For nurses, a little respect goes a long way

No employer wants to have people working extra hours if they don't want to. But outlawing employer mandated overtime is a very short-sighted move. As someone who has a relative in the hospital right now, I've witnessed what happens when someone calls out and nurses scramble to provide care. I'd rather have someone who was bit tired but available to provide care than a nurse who has to cover 12 or more patients because of absent workers. Unless an employer is working staff overtime several times per week, it shouldn't create a safety issue.

I agree that R-E-S-P-E-C-T is a key factor in attracting and keeping nurses, not to mention workplace violence, conflict management, creativity and client satisfaction.

At the surface it seems simple, but underneath it is not. Respect involves attitudes we have towards ourselves and each other as well as those from leaders, patients and colleagues. When we start to look at the power dynamics in nurse practice settings and self esteem issues many of us have, including myself, we can begin to see how complex the issue becomes.

Individuals and organizations must look for ways to build effective communication and respectful organizational cultures. Being able to set limits in a healthy way is a critical part of self respect. Mandatory overtime may be a necessary evil in the short run for situations such as those described by the previous writer. But in the long run, it is a dangerous stance. As Anne, states, 'nurses are human too'. To be expected to chronically work overtime is not healthy for nurses, patients or the organization.

The Joint Commission's new 'conduct' standard will help as will training for communication skills such as assertiveness and attentive listening. R-E-S-P-E-C-T is inherent in all of the above.

Thanks for the article, Anne.

Beth

I beleive most Doctors and Nurses deserve the most
respect we can give them,except if they make money
by putting people on hospice,Its just to get rid of the poor the elderly and the disabled,Doctors,take an oath"Do no harm" well hospice is murder.When you murder,thats harm, to every one,especially the patient thatbeen killed against their will,and their loved ones,Its a corn game to get rid of patients they dont like.
"A Rose by Any Other name is still A Rose"When you kill some one its murder...........

RNs deserve so much more respect and pay then they receive in most acute settings. As a new grad RN who loves nursing, I am so disgusted by the outside factors that affect my actual NURSING duties. The workload (nurse-patient ratios) cause much stress and make it difficult to provide safe and quality care to each patient. That stress coupled with the lack of respect from other healthcare professionals and at times the general public, mediocre pay, difficult and demanding hours and often overtime really causes me to reconsider my future in healthcare as a newly BSN prepared RN.