Nurses train and receive education to allow them to sit for the NCLEX, The National Licensure Examination. Every state created a Board of Nursing to govern and carry out the task of making sure practice rules and regulations are followed. Nurses are required to read and understand these rules.
Some boards have posted general directions for companies and Directors of Nursing to help them decide if a nurse should be looked at more closely by the Board of Nursing. Patient safety and neglect were the top reasons for most boards creation. A loud cry of foul by the public in Elder care was heard. Each state created a band-aide.
Like a drivers license, a nursing license is a privilege. We are responsible for our own actions as adults. There are always going to be incidents that occur on shifts. Some have tragic endings, some incidents create lesser degrees of problems.
When we face our own frailty in good judgement, when we see things need to change on our end. Perhaps at this juncture the answer becomes clear, it is time to leave nursing.
The feelings inside of worry and fear make sleeping a much less valued time. As nurses wait to see if they will be subject to termination or in house disciplinary action, even the dread of Nursing Board actions. The possibility of law suits and loss of home, career and any assets certainly gives rise to uncontrollable fear. Thoughts of suicide can enter the mind when all other possibilities look so grim.
Nurses have been jailed and prosecuted for acting in unprofessional manners towards patients. We read headlines about Administrators stealing from residents. Directors of Nursing covering up massive amounts of errors for the sake of company and pay check. Death can occur in the elder population very easily. And still nurses get up every day, go to work, facing huge patient loads in Long term care settings and rehabs.We very rarely hear about physicians who make errors and nurses who pay the price.
Boards of Nursing justify the patient load by nurses aides, practical nurses and Registered nurses being staffed. What they do not see is the work loads for the one nurse who is trying to manage as many as 40 to 100 patients by themselves. Without any other nurse in the building. As little as 24 to 1 can feel daunting. Day shifts filled with admits, and discharges. Without good communication practices, schedules are not set with two hour windows. people just show up when ever. Some schedulers laugh at the nurses who struggle with all the tasks. Companies jam the elderly into the various facilities to increase the census so corporations reap billions of dollars in profits while treating nurses like second class citizens.
Huge numbers of errors are made from time constraints. "Get off the time clock", is the national mantra in Long term care/rehab.. Chart while you perform the IV starts, blood draws, blood sugar checks, vitals, admits, discharges, answer phone calls, perform wound care, and handle emergencies. There are many other tasks not listed here. These business modalities are failing nurses and patients.
Accidents happen. Lack of good judgement happens. Stress plays a key role. However, no amount of blogging will ever change these horrible situations nurses endure.
Emotions run high, people can't handle the stress. Many nurses turn to drugs and booze to cope. While they don't realize they are compounding the problems they have. Nurses who do not use any mind altering substances also find themselves in trouble. Nurses must remember, nursing is a privilege not a right. Regardless of how the errors occur, is the Nursing career over?
Some boards have posted general directions for companies and Directors of Nursing to help them decide if a nurse should be looked at more closely by the Board of Nursing. Patient safety and neglect were the top reasons for most boards creation. A loud cry of foul by the public in Elder care was heard. Each state created a band-aide.
Like a drivers license, a nursing license is a privilege. We are responsible for our own actions as adults. There are always going to be incidents that occur on shifts. Some have tragic endings, some incidents create lesser degrees of problems.
When we face our own frailty in good judgement, when we see things need to change on our end. Perhaps at this juncture the answer becomes clear, it is time to leave nursing.
The feelings inside of worry and fear make sleeping a much less valued time. As nurses wait to see if they will be subject to termination or in house disciplinary action, even the dread of Nursing Board actions. The possibility of law suits and loss of home, career and any assets certainly gives rise to uncontrollable fear. Thoughts of suicide can enter the mind when all other possibilities look so grim.
Nurses have been jailed and prosecuted for acting in unprofessional manners towards patients. We read headlines about Administrators stealing from residents. Directors of Nursing covering up massive amounts of errors for the sake of company and pay check. Death can occur in the elder population very easily. And still nurses get up every day, go to work, facing huge patient loads in Long term care settings and rehabs.We very rarely hear about physicians who make errors and nurses who pay the price.
Boards of Nursing justify the patient load by nurses aides, practical nurses and Registered nurses being staffed. What they do not see is the work loads for the one nurse who is trying to manage as many as 40 to 100 patients by themselves. Without any other nurse in the building. As little as 24 to 1 can feel daunting. Day shifts filled with admits, and discharges. Without good communication practices, schedules are not set with two hour windows. people just show up when ever. Some schedulers laugh at the nurses who struggle with all the tasks. Companies jam the elderly into the various facilities to increase the census so corporations reap billions of dollars in profits while treating nurses like second class citizens.
Huge numbers of errors are made from time constraints. "Get off the time clock", is the national mantra in Long term care/rehab.. Chart while you perform the IV starts, blood draws, blood sugar checks, vitals, admits, discharges, answer phone calls, perform wound care, and handle emergencies. There are many other tasks not listed here. These business modalities are failing nurses and patients.
Accidents happen. Lack of good judgement happens. Stress plays a key role. However, no amount of blogging will ever change these horrible situations nurses endure.
Emotions run high, people can't handle the stress. Many nurses turn to drugs and booze to cope. While they don't realize they are compounding the problems they have. Nurses who do not use any mind altering substances also find themselves in trouble. Nurses must remember, nursing is a privilege not a right. Regardless of how the errors occur, is the Nursing career over?
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