PERSPECTIVES: Nurses On Strike
Well, it’s called by many different names: perspective; communication filters; “mental blocks”; “I know my rights” and many others could be added. The core of the problem is a basic lack of communication and respect for each sides’ position. Effective communication techniques would help resolve most of the issues quite readily. But wait, there is a core problem here, both talk about and yet both seem to miss the big picture. Let’s go on....
Nurses are and have always been highly underpaid. How many other professions can you think of where you get paid a few tens of thousands of dollars per year and everyday you have to worry about making a mistake that will cause somebody their life. That’s a pretty scary thought. Here’s another, daily, we live with the fear that a patient or their family will sue us for tens of millions of dollars. No, you can’t think of any other profession like it, because nursing is a unique profession. Everyday we take on the responsibility to care for total strangers, just because of our deep-seeded calling to aid humanity. We don’t care about your religion, your sexual orientation, your race or any other label you would like to add. We only know and care that you are a unique human being with which we share this magnificent planet. We are extenders of the physician when we give you your medication and clean and dress your wounds. We are family when we provide for your basic needs in life and we are professional nurses when we help you to identify, plan for and achieve goals that return you to as near a normal state of well being as is possible.
When I was a young nurse, I had a mentor tell me there would never be enough nurses to care for all who need our services. That I must learn to define a good day as one where I did the best I could and I wasn’t responsible for an error that resulted in someone being harmed or killed. Knock on wood, I can honestly say by those standards, every day of my career has been good.
How right was that mentor? Well, she was right on the money. Way back then there were not enough nurses - and that problem is worse today. And get ready, my friends and colleagues, because that problem is only going to get worse. The average
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