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Discussion: S. 54, The Registered Nurse Safe Staffing Act of 2009 (10 comments ↓)

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Karen Burlet

February 20, 2009, 11:27am (report abuse)

RNs quit bedside nursing in the US due to the high ratio of patients to nurses... not due to the pay levels. There is NO nurse shortage . . . just thousands of nurses who refuse to work under dangerous conditions caused by too many patients. Why should we, as taxpayers, pour millions into nursing schools that dump new, inexperienced nurses onto the market, when what is needed is mandated ratios? Mandated ratios alone will bring nurses back to the bedside to provide better care and safer conditions.

Johnson

February 22, 2009, 12:50pm (report abuse)

RN job is a very basic and even 2-year college training is enough. But if hospital let a RN to handle 30 patients in 8- or 12-hour, RN will need much more training and patient will be more dangerous. Any mistake made by RN under high pressure will hurt or kill patient immdiately. The best way to improve health care quality is lower the pressure of RN, lower the ratio of patient to nurse.

Davis RN CNOR

March 22, 2009, 8:14pm (report abuse)

It is true that there are thousands of RNs who choose not to work in hospital settings due to high patient ratios but even mandated nurse to patient ratios will NOT bring most of them back to the hospital setting. There is a shortage of nurses. T
he majority of the current workforce are "Baby Boomers" who will retire over the next 10 years and will as we continue to age need nurses to care for the nurses. The job of the RN is far from basic and yes a 2 year college degree will get a nurse started but the education does not end when the NCLEX is passed. Nurses work under pressure everyday and the responsibility of up to 30 patients per nurse is dangerous for the patient and the nurse. Extreme patient care loads can and do contribute to errors that can cause harm to a patient.
Pass this Bill you don't want that patient to be your child, wife, mother, father, brother or sister, do you?

dialysis nurse

April 7, 2009, 11:26pm (report abuse)

don't advertise incentives/bonuses
in forign papers,if you guys don't want foriegn nurses,they will not apply and neither we nurses suffer
by coming here alone.
pending green card nurses's kids can't get admission in college
can't get driving license,is this america,or your justice for innocent hard working RNurses,shame on this,patient and forign nurses both suffering

foreign RN

April 7, 2009, 11:33pm (report abuse)

My co worker isunder pending I-485
Green card process ,her son denied admission in university and driver license.what kind of life these Nurses living HIGHLY STRESSFUL
first americans wants foreign nurses than make them go through stress by bullying.

RN

June 25, 2009, 11:03pm (report abuse)

I think Mr. Obama should order greencards to all the working nurses waiting for greencards frm years,their families sufferring
husband,kids can;t work or study.

don't take anymore new foriegn nurses,prepare your own nurses in america

RN, BSN

July 23, 2009, 10:03pm (report abuse)

First off there is never 30 patients to one nurse. There is at most 6 patients to 1 nurse in the hospitals in the Texas Medical Center. I just graduated a year ago and people may say that new graduates are incompetent but I disagree. Nursing school for one is highly stressful, not everyone can be a nurse. They place so many limitations on you that by the end of our class 75 people graduated out of 167. The best only graduate and it is not like you can take classes over and over. If you fail two classes (which failing is considered a 75 or below) then you are out of any nursing program for 5 years. Second of all the hospitals put new nurses with a preceptor for months to prepare them for the real world of nursing. Third, I feel that since I am a new graduate everything is fresh in my mind (didacticly and clinically)and I can honestly say that my thinking skills may be better than a nurse of 20 years. Fourth,continuing education every 2 years is a requirement to keep liscenure.

RN

July 23, 2009, 10:12pm (report abuse)

communication is a big deal when it comes down to nursing. If there is a barrier in communication then how are you going to get an accurate history or let the patient know their plan of care.I am from Great Britian (Nottingham England)and happened to marry an American man. My sister went through the green card process. It is just what you have to do if you want to stay in this country. But I am strongly adamant about if foreign born and want to work in the hospitals in America learn proper english and stop pittying yourself.

...

August 20, 2009, 8:23am (report abuse)

Far too much rhetoric from the foreigners who have difficulty with English and won't learn. Send them home, keep them out and train Americans who want to become nurses.

AK

(logged in user) October 6, 2009, 10:07am (report abuse)

Acuity of the patient (how sick the patient is and how much nursing attention patient require )is very important when talking about nurse -patient ratio. not one size fit all.

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