Nurses' working conditions, pay contribute to shortage

As a registered nurse for 32 years, I had to respond to your recent articles and commentaries on the nursing crisis.

I recently retired from nursing because of health problems and a back injury, which my hospital will not accommodate unless I return to work without restrictions.

We are, indeed, in a crisis, and it's not just about recruiting people into the profession and the need for more nursing education. There are many nurses refusing to work in hospitals because of the working conditions.

Most auxiliary staffs have been cut back or taken away, requiring nurses, as well as nursing assistants, to do more lifting and turning of patients, with little help for coping with an increasingly obese population.

Not only is the profession under continuous physical stress, but it's also under emotional stress beyond comprehension. When an administration determines there is extra staff scheduled, they are called and asked to take a vacation day.

However, when there is a shortage of staff for a shift, nurses are required to assume added patients without any help. This increases errors as well as strain.

When this happens, nurses can only give minimal care to patients. God knows, we wouldn't want to cut back beds due to staffing shortages. Seldom do you see orderlies, who could assume much of the strenuous labor of nursing. And let's not forget nursing assistants, seldom rewarded or recognized for their difficult jobs.

Nursing assistants are required to take care of as many as 16 patients during their shifts. Their duties usually require taking vital signs, emptying trash, turning patients, answering call lights, taking patients to the restrooms, bathing patients, changing linens, escorting patients to and from procedures, charting and whatever else the nursing staff requests. Nurses, on the other hand, are required to organize care and procedures, to initiate IVs, to assess patients, provide medications, change dressings, update charts, address physicians' orders and assist physicians with procedures, and to make phone calls to doctors, to families and other departments, among numerous other responsibilities.

Nurses work overtime. They work changing shifts and on weekends, and they are on call. What about family life — being with your children during Christmas and holidays as they grow up?

Let's not forget the divorce rate among medical professionals. The public thinks we make great money. The majority of nurses cap out at $70,000 a year, and after 15 years, there is often the minimal raise of 3 percent a year. Compare this to engineers with the same education. Engineers are usually making $70,000 in five years.

Let's not forget retention. Those of us who have been in the profession for more than 10 years usually have injuries. Often, they include back injuries and chronic pain.

Adequate auxiliary staff, such as orderlies, nursing assistants and nursing technicians, would prevent most of the injuries to nurses. Across the nation, there are hospitals that are initiating "no lift" policies for nurses with injuries and those over a certain age.

Let's not forget our aging nurses — those of us over 50 years old. As with the general population, we have health problems and injuries we have acquired over the years because of the strenuous work. Most hospitals put us out to pasture if we cannot perform our duties, such as lifting. Let's not forget those 12-hour shifts, which often are 14 hours-plus. Those of us over 50 can no longer tolerate 12 hours non-stop.

The public should be outraged about the health care system. Perhaps hospitals should be required to disclose to the public their nurse/patient ratios, the nursing assistant/patient ratios, the infection rates and medical errors. Paying clients have a right to be informed and the opportunity to choose the hospital they want to care for them and their loved ones.

Of course, we need more instructors and more educational facilities. On the other hand, nothing will change until we retain the nurses already working in our hospitals. This involves bringing back eight-hour shifts and establishing "no lift" policies.

Decreasing the nurse/patient ratio, (as well as nursing assistants/patients ratio) and giving nurses auxiliary staff would go a long way toward improving nurse retention. Holiday and shift work could be made more palatable. Retiring or side-lining nurses with illnesses and injuries is certainly not helping to ease the crisis.

Unfortunately, most hospitals find no value in a nurse who is unable to lift 100 pounds.

This must change, and nurses must be fairly compensated for their skills, experience, responsibilities, education and dedication.

Until we address the present reasons the profession cannot retain nurses, we will continue to have a crisis. No amount of added classrooms and instructors will resolve the issue.

DEBORAH L. HODGE

Oak Hill Drive

Manning

---

Notice about comments:
The Post and Courier is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. The Post and Courier does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not postandcourier.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "suggest removal" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our Web site.
Full terms and conditions can be read here.

---

Comments

This article has  0 comment(s)