Bad Economy Breeds a New Era of Discontent Among Nurses

By Shawn Kennedy, AJN editor-in-chief

Nurses are taking to the picket lines, again. On Sept 22, an estimated 23,000 nurses in California struck at Kaiser Permanente facilities and also at Sutter Health hospitals and Children’s Hospital Oakland. The one-day strike was organized by the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CNA/NNU) to protest what they say are unfair rollbacks to nurses’ health coverage and retirement benefits, and was also intended as a show of support for striking coworkers.

But it’s not just U.S. nurses who are engaging in job actions—for example, in the United Kingdom, the 400,000 member Royal College of Nursing is contemplating the first strike in its nearly 100-year history and is soliciting the views of its members as to what action should be taken. The issue is nurses’ pensions and job cuts—according to Nursing Standard, “almost 10,000 NHS [National Health Service] posts in England alone have been earmarked for cuts.”

The poor economy is putting pressure on hospitals and health systems everywhere to reduce costs. One way to do this, of course, is to make cuts in what is traditionally the biggest expense in running the hospital—nursing. While this is a quick fix to the bottom line, it’s also one that doesn’t solve the problem. In fact, evidence shows that inadequate nurse staffing is linked to poor outcomes, which ultimately cost more in the long term—for the patients, for the health care system, and for nurses, who […]

Praise for Haiti Nurse Volunteers–And a Word of Caution

Shawn Kennedy, MA, RN, interim editor-in-chief

As has happened many times before, nurses have stepped up to the plate in volunteering their services in the wake of the devastating Haitian earthquake. The California Nurses Association reported several days ago on its Web site that nearly 7,500 nurses had responded to a call by National Nurses United for volunteers. Nurses are also integral in the ranks of Médecins Sans Frontières , the International Rescue Committee, federal disaster response teams, and of course the American Red Cross.

What nurses should not do is take it upon themselves to fly to Haiti without being connected to an organized disaster group. Independent volunteers can create more problems and end up becoming consumers of disaster services instead of providers. As we noted in an AJN news article shortly after the September 11, 2001, attacks, “Because of the potential for injuries on site and subsequent health problems and stress syndromes, it’s essential that personnel location and hours spent at the scene be carefully monitored. Proper disaster management safeguards the lives of both victims and rescuers.”

Many first responders to the September 11 attacks subsequently developed respiratory problems; many suffered from depression. Many of these people had access to health care and counseling because they were monitored and registered and periodically assessed for postevent sequelae. But there were many “ad hoc” volunteers, who just showed up, without equipment, disaster training, or support. One wonders how many of these laudable volunteers […]

2016-11-21T13:20:00-05:00January 21st, 2010|Nursing|4 Comments

New National Nurses Union Forms — But What’s It Mean to You?

By Peggy McDaniel, BSN, RN

Yesterday a new and powerful union was formed. The National Nurses United brings over 150,000 nurses together by combining the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee with the Massachusetts Nursing Association and some members of the United American Nurses.  The new “superunion” intends to focus both on influencing health care reform and on improving quality of care through such efforts as extending California’s patient ratio law into other states.

I have never worked in a union-supported hospital, nor have I ever belonged to a union. My father was an electrical engineer and although he was a union member, he always talked about the “union guys” who worked as little as possible. I remember his frustration at members who took advantage of the positive conditions promoted by unions. When I was a newly employed nursing graduate, one of my friends was a card-carrying pipefitter. He bragged about not doing any work for days on end because there were no laborers around to carry his materials! 

As a hardworking staff nurse, I was angered by his complacency. I couldn’t imagine not clearing away a patient tray if the nurse’s aide hadn’t had time. I approached my nursing role as a team member focused on taking care of the patients—sometimes to my own detriment, since I was one of “those” nurses who often skipped breaks to complete tasks or charting. That said, I have seen the good that unions have done for nursing, especially around working conditions and benefits.

Given the current push to reform health care, […]

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