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Honored Contributor
Posts: 14,658
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

@deedledeedeedle -

Yes, that is what I'm talking about it!

It makes me so sad, and angry that people would have any criticism of any nurse fighting on the front lines

now, for as long as they can, until they can't any longer and some until death!

"If you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you'll learn things you never knew. Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains? can you paint with all the colors of the wind?"
Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,492
Registered: ‎09-23-2011

On the Bay please don't lecture me. I was a Nurse manager in the 3rd busiest ER in the country. I also had to take care of intubated patients and run that ER. The only thing I am condeming is walking out during their shift. I also find it hard to believe that nurses are working 24 hrs straight. I've worked 16 straight but not 24 hrs straight. 

. When you have over 30 years experience in nursing then lecture me. You think it wasn't rough or that we didn't cry out of frustration or punch a wall. But we got through some really bad times without ICU beds for days on end and patients coming in droves. We pulled together and kept each other sane. We took care of business with administration and the union and it wasn't pretty.. 

85,000 of us volunteered in NY. And most of us are retirees We can still do patient care and are willing to help in any capacity because we know they are exhausted. We are willing to put our lives on the line to help with this pandemic. 

 

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 10,168
Registered: ‎03-14-2010
This problem should be laid squarely at the feet of the hospital administration. Exhausted, overworked nurses are not able to take adequate care of patients, putting them at risk; the bigwigs aren't smart enough to get this?
Valued Contributor
Posts: 935
Registered: ‎07-02-2014

Fighting the VirusMy niece working in ICU filled with patients that have the virus!  God bless her and all the other health care providers fighting this beast!

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,925
Registered: ‎06-13-2010

 


@on the bay wrote:

Not all nurses in every state has a union nor a protest of assignment form.

It is also quite different being a nurse with 10 critical patients and a charge nurse who has yes a difficult job of managing, still not the same.

It really shocks me that anyone would judge or condemn any nurse dealing with this virus now, many times without adequate protection, thru no fault of their own, who then has to go home to their family, maybe with children.

Nurses working over their usual 13 hours, sometimes 24 hour shifts now, day after most day.

I defy anyone to do this retired or not and do this without breaking down. Then you deserve an opinion. Until you are a nurse right now on the front lines, you have no legitimate say in this. You really don't.

This is not like anything any have experienced. Not, AIDS nothing! 

Every single nurse deserves protection and care and compassion too! They are not robots. They are human beings and I bet all of them start out with the higest of intentions to care for their patients. They all are doing their best and for some, until they could do no more.

It doesn't sound like any here are a nurse now on these front lines who are calling these nurses anything but heroes! None! Retired doesn't count. 

If you were a nurse on the front lines with this virus, you wouldn't be commenting on these boards. You would be too exhausted and have to go back again tomorrow for as long as you can.

 


You said everything I was going to say and more!!! That is an amazing observation and perspective. These nursing warriors deserve the highest PRAISE-not scorn.

 

 

~~~All we need is LOVE💖

Honored Contributor
Posts: 14,658
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: ER Nurses In Detroit

[ Edited ]

@JackieHN -

Believe me, I am not lecturing you.

I am just hoping that no one condemns or judges or demeans any nurse that is working the frontlines now.

Many are sick themselves and some have died.

Being a nurse,I know you must have cared about all your nurses.

Now more than ever there is not enough staff, or supplies, or protection and so many nurses do not have a union.

Every nurse deserves compassion for what they are going through.

And if they can't stick it out, I feel for them so much. I'm sure they wanted to. 

 

It just really saddens me that anyone would condemn any nurse today, especially any of their fellow nurses.

 

"If you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you'll learn things you never knew. Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains? can you paint with all the colors of the wind?"
Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,970
Registered: ‎03-16-2010

Long time critical care nurse here before moving into nursing education.  Worked in a major trauma center and even went through receiving victims of a mass shooting back in the day. 

 

I don't ever support nurses leaving their patients, but I also don't think 2 nurses for 26 critical COVID-19 patients and 10 ventilators is appropriate staffing for an entire shift either.  

 

Someone I know came out of her short retirement and volunteered to go to New York.  When she has time, she is privately blogging about her experience.  She says in more than 40 years of critical care experience she has never, ever seen anything like this.  And part of her experience involves working at Rush in Chicago, so she has seen quite a bit in her time. 

 

All of the patients are critically ill and require high level nursing and medical care.  She knows she is at risk.  Only 1 N-95 mask for the shift, so she wears it the entire time she works.  Doesn't eat because she doesn't want to expose herself to take it off and then put it back on again since she knows without a doubt the outside of that mask is contaminated.  God bless them.

 

And yet, hospitals are also between a rock and a hard place.  Lots of nursing staff are infected as well or quarantined due to exposure.  And not just any nurse can take care of these patients.  These nurses need to have critical care experience and be able to manage patients on ventilators.  

 

 

 

 

 

 


* Freedom has a taste the protected will never know *
Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,452
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

I stand by my criticism and judgement.


My heart goes out to those vulnerable, in critical condition and possibly dying that evening patients!

My heart and admiration goes out to the exhausted, scared, nursing staff (the warriors) that received ZERO relief that evening, purely out of me, me, me!!!
The hospital administration gave them the choice after their protest go to work or go home. Wasting valuable time and energy- whining. 

 

Is it a horrible situation? Yes, just like 9-11 and war was/is. This is a Pandemic. Hello!? Everything is unscripted!
One RN wrote in on one of the newsites comments section:  'the RN's didnt show up to work on that fatefull Tuesday, September 11, 2001 morning and say "oh this isnt want we signed up for". 

 

Personally, I wouldn't want to work shoulder to shoulder with the 8,, and they should lose their jobs. I find it really odd that one would defend THEIR actions that evening. 

 

Its a known fact there is a nursing shortage. Been that way for many years, not something that crept up last weekend. 

91765F34-20FE-4D8A-8C3F-9A2661A4B44A.jpeg

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Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,492
Registered: ‎09-23-2011

I was talking about the nurses in this one particular hospital. Yes they have a union. It seems to be the biggest hospital in Detroit. They sat in their lounge for 4 hrs until they were asked to leave. The poor dayshift had to work 24 hrs.. I watched the video of this nurse saying why they walked out. He was not stressed trust me. Coming from where I did my census on one night could be over 200. So I understand where they are coming from. However they've been working like this for 3 weeks. So why didn't they all band together with their union and hit management between the eyes. Also why didnj't they make out protest of assignment forms. We ran out of them a lot of times and made our own. They protect you in case anything happens. You just make 3 copies. One for you, one for management

and one for the union. 

I have compassion for them I just think they went about it the wrong way. Maybe I'm just old school but I could never abandon my patients. 

 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 14,658
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

@JackieHN @LoveMyBaby 

Ok, I'm sorry but I don't know who you both are talking about. I didn't hear about the 8? I guess I missed that and never heard about it on any of the news stations.

I was only thinking of the nurse in tears that they interviewed who felt she couldn't do her job safely or help her patients the way she should. She and another in another place. and another nurse.

So I can see why you are writing from a different view or place.And maybe angry. Writing from 2 different views 

of something different.

 

 

"If you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you'll learn things you never knew. Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains? can you paint with all the colors of the wind?"