We all know that there's a Nursing shortage. If this is so, what are the "powers that be" doing about it? I've read the other reviews, and it spans the gamut of the profession as we know it today. There are Males who feel unappreciated, by their Female counterparts, and they feel shunned by the Doctors they work for. We should be welcoming all the Nurses that are in the Industry now, and making it attractive for future Nurses who are interested.
How do you do that? Well that's the $64,000 question.

There must be more flexibility within the Profession for growth. Hospitals should be using all the programs possible to keep the Nurses they have. They should keep the Baylor program:(weekend Nurses that work two 12 hr shifts and get paid for 36-40 hrs). That should keep your week ends covered. During the week might be attractive to young Moms or older Nurses if you have shorter shifts. (6-8 hrs)
Create "work buddies". If you want to stay with 12 hr shifts, hire two people who'll switch 6 hr shifts back and forth. Yes to do this you'll need a "cracker-jack" scheduler, but it'll lighten the load for the staff, and may attract new blood. Our problem didn't happen overnight, and it won't go away overnight.

My fear is that we will continue to keep the system the way it is, and we'll wake up one day and have very...VERY few Nurses. Will importing them from other countries solve the problem? Immediately....yes. In the GRAND scheme of things....I think not.

My husband died 11 yrs ago. During the last 4 months of his life, I stayed with him every time he went to the hospital, which was about every 2-3 weeks. I continued to work my job during this time. I was an Installer/Trainer for a Medical computer software company, and was able to work flexible hours. We utilized every bit of the Medical community we could. We used Hospitals, Homecare, DME, Respiratory, and finally...Hospice. All the way down the line there were Nurses, Doctors, Therapists, and Counsellors, who did their best to ease the pain for my husband, and they did a Wonderful job. But what of the average patient who doesn't have a family member to follow closely the treatment plan and keep tabs on what's being done and why? Most patients and families are left to their own devices, and it's sad.



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