Some quick realities before bed

So I guess the purpose of this blog (for the time being, anyways) is to educate people to the realities of healthcare in the United States (hint: it sucks).

And it doesn't necessarily suck because of the practitioners...it sucks because of the limitations the practitioners find themselves in.

Like my rant about last night...can't pee, no break for 10 hours...that's normal. That's regular. Ask a nurse "when do you take your lunch?" and the most common response you will get is "what's lunch?"

I can only speak for hospitals because that is the only setting I have worked in as a healthcare professional. And I can only speak of Acute and Critical Care and Emergency, because those are the only settings I have worked on (aside from occasional floating to Medical/Surgical floors).

Hospitals are tragically, dangerously understaffed. Understaffed to a degree that most people would be shocked to know about. And when I get patient's familes who see how hard we run, and how much we run, and how much we do, they are all in shock, and in awe, and I constantly hear "wow, you guys really run your tails off!" or "wow, how can you do it?"

I don't know how we do it. I really don't.

I don't know *why* we do it.

The returns are, at best, mediocre. I get a wonderful rate of pay considering that I have a 2 year degree and little professional prospects prior to becoming a nurse. I was on a fast track to dead-end office and sales jobs, and would probably never make more than $35,000 a year (before taxes) for the rest of my life.

So I will tell you that my first reason for being a nurse is financial. I got great return on my educational investment. My pay has gone up $15 in the last 5 years, and will continue to go up for the next 20, at least.

But I also do enjoy what I do. I am a curmudgeon, and I hate most people, but I get some sense of satisfaction from my job. I do enjoy being around patients. I enjoy doing the "nursy" things that we are required to do. I enjoy the comeraderie. I enjoy being able to use my sense of black and dark humour without being ostracized.

But we put up with a lot. We are torn in 50 directions at once. We have little, if any, ancillary staff. We are pushed to the breaking point EVERY. SINGLE. SHIFT and yet every night we come back for more, and know to expect it to be as horrible as it was last night, and not as horrible as it will be tomorrow night.

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It is my core belief that there should be no profit in the delivery of healthcare and medical treatment. None.

I am a socialist. I believe that there are certain things that every person should be secure in: secure in home, secure in food, secure in health, secure in job, secure in security that if any of those (home, food, health, job) were to be lost that they would be taken care of at a basic level by their government. It is my belief that we prosper as a nation when we're all healthy, when we're all employed, when we're all earning income, when we're all well fed, when we all have secure housing.

but I digress

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However, health care IS a profit-driven business. And it is a business. In my hospital, you're a patient. In others, you're a customer. :vomit:

And because profit is above all else, hospials have to cut costs somewhere.

Nurses cost the hospital more than anything else. We have the audacity to expect to get paid a decent wage given our education, experience, knowledge. We have the audacity to expect certain conditions for work (patient loads, help, etc).

.,,,to be continued when I wake up....