Comments on: Where’s My National Nurse?

By: 7 Resolutions for the Nursing Profession | The Nerdy Nurse

7 Resolutions for the Nursing Profession | The Nerdy Nurse — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:25:25 +0000

[...] friend Nurse Ratched’s Place is a strong advocate for this position, and I agree with her. The united states needs chief nursing officer in a political role that [...]

By: Ken in Minnesota

Ken in Minnesota — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 01:09:45 +0000

Our newest Senator just introduced a new bill:

Franken bill seeks to limit nurses’ injuries

By Cynthia Dizikes | Published Thu, Oct 15 2009 6:25 pm

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn, introduced legislation today aimed at implementing safe patient-handling standards to protect nurses from injury on the job.

“Nurses and health-care workers shouldn’t have to sacrifice their safety and their livelihood to help others,” Franken said in a statement. “Especially when many of these injuries could be prevented.”

http://www.minnpost.com/cynthiadizikes/2009/10/15/12560/franken_bill_seeks_to_limit_nurses%E2%80%99_injuries

By: Ken in Minnesota

Ken in Minnesota — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:08:17 +0000

MN nurses are politically active:

from the Daily Glean on MinnPost

http://www.minnpost.com/dailyglean/2009/10/12/12398/pawlenty_congratulates_obama_sort_of

There are at least 20,000 nurses in Minnesota — that’s how many are registered with the Minnesota Nurses Association — and they showed, and are showing, their growing political clout this week. Firstly, on Polinaut, Tom Scheck reported that the association threw its support behind Rep. Paul Thissen in his bid for governor. Scheck quotes the organization’s press release: “Paul Thissen is a champion for Registered Nurses. From his work to make sure all children have health insurance, to his advocacy of adequate RN staffing for patient safety, he exemplifies the characteristics we expect of a Governor.”

Nurses also decided to take a stand against the policies of our current governor, as reported by the Associated Press: Members of the Minnesota Nurses Association will be marching to the Republican governor’s Capitol office. Their demand: That Pawlenty reverse his decision to slash General Assistance Medical Care, which will cut subsidized health care for 30,000 or more low-income adults.

By: Mother Jones, RN

Mother Jones, RN — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:37:59 +0000

Nurse K, did you check out the NNNO website? I understand your frustration and that’s why I got involved in this movement. The National Nurse will NOT speak for all nurses just like the Surgeon General does not speak for all doctors. And you’re right about nurses needing to be proactive and acting on a local level to have their voices heard.

By: Nurse K

Nurse K — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:32:27 +0000

PS We had an English nurse come work on my unit and he made the same in England as a nurse at the time he came over as our nursing assistants made. He said that nurses were considered by the government to be “charitable” individuals and should accept lower pay rates for this reason…they should work for less than what they were worth, in other words and not complain about it.

This is what happens when you put govt instead of supply/demand in charge of your hiring. So we don’t need a national nurse, we need to refuse government involvement in nursing and health care!!!!

By: Nurse K

Nurse K — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:24:14 +0000

There is a “national nursing strategy” in places like England because they pay nurses crap in the government-run hospital and no one wants to do it. I just looked it up, and a staff nurse in an NHS hospital makes around $38,000/year after several years of service. Hi, you can’t even get an apartment in London with that salary.

There is no need for a “national strategy” on nursing in this country. Nurses are paid well, nursing schools are flooded, no one is hiring new graduates, and units are generally staffed adequately. The leaders in nursing should be people in your individual organization, hospital, or even a charge/staff nurse willing to speak up. If your hospital has a local nursing issue, you should take it up locally.