Re-post from the beginning

Nursing Revolution: Nursing Revolution

Nursing Revolution: Nursing Revolution: "When will nurses care about their own practice?And get involved?

Nursing Revolution. A Survey for nurses interested in a federally funded retirement plan is being considered.Those interested please post...The purpose of the study, and how the results will be used.This will be a quantitative study using survey research. The purpose of this study is to discover if a federally funded nursing retirement (a program that will guarantee 50% of retirement income after 20 years of service, and an additional 25% for every ten years of service, up to 100%. This will be pro-rated as decided later.) could help to bridge the gap in the nursing shortage for Northeast Florida. Would it promote nursing retention, longevity, and security for nurses currently working as well as prompting nurses to return to the profession? The results will be used to seek the aid of local, state, and federal politicians in organizing and instituting a nursing retirement plan. As one of the largest workforces in the country that provides caring and professional services to all communities, we deserve a retirement plan. We work long and strenuous hours with tremendous responsibilities and stressors and are justified in seeking this plan.

This could be an answer to the coming worsening shortage.

When as nurses you do not get involved in being part of the change process then you have no real reason to complain about your work situation. 

Whether it be: Taking on more and more patients regardless of their acuity. Tripling is becoming way to common in many high acuity areas.

Less compensation for more work and less time to actually care for your patients.

Less of a voice in the changes...

GET INVOLVED

Re-post from the Beginning

Still the same today:

Get Involved...Only you Can Protect Your Practice

Did you know that there have been Bills in the Florida Legislature to make it mandatory that bedside nurses are part of the decision making process, that they share and contribute to how changes and policies take place?

It's time for those that actually care for the patients to be the main part of that Decision Making Process. This can affect staffing ratios in addition to the actual practice policies and procedures.

Be a Part of what happens to the way you Practice..Be a voice and part of the Say SO...

Re-Post from the beginning

Here's a Big Surprise...

From the ANA

Study:Nurses' work schedules affect patient mortality

Hospitals with a nursing staff that worked long hours and had no time off had higher rates of pneumonia deaths, and mortality in patients with congestive heart failure was linked to nurses who worked while they were sick, according to a study in the journal Nursing Research. The researchers also found mortality for acute myocardial infarction was tied to nurses' weekly hours and consecutive days worked.

Another case of Nurses are just toooooo... often the bodies to provide the care. Good care, the Care that patients actually deserve, only provided, if the time is there...

More about Dis-Service to our Patients

Dis-Service to our Patients

It is and will always be a DIS-SERVICE to our patients to treat them as clients or customers in a service industry.

This is a life-saving, health education providing, caring profession, but more sugar or lemon for their tea is not a priority. The customer is FAR from always right in this instance. In fact, they are often wrong, thus their many health issues and repeat performances and returns to the ER and hospital re-admissions.

Medicare is looking at not paying for re-admissions for the same diagnoses. Now how are the powers that be going to fudge the data on that to get paid? CHF is one of the most common re-admitted diagnosis of patients coming back. Wound treatment is right up there and often that is due to in-hospital acquired occurrences. Come-on, it is 2012 and wounds obtained in the hospital should not be happening.

Education is the key to staff, patients and families. Choices exist for all. But, Responsibility for those choices should be the most promoted part of the education process...

READ PAST PUBLICATIONS to see more...

Tough Year

Haven't Posted due to a Hard Year..Father diagnosed with Cancer of unknown primary and recently passed away...Still dealing with loss and change...Hope to get back to blogging the View of future Health care and Nursing change and autonomy...

Re-Post--It is a Dis-Service to Let Patient's think this is a Service Industry..

What do you want from NURSES of the FUTURE?

Do you want sheep? Followers who never question? Never Wonder?

Why Oh Why are hospitals going crazy about No Wait ER's? It is an EMERGENCY ROOM. NOT a doctor's office, NOT a clinic. ARRRGGGHHHHH.....IN Emergency Rooms, emergencies happen...Oh My!
And that now emergent hangnail may actually have to wait, and why would it be encouraged to STRAIGHT Back complaints that are in No Way an emergency?????

NO Wait ER's validate using the ER as a clinic or doctor's office. Validate stupidity and a waste of resources.
Many of these people should be #1 managing their symptoms at home, #2 using community resources including their local pharmacy for meds to treat nausea, vomiting  and diarrhea, fever, cough and flu symptoms, all of the basics covered in the local pharmacy aisles (OOPs, you may have to pay for that, OH and pregnancy tests can be done at the dollar store), and #3 go to your family doctor or clinic, (yes you may have to wait but that does not make the ER the appropriate place for your problem). And yes you are expected to pay for your ER visit too, though tooooooo many come in with NO intention of paying.

This is an area that all of these wonderful administrators and politicians need to focus their healthcare reform:

1) Personal responsibility for healthcare choices: you must live life to the fullest, but stop expecting people to cleanup after you, if you smoke accept the consequences, if your choose to drink to excess, do not expect a liver transplant, be compliant with your healthcare or have your palliative care plans in place.

2) Public education regarding use of the ER, hospitals, doctors offices, clinics, etc.: i.e. you can throw up more than once without running to the ER, unless its a bucket of blood. That may be impressive. And wait more than a half-hour after throwing up ONCE to call Rescue to take you to the ER. And when you call rescue, have a way to get home, your transportation is YOUR responsibility.

3) Community resources need to be expanded to 24/7 clinics with a pharmacy when overcrowded doctors offices are not available or cannot keep up, they should also be taking extra patients instead of sending everyone to the ER. Pain management centers should also be available 24/7 also with contracts that must be honored.

4) Public education of the proper use of Fire/Rescue. Do Not call them for non-emergent situations while your family that could have brought you in beats you to the ER.

5) Here is a BIG ONE Politicians: Prisoners, especially death-row inmates, have lost their rights to vote, yet they seem to have access to the best education and the best of healthcare. This is wrong when, today, people in the community who contribute and work hard can hardly afford to provide healthcare for themselves. People on death-row should have DNR on their healthcare records and never, NEVER get a transplant...LUDICROUS. Treat the active community first you could probably set up accounts from all the free stuff for prisoners...Dialysis for child molesters and rapists...Really??? Why not let nature take its course in all of these instances. Instead, because payment is fast and certain, doctors jump at treating these UN-Fine people over people who actually contribute to society.

What Nursing Can Mean--New Followers Re-post

Health Care for the Future of the Aging Population-4

A plan for adding alternative therapies to the comfort measures in place for patients in EOL situations will provide greater options in providing care. The complementary treatments such as music therapy, aromatherapy, massage, and healing touch provide significant levels of comfort. The therapies soothe patients in terminal care conditions, stimulating fond memories through scents and music and promoting pain relief via massage and healing touch. A strength is that both aromatherapy and music therapy can be provided for minimal cost expenditures. Providing both of these touch therapies could be accomplished for low to moderate financial requirements. Healing touch can be an option for patients during any bathing, turning, or moving procedures. Aromatherapy and music can be supplied to the patients at regular intervals around the clock. Massage therapy can be incorporated into the physical therapy regime for EOL patients and healing touch can be taught to the nursing care providers at all levels. An additional strength is that none of the treatments have significant risks nor will the therapies interfere with intensive care unit functions, care provision, or equipment, the staff may also benefit from the comfort provided.

Some weaknesses of the plan will include resistance and opposition by staff members to an increase in the workload if the plan does not incorporate the time required by the touch therapies. Aromatherapy and music therapy should not increase work requirements as long as the supplies are available. Another weakness may be in the lack of understanding by patients, families, and staff of the benefits of these treatments. Seeing them as giving up or encouraging death will be some views of the therapies and palliative care that will need to be addressed. Educational programs will be one of the significant costs to implementing the plan.

Opportunities of the strategic plan to implement complementary therapy into palliative care programs of ICU’s include the chance to educate the healthcare providers, public, insurance providers, and the community as a whole. The education should include not only responsible decision making for EOL health conditions but being able to choose the comfort measures desired when a terminal situation arises. Preparedness is a better measure for the increasingly sick population that will be seen in the coming years. Implementing these simple and noninvasive alternative measures into the comfort care of the dying will open the doors to integrating other complementary therapies into more healthcare situations. Here will be a chance to educate administrators and upper management about alternative treatments that often are paid for out of pocket by clients and that patients seeking these therapies will provide revenue to the facility.

Personal Responsibility in the Healthcare of the Future

Has anyone out there gotten a free new car or their mortgage paid for??? Heard that was supposed to happen, somewhere...

Well Healthcare has not improved either..

Healthcare is not free and the majority of people paying for their insurance (personally its around $400/month or more for a family in some areas) are shouldering the cost while many choose not to even try to pay.

The truly sick and disabled should have all healthcare available but do we really need to encourage people to come to the ER for any complaint, many of which could be handled by their local pharmacy.

But then they would have to pay. Things really need to change..

Really??? 

1) What is wrong with expecting payment upfront when it can be clearly determined that there is no emergency? The dental visit to the ER, the medication refill, the chronic back or other pain issue, and really, why are there no 24-hour clinics for these people?

2) Does anyone out there really not know that anti-nausea, headache, diarrhea, cold medications and pain medications exist in the over-the-counter world, much cheaper than the ER visit????

3) Why do so many come in expecting it all to be handled by someone else?

4) People out there also need to know that they can actually call their family doctor or whoever is on call in the middle of the night for medical advice. Especially now with 24-hour pharmacies, it could be handled with hardly leaving home. One day there may even be video conferencing house calls. 

Technology is wonderful and ever-evolving.

People should be prepared to pay what they can for the care they come in for, not just those with insurance.

Educating the public on their responsibility in their healthcare is necessary for the future. 

Ways to treat themselves and their children for minor ailments, that is basic parenting and personal responsibility should be key in that education. Knowing you actually can throw up more than one time without running to the ER, and treat those symptoms at home is also of benefit.