[CCM-L] Busy weekend - nursing shortage

Mon Jul 21 22:52:17 BST 2008

and now for my penny...i left nursing to go to law school because i thought i would at least have a voice that might be listened to in defense of the profession i loved so much ( nursing),  as well as defending doctors and hospitals.  i am a hospital diploma nurse who then went on to get a bachelors degree, then a masters degree and then went to law school.   
yet i still miss nursing, and all of its challenges and foibles. there is no profession quite like it or where one may be of such great value.

-----Original Message-----
From: Bif_Fink at teamhealth.com
Cc: ccm-l-bounces at lists.ccm-l.org; 'Trauma &amp; Critical Care mailing list' <trauma-list at trauma.org>; Critical Care List <ccm-l at ccm-l.org>
Sent: Mon, 21 Jul 2008 4:02 pm
Subject: Re: [CCM-L] Busy weekend - nursing shortage

I have to add my 2 cents as well.  The decision makers in the think tanks 
f the 80's assured that profound  spending cuts to medical and nursing 
ducation funding would be wise due to the glut in the system.  They were 
rong, no one really listened and now patients,,docs and RNs are 
uffering.  It will take longer to fix than we have time.  Look at the 
aucity of programs for EM and FP docs.  Most nursing programs turn away 
ouble the number of students they enroll- and those are just the 
ualified applicants.  Pay does have a lot to do with the shortage, but so 
oes working conditions and the constant reminder- verbal and non-verbal 
h
at a nurse can be replaced at any time.  Doesn't have to be the truth, 
ut administration certainly seems to buy into it.
ust venting as well, I'll probably die in the ED-while working :)
if Fink, RN, MSN

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of 
attle...." 

"Errington Thompson " <errington at erringtonthompson.com> 
ent by: ccm-l-bounces at lists.ccm-l.org
7/15/2008 04:38 AM
lease respond to
rrington at erringtonthompson.com

o
'Trauma & Critical Care mailing list'" <trauma-list at trauma.org>
c
ritical Care List <ccm-l at ccm-l.org>
ubject
e: [CCM-L] Busy weekend - nursing shortage

his is nothing new.  It has been going on for the past 10 - 15 years. 
octors have grumbled but haven't put up a concerted effort to stop this 
ractice. 
Finally, I would add that experienced nurses like yourself are between a 
ock and a hard place.  I know in the ICU and in the ER, when green nurses 
rop the ball, it is the experienced nurses who pick up the ball.  Because 
f this mortality and morbidity is lower than it would be if the green 
urses were allowed to stumble on their own.  The hospital administrators 
an then point to little or no change in morbidity or mortality and say 
hat their cost cuts has had no impact on patient care. 
Until doctors and nurses stand together to confront these terrible 
ractices of hospital administrators across the nation, this will continue 
o happen. 
E
Errington C. Thompson, MD, FACS, FCCM
rauma/Surgical Critical Care
ission Hospital0Dsheville, NC
uthor - A Letter to America
ww.whereistheoutrage.net 
Everyone deserves to make an informed decision
                                - Errington Thompson, MD
-----Original Message-----
rom: trauma-list-bounces at trauma.org 
mailto:trauma-list-bounces at trauma.org] On Behalf Of ofiara at comcast.net
ent: Monday, July 14, 2008 10:03 PM
o: Trauma & Critical Care mailing list; Trauma & Critical Care 
ailing list
ubject: RE: Busy weekend - nursing shortage
There is and has been a nation wide nursing shortage in the U.S.  It will 
et even worse as I believe the ave age of a nurse in the U.S. is in their 
ate 40's . At the E.D./Trauma center I work in the Chicago-land area, we 
ave lost  a number of great experiences nurses due to management. The 
ave been replaced by "new grads' ( cheaper labor) and are very green. 
anagement doesn't seem to care because they are saving Salary money. They 
lso are very eager to send staff home when the census is low, not based 
n pt. acuity, but when we are going " crazy" we can't get extra help 
ecause it will be overtime.  I still love my job and I have a great 
orking relationship with the doc's I work with and I like working with 
he E.R. residents and  yes. Trauma can be exciting, but after 20 plus 
ears I find myself enjoying a beverage after work more often. Just some 
enting.
Larry Ofiara, R.N. 

------------- Original message -------------- 
rom: "William Bromberg" <brombwi1 at memorialhealth.com> 0D> Tim, 

 Same here in Savannah, GA. Hospital is licensed for ~500 beds, staffed 
 for only ~400. We routinely close beds for staffing issues. 

 BTW â?? as far as I'm concerned this is a result of price controls on 
 medical care. If you can't raise the price of a widget to cover the 
 variable cost of making one more, you just won't make any more. 
 Basically in any sane industry if demand outstripped supply, prices 
 would rise to allow wages to increase to attract more workers, thereby 
 increasing supply. In medicine we can't increase nursing wages much so 
 we raid emerging countries for nurses instead, worsening their staffing 
 shortages (NYC hospitals would cease to function overnight if not for 
 Phillipino (sp?) nurses â?? best imperialism ever). 

 Bill 

 >>> Richard van der Kleyn 7/14/2008 6:40 AM >>> 

 Dear Tim, 

 A recent survey here in Catalonia (north east spain) showed that we 
 were short of 15,000 nurses, Spain as a whole needs 3000 more ER docs. 
 in our hospital in the summer months we always have 1 ward closed (about 
> 40 beds) due to a lack of nurses...even though in the summer our 
 catchment area populacion triples. Its much the same all other europe, a 
> lot of spanish nurses/doctors go to the UK ( better pay), most of our 
 new doctors come from south america (better pay), a lot of african 
 doctors now go to south america (better pay)......finally the well paid 
 western doc
tors go to africa as charitable organisations because of the 
 lack of doctors...it looks like money is the way to atract personal. 

 Richard van der Kleyn 

 > > -----Original Message-----> From: Timothy Craig Hardcastle > Sent: 
 14 July 2008 07:40> To: 'trauma-list at trauma.org'> Subject: Busy weekend 
 - nursing shortage> > Hi all> > We had a rather hectic weekend - but 
 were even more curtailed by a> shortage of nurses; had to close ICU beds 
> and refuse some patients from> the EMS. Is this just a South African 
 problem or is this really an issue> in the USA, Europe and UK as well? 
 Do you have any ideas about how to> attract dedicated trauma nurses to 
 one's unit?> > Tim> Dr Timothy C Hardcastle> M.B., Ch.B. (Stell); M. Med 
> (Chir) (Stell); FCS (SA)> Principal Surgeon-Lecturer / Sub-specialist: 
 Trauma and Critical Care> Deputy director: Trauma Unit and Trauma ICU> 
 Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital / UKZN> 800 Bellair Road> 
 Mayville, Durban> > Postal: PostNet Suite 27> Private Bag X05> Malvern, 
 4055> KwaZulu Natal> > timothyhar at ialch.co.za > > > --> trauma-list : 
 TRAUMA.ORG> To change your settings or unsubscribe visit:> http://www.tr 
> 
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