[nursinghumor]

Dr. Beth Brooks Examines the Quality of Nursing Work Life:"The conceptual components outlined in Dr. Brook’s article are intended to provide nurse leaders with ideas on how to enhance the work life of nurses, as well as provide information to improve the work environment. In order to access QNWL, there are a number of strategies that may be employed. An assessment of the current organization can help build a quality work environment and retain employees."
http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2006/4/emw371249.htm

I'm glad to see someone is taking an interest in our quality of life on the job. . . .

Andrew Lopez, RN
A to Z Nursing Resources
http://www.nursinga2z.com

[smbrn]

Yes, it is nice that someone is looking into the quality of nurses' lives on the job. It would also be nice if someone would look into, what I see as, the phenomenal increase in demands on nurses' off time. I left a "magnet" hospital pretty much because the increase in demands that staff nurses sit on committees, show up for absolutely ridiculous numbers of mandatory inservices (I counted 14 between mid-October and the end of December the last year I was there), requests that nurses put together educational posters to hang in the halls, prepare inservices for colleagues, study and sit for certification exams, all for absolutely NO reimbursement of any kind, and lastly expectations that we would access our hospital email from home on days off to make sure we knew when the next, last minute mandatory inservice was scheduled, sent me right out the door. In addition, as far as the quality of life on the floors I have known of nurses who have had their time cards altered with the explanation that the facility "doesn't pay overtime", demands that nurses punch out for a half hour break whether or not they are able to take a break, most recently an expectation of a hospital where I started a travel assignment that we do about 2 or more hours of self-learning packets at home, again without being paid. The way nurses are treated is just outrageous, yet it goes on and on and on. In 25 years I've heard a lot of talk from hospital administrators about their "commitment" to their nurses and it has been just that:talk. I've seen no improvements at all. If anything things are worse than ever. That's why I do agency work. I do my shifts and then I leave. End of story.

[nursinghumor]

I agree with you that our shifts should end when we clock out and are done. Can't tell you how many times I've been reminded that my shift was "over" and that I had to clock out/sign out regardless of what was left for the next shift or unfinished.

I really think that nurses are taken advantage of in the cases of attaining magnet status, climbing clinical ladders, etc. If you were allowed to complete the requirements on "their time" I wonder how many hospitals would pursue magnet status so vigorously.

Is anyone working in a magnet hospital now, or a hospital looking at getting there?

Andrew Lopez, RN
A to Z Nursing Resources
http://www.nursinga2z.com