Carol.
I to have been a nurse for years. Way longer than I care to remember. But in those years, I’ve seen many nurses “go off the reservation” and or do stupid and/or bad things.
Yes we need to support nurses, but blind support, when there is enough information to at least question their story, doesn’t do anything for us as a profession. One of the things that we constantly strive for is to be recognized as a profession, and one of the keys to that is policing out own. Even if there is some big conspiracy against Amanda, there is still enough credible information, information that came out of her mouth, to question her story. People jumped on the bandwagon before knowing. By doing this, it actually hurts the cause.
The lateral violence by the Pro side is sicking at times. I have yet to see anyone one support those who simply said that, we obviously don’t have all the information.
Why is no one up in arms about the aggressive and verbally bullying behavior of certain people on social media sites like twitter?
Advocacy and support are great things, and are sorely needed in our profession, but so is civilized behavior.
I think it is almost impossible to nurse in this climate. We have been under investigation at work and are measured by paper work not care.Why do social workers have this power over us when they clearly do not understand nursing or the need to prioritise on a busy shift. It makes us feel like we are being attacked ! That isn’t something which will help us care, just makes us defensive. Where is our voice and I agree, we lose power because we do not stand together. Surely nursing is about more than ticking boxes it is the emotional side they do not understand . I could rant forever Lucy
True Lucy, it is a very difficult time for nurses at this time. But the breakdown with lead to a breakup and then a breakthrough where we will have more opportunity to be all we can be and create a new and more healing kind of care system. Thank you for using your voice. I appreciate it. 🙂