Nursing strike

[Annette]

The nurses are about to go on strike in the big hospitals here. Supposedly, the hospital is trying to cut the census (can't imagine how, don't have that many elective things going on in medicine). The residents aren't going to be responsible for things like bathing patients, but we will have to carry out all of our own orders. I don't even know how to work the new stupid IV pumps! I'm certain I'll figure it out eventually (I hope). I can only imaging call is going to be horrendous- one intern and one resident to do the orders on 48 patients on the medicine floors. Heaven help the ICU and CCU patients.

Has anyone had any experience with strikes like these?

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[flighterdoc]

The nurses are about to go on strike in the big hospitals here. Supposedly, the hospital is trying to cut the census (can't imagine how, don't have that many elective things going on in medicine). The residents aren't going to be responsible for things like bathing patients, but we will have to carry out all of our own orders. I don't even know how to work the new stupid IV pumps! I'm certain I'll figure it out eventually (I hope). I can only imaging call is going to be horrendous- one intern and one resident to do the orders on 48 patients on the medicine floors. Heaven help the ICU and CCU patients.

Has anyone had any experience with strikes like these?

Where is here?

 

[Annette]

The lovely, smelly city of Akron.

 

[Leukocyte]

Have you ever been/trained in some of the "welfare" hospitals in the slums of the slums of NY city (were I am currently at). All what the nurses do here (at the hospital were I am at) is despence meds ONLY. And the nurse aids also have one job, change dipers/clean beds. The interns write the orders, put the orders into the computer, take the vitals q4 or q6, record the INS/OUT, put foleys, IVs, NG tubes................

And if you DARE ask a nurse for a favor (ex. to draw a CBC STAT, b/c you have to attend To an emergency), she will give you the blank stare and move her neck and finger from side to side, and say with an attitude, "Hooooney, do I work for you, or do I work for you?"

So, to the nurses at Akron I say, BITE ME.

 

[ERMudPhud]

I was at Columbia as an MS4 when the nurses went on strike. Columbia hired as much scab labor as they could but it still sucked. I remember being in the NICU with nursing home nurses

The places where it really sucked was the units. As another poster mentioned floor nurses in NYC hospital don't seem to actually do much.

Good luck

 

[smilingreeneyes]

I actually work at Akron General Medical Center. When talking to a lot of the floor nurses I find that a lot of them can't strike, they can't afford to. It is really horrendous what administration wants to do to us. They want to cut our retirement for new grads (I'm in that group), and they want to cut benefits for spouses (not in that group). Now this does seem to be a hot subject among the unit nurses and ED nurses; two of the union reps work down in the ED. I really hope my prediction is right, I don't have enough position power to strike!!!!

 

[docB]

When I was a resident there was a nurses strike that lasted for a few hours. The admin wanted to give the residents Pyxis codes and have us doing our own meds and stuff. I figured that would last until the first pt go 125 mg of dig IV push.

 

[EM guru]

The nurses are about to go on strike in the big hospitals here. Supposedly, the hospital is trying to cut the census (can't imagine how, don't have that many elective things going on in medicine). The residents aren't going to be responsible for things like bathing patients, but we will have to carry out all of our own orders. I don't even know how to work the new stupid IV pumps! I'm certain I'll figure it out eventually (I hope). I can only imaging call is going to be horrendous- one intern and one resident to do the orders on 48 patients on the medicine floors. Heaven help the ICU and CCU patients.

Has anyone had any experience with strikes like these?

Annette, I'm an incoming resident at Akron General and was just wondering how the nursing strike has affected the residents so far?

 

[Winged Scapula]

Ouch. Boy, I can see a lot of patients missing meds, not getting IVs, etc. if we were responsible for administering such things. I am only capable of turning the "Alarm off" button on the pumps, unhooking an IV to help a patient with a new gown on, spiking a new bag of fluids, and hooking up SCDs. Its been ages since I placed an IV (although I could probably do it), and I sure as heck don't know how to operate the Pyxis or the pumps.

You have my sympathies. be sure to update us on this travesty!

 

[Annette]

Well, the nurses went out on strike yesterday. The ER is closed to ambulances, and the admin has shut down the step down units. Surprisingly, things are not too bad. There are alot of nursing management on the floors taking care of patients, and they have hired a number of agency nurses. They are trying to hire more, and trying to reduce the census even more. Until that happens, they are paying residents to moonlight as "assistant nurses." We aren't allowed to act as physicians- we have to call float to get orders! The duties depend on the unit coordinators- mainly starting IV's and taking patients who need to be monitored to tests. We aren't allowed to drop in TLC's if we can't get the IV started The residency moonlighting isn't expected to last very long. They also have pharmacists on all the floors to help with meds. It isn't the greatest situation, but it is survivable. Other than the moonlighting and reduced census, it hasn't affected the residents too much so far. I hope everyone will see reason, and things will be resolved.

 

[Febrifuge]

... I am only capable of turning the "Alarm off" button on the pumps, unhooking an IV to help a patient with a new gown on...

See, my time as an ED tech/ 'nursing assistant' type person is going to be invaluable. You should be able to help a pt disrobe and/or get into a gown without unhooking the IV. Same basic principle as removing one's bra without removing one's shirt.

 

[Febrifuge]

Well, the nurses went out on strike yesterday. ...they are paying residents to moonlight as "assistant nurses." We aren't allowed to act as physicians- we have to call float to get orders! The duties depend on the unit coordinators ...

Here's hoping for a speedy and fair resolution. In the meantime, maybe some longer-term good can come of this period when residents (some of whom might eventually become staff ...?) "walk a mile in their shoes," as it were. I'm usually all for cross-functional groups and team-building stuff if it's practical. It's pretty cool to be the low guy on the totem pole and have an RN or a doc (and there are several at my facility) say, "hey, I used to have your job..." Hopefully someday, you'll have that 'street cred' with people on your team. And the cash can't be bad, right?

 

[Winged Scapula]

See, my time as an ED tech/ 'nursing assistant' type person is going to be invaluable. You should be able to help a pt disrobe and/or get into a gown without unhooking the IV. Same basic principle as removing one's bra without removing one's shirt.

Hmmm...you'll have to enlighten me on that one (not the taking a bra off without removing the shirt...I can do that)!

 

[Febrifuge]

IV in, shirt on: remove the non-IV arm from the shirt; slip the shirt over the head; thread the IV bag through the sleeve of the shirt (distal to proximal end) taking care not to crimp the tubing or snag anything on the cart or the inside of the shirt. You've got a mostly-disrobed patient, with only one arm in only one sleeve, and an IV snaking up through it. Last, slip the sleeve off the arm. You're good.

Contraindications: really tight non-stretchy sleeves, cervical injury, bilateral IV's placed, or injury to the extremity with the IV in it: grab some shears and start cutting.

 

[njbmd]

Hmmm...you'll have to enlighten me on that one (not the taking a bra off without removing the shirt...I can do that)!

Hey Kimberli,
I am really surprised that you don't know this one. This is best done under a T-shirt or loose sweatshirt. You unhook in the back, then pull the straps off each shoulder via the neck and afterwards pull the bra out of one arm holes. Didn't you see "Flashdance" ? Rent that movie and watch that scene very carefully. It is a classic. Same principle for IVs

njbmd

 

[edinOH]

Hmmm...you'll have to enlighten me on that one (not the taking a bra off without removing the shirt...I can do that)!

I spent most of high school perfecting the "removing the bra with one hand" trick. Never considered just removing it through the shirt.

money

 

[mikecwru]

I spent most of high school perfecting the "removing the bra with one hand" trick. Never considered just removing it through the shirt.

money

Randy, that defeats the purpose.

mike

 

[juddson]

What stops this hospital from hiring on a full-time basis the nurses they have imported from the agencies and nursing homes? What happens to the regular group of nurses? What is a "census"? Is this just a word for the number of nurses working in the hospital?

I'm confused about the retirement issue. I did not know it was typical to get retirement benefits for nursing other than a 401k type matching program. Does Akron General normally offer nurses a defined contribution/define benefit plan?

I am shocked that a medical care facility wants to cut medical benefits for spouses and families.

judd

 

[Seaglass]

I am shocked that a medical care facility wants to cut medical benefits for spouses and families.

Hospitals aren't getting any special discount on healthcare for their employees - it's just as expensive as it is for any other business. So, like all other businesses today, they are asking employees to share more of the cost. Hate the game, not the playa.

C

 

[smilingreeneyes]

What stops this hospital from hiring on a full-time basis the nurses they have imported from the agencies and nursing homes? What happens to the regular group of nurses? What is a "census"? Is this just a word for the number of nurses working in the hospital?

I'm confused about the retirement issue. I did not know it was typical to get retirement benefits for nursing other than a 401k type matching program. Does Akron General normally offer nurses a defined contribution/define benefit plan?

I am shocked that a medical care facility wants to cut medical benefits for spouses and families.

judd

Right now, the hospital is offering a pension plan as well as a 401K match program. The hospitals' proposal is to not offer the pension to any nurse hired after 1/1/05, but instead increase the 401K match payments.
As far as benefits go, they want to make us pay 15% more out of our pockets per month and only give us a 2.5% pay raise. In essence, we will be making less then we were last year. For some people that is an extra $200 per month by the time their spouse gets their own insurance.
We are asking for a 3.5% pay raise for the next three years and a decrease in the percent we have to pay for benefits.
FYI: Management has stated that they have the money, they just don't want to spend it.

 

[Sessamoid]

Right now, the hospital is offering a pension plan as well as a 401K match program. The hospitals' proposal is to not offer the pension to any nurse hired after 1/1/05, but instead increase the 401K match payments.
As far as benefits go, they want to make us pay 15% more out of our pockets per month and only give us a 2.5% pay raise. In essence, we will be making less then we were last year. For some people that is an extra $200 per month by the time their spouse gets their own insurance.
We are asking for a 3.5% pay raise for the next three years and a decrease in the percent we have to pay for benefits.
FYI: Management has stated that they have the money, they just don't want to spend it.

With the gov't decreasing payments to all providers and hospitals, there's just less money to go around. Personally, I'd take a better 401K than a defined benefit plan. The recent spate of corporate scandals involving reckless corporate officers raiding and underfunding pension plans has made me wary of all DB plans (not that anybody is starting any new ones anyway).

 

[Bandit]

the nurses avoided a strike in Buffalo Mercy here this week. In my opinion---it should be against the law for nurses to strike. Just like cops, and firemen--striking puts people in harms way PERIOD. no excuses

 

[smilingreeneyes]

the nurses avoided a strike in Buffalo Mercy here this week. In my opinion---it should be against the law for nurses to strike. Just like cops, and firemen--striking puts people in harms way PERIOD. no excuses

That comes along with being in a union; having the right to strike.

 

[Bandit]

you dont think police, firefighters corrections officers and many others have unions?

 

[flighterdoc]

you dont think police, firefighters corrections officers and many others have unions?

But they generally are prohibited from striking.

 

[Bandit]

thats my point pal

 

[dmoney41]

But they generally are prohibited from striking.

Ever heard of the blue flu?

 

[flighterdoc]

Ever heard of the blue flu?

Sure. And I know people who were fired for it. Just like some air traffic controllers.

 

[Midwest Medic]

Actualy wasn't there a firefighter strike in one of the larger cities in the lst 10 years or so? Can't remember the city, but I remember something happening like that just recently.....