A BROADWAY TO VEGAS EDITORIAL REGARDING NURSING IN RESPONSE
TO NATIONAL NURSES' APPRECIATE WEEK.
May 6, 2019 begins the annual Nurses' Appreciate Week.
According to a March 29, 2019 posting by Nightingale.edu ranking nurse-salary-by-state
"The average salary for a Registered Nurse in Nevada (NV) is $85.620, which is above the national average for RN’s
viewed across all U.S. states, $75,510. The monthly salary is $7,135 and it breaks down as an average
of $40,97 per hour. The average BSN Nurse Salary in Nevada is $97,790, with an hourly wage of $47.01."
You can live quite nicely in Nevada on that amount of money.
That should be a magnet for attracting the best in the profession. Not necessarily.
Florence Nightingale wouldn't recognize her profession.
Since the mid 20th century, an overlooked and under appreciated segment of the nursing profession has been
the male nurse. During the Korean War female registered nurses entered the military as commissioned offices,
while male registered nurses entered the service to their country as enlisted men, serving as bedpan carrying
core-men.
Even as recently as the 1960s a man studying to invade the woman's profession of nursing was an oddity - ridiculed behind his back. When males graduated, most were forbidden to attend to female patients. At that time hospitals had male and female wards. While a female nurse could work on a male ward, a male nurse couldn't serve on a female ward.
While much is said about female inroads into "male professions," male nurses are ignored and not given the credit they deserve for equalizing the profession.
Today's"angels of mercy" don't perform hands on nursing care as much as they operate medical machinery, and input and update computer charts. Operating medical machinery and computer skills are top priority. People live longer. As they age, conditions erupt and acerbate. The patient may be experiencing issues hearkening back prior to their nurse even being born. Procedures, treatments and side effects of now seldom used procedures may be foreign to today's nurse.
A few weeks ago an unexpected event resulted in my spending nine days in a hospital - a stay in which nobody had a good time.
There were some excellent physicians and the male nurses who cared for me were professional, polite and helpful. It's some of the ones who used to be called the "doctor's handmaidens " who were unprofessional,
Arriving by ambulance, an EMT sat down next to my bed explaining to me that he had brought me in and wanted to see how I was doing. I thought that was considerate. Food arrived. Th EMT told me to enjoy it. I tried. I swallowed a small bite. The second the morsel hit my stomach everything came up. A nurse who had been sitting at a desk with her back towards me the entire time, whirled around and angrily screamed: "Don't do that. Wait a minute."
It should be pointed out that when vomit is spewing from one's mouth - "wait a minute"- isn't an option.
The nurse got up, disappeared and came back with two blue plastic bags. "You threw up all over your lunch tray. You should have used these," was her annoyed comment.
The EMT was the only person in my entire experience to defend me - something I'll remember. He argued: "What was she suppose to do? The lunch tray was what was in front of her."
Moved to a room I encountered a group of nurses who didn't care about how I was feeling as much as insulting
my appearance.
Either not recognizing or ignoring a slightly swollen face I was chided about not having any wrinkles. I was mocked
for wearing eye shadow, something I always wear. When I used a hair clip to pull my hair away from my neck I was
ridiculed with a sassy toned: Oh, you put your hair up. You look beautiful.
When I inquired if the head of my bed cold be moved, I was told to read the instructions on the bed railing and
not "bother the nurses."
One of the most bizarre, outrageous and unprofessional experiences I've ever endured involved a registered nurse who - to
the best of my knowledge - I'd never before met, spoken to or had any dealings with in any capacity. Known
only by a first name, she never indicated why she carried a grudge so severe that she would deliberately mistreat
a patient.
A small sampling.
She snarled into my ear "I know what you do!" Strange and odd. With no idea what she meant I thought if she doesn't like what I write - don't read it.
She deliberately gave me nausea medicine after I'd eaten rather than before. It wasn't until the dieticians,
noticing that I wasn't eating, came into my room to find out why. When I explained I was throwing up, I was told that was impossible because I'd been given anti-nausea medicine. That discovery resulted in the nurse snarling: "Would you like me to give you your medicine before you eat, rather than after?"
No doctor bird-dogs a nurse to verify that their orders are being correctly followed. A bad nurse has access to entering or
changing records and has a feel for what they know they can get away with.
Then there was the occasion when, in the presence of another person, she informed me that the doctors were asking
why I wasn't bumped up in line. Screwing her face into an evil expression said: "I'm refusing to bump you up." I learned
that the RN possessed and used her ability to intimidate and influence her co-workers to do her bidding, as her
colleague nodded her head.
When I indicated that I wanted to go home the nurse growled that "the doctor isn't going to release you. He's not going to
risk losing his license for the likes of you.
A nurse who overheard that conversation came into my room and said: "I don't believe the doctor said one word of that.
She just said that."
Nursing assistants were used as moles to enter my room and then report back what I was watching on television and - if they
could determine - who I was talking to on the phone.
Finely, employees divulged that said nurse was constantly talking about me and that the conversations
were being repeated.
I'd love to discover what motivated her actions - including if any former or current California nurses had input.
She even entered misleading information on my chart. Without warning or explanation she entered my room,
grabbed one of my breasts and started mauling it like a rapid dog. Even though her fingernail were cut short
and straight across, she left three gouge marks and my breast was so badly bruised I took pictures.
"What is that big, ugly thing? Is that all real?" she barked into my ear.
That would be documented on my chart as a "large unknown mass." Other medical professionals have long referred to it
as breast reconstruction after a mastectomy.
I heard her tell a rape victim: Get over it. That happened 50 years ago. We don't do that (then swallowing the words)
any more.
Her smirking, sarcastic attitude was never ending. When I paid my car mechanic to come to the hospital to pick
up my car keys so he could fetch my car to take care of it while I was hospitalized, she sassed: "I'll keep an eye
out for your friend with friend said in a peculiar, insulting tone of voice.
When you have two IVs in each arm plus dozens of additional jab marks which caused bruising, oxygen up your nose,
and most of the time find it difficult to lift your head off of the pillow, you are in a subservient position.
Anything can happen.
A nurse who is in the position to kill usually doesn't because there would be an investigation and odds
are the nurse would be caught. What is both easy and possible is for a nurse with a grudge to make
the patient's stay more painful and annoying. Treatment can even be disrupted.
However, all of the phlebotomists who took my blood every four hours, 24 hours a day, for eight days were excellent.
A few days before I was discharged the "get even" RN had her days off. Once animosity rears its head, reeling it in is difficult.
However,
without her presence I experienced better nursing care.
In a hospital setting where you may have no warning as to who will be in your ward, health care professionals
need to keep your grudges to yourself. If you feel you can't take proper care of a patient, ask to be transferred
or have the patient moved. Don't alter how medications are given, harm or torment a patient, gossip and lie to others
about those you are entrusted to care for; or encourage your co-workers to insult or provide substandard care.
Nursing is a trusted and honorable profession. It's not an avenue for personal grudges.
Historically people entered the nursing profession because they were termed 'motherly', 'caring' and 'empathetic'.
By the nature of the occupation, patients are presented at their worst - ill, in pain, scared, worried.
Today, nursing as a career may even be motivated because grants are available or an immigrant trained in another country
is employable. However, the "customers" are still the same - people who are sick and/or injured.
Nursing requires a patient to exhibit faith and trust. To violate those cardinal rules - to hurt, harm, torment and "get even"
for any reason - real or fabricated - is unconscionable.
For the good nurses - the ones who entered the professional for the right reasons and do their job to the best of their
ability no matter the circumstances, they aren't appreciated nearly enough.
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