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Started by Marc.Knight, October 02, 2010, 08:27:04 PM

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Lovely Bones

Quote from: MV on June 05, 2012, 09:08:46 PM

only in america... land of the free. 


On a slightly different note, but along the same lines of idiocy in America:

My cousin's long-time partner recently had a total knee replacement.  She was lying in her hospital room recovering when she heard a man in a nearby room screaming for help.  And screaming for help.  And screaming for help. 

When it became clear help was not coming for this man, she got herself out of bed and somehow hobbled to the man's room to check on him.  Then she hobbled to the nurses' station to get someone to help him--no one there.  So she hobbled back to his room and called 911. 

Now the hospital has launched an investigation against HER. 

Only in America. 

Frys Girl

Quote from: Lovely Bones on June 06, 2012, 07:02:45 AM
On a slightly different note, but along the same lines of idiocy in America:

My cousin's long-time partner recently had a total knee replacement.  She was lying in her hospital room recovering when she heard a man in a nearby room screaming for help.  And screaming for help.  And screaming for help. 

When it became clear help was not coming for this man, she got herself out of bed and somehow hobbled to the man's room to check on him.  Then she hobbled to the nurses' station to get someone to help him--no one there.  So she hobbled back to his room and called 911. 

Now the hospital has launched an investigation against HER. 

Only in America.
Nurses' unions don't like people making heat for them. However, she did the right thing. 911 in a hospital. Nice.

onan

Quote from: Frys Girl on June 06, 2012, 07:08:50 AM
Nurses' unions don't like people making heat for them. However, she did the right thing. 911 in a hospital. Nice.

I have been a nurse for a long time. I have never been in a union. I can tell you that a union would be a godsend in NC. Nurses are always understaffed. Are there "bad" nurses? hell yeah. But management is often the problem. In every position I have had it has always been too many patients. Often there is more than one crisis at a time. Since physically it is impossible to be in two places at once one crisis can go unmanaged for some time. Very sad but very true. When a nursing station is empty always consider the management decision to under staff.

All that being said nurses can certainly be blamed for allowing those conditions to arise. Nurses are commonly spineless when dealing with management.

The fact that the patient is under investigation is a hospital/managerial decision. Generally, hospital policy doesn't allow nursing staff to take any position or action dealing with legal issues. If I get attacked and or physically harmed by a patient I would quite possibly lose my job if I pursued any legal action.

Frys Girl

In 2012, a woman driving causes a sensation and her firing. Saudi Arabia is a joke.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/07/manal-al-sharif-saudi-protester_n_1576454.html

Marc.Knight

Quote from: Frys Girl on June 07, 2012, 07:30:33 AM
In 2012, a woman driving causes a sensation and her firing. Saudi Arabia is a joke.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/07/manal-al-sharif-saudi-protester_n_1576454.html


She is smart.  Upon returning she would have been the target of a stone throwing contest.


Lovely Bones

Quote from: onan on June 06, 2012, 09:20:27 AM
The fact that the patient is under investigation is a hospital/managerial decision.

I'm sure this is absolutely the case in my cousin's partner's situation.  I don't blame the nurses.  Coming from a medical family and having a close friend who works as a nurse in oncology, I have nothing but sympathy for the nurses' plight in medicine today.  Long hours, understaffing, etc. all contribute to less than perfect care for patients.  And while I'm sure many will disagree with me, Obamacare will only make things worse for everyone concerned.  My opinion only. 

onan

Quote from: M. Knight on June 07, 2012, 08:56:28 AM
Where is the outrage?


http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/06/07/where-is-outrage/

It is still tucked away in the same box it was in when the patriot act was passed. You know, being able to break in, bug your house without any warrant. You know, the ability to tap your phone on suspicion of terror. You know, being able to read your letters before they are sent on their way to your home.

People don't really care. Either too worn down by the life they have,  too busy worrying about the Housewives of some city, Kim Kardashian's love life, or where to get the best 8 dollar cup of coffee. We are a stupid people.

Frys Girl

Quote from: Lovely Bones on June 07, 2012, 09:04:56 AM
I'm sure this is absolutely the case in my cousin's partner's situation.  I don't blame the nurses.  Coming from a medical family and having a close friend who works as a nurse in oncology, I have nothing but sympathy for the nurses' plight in medicine today.  Long hours, understaffing, etc. all contribute to less than perfect care for patients.  And while I'm sure many will disagree with me, Obamacare will only make things worse for everyone concerned.  My opinion only.
Nurses' unions and nurses are not one and the same. I did not mean that there were a bunch of Patty and Selmas (Marge Simpson's sisters) just letting patients rot and to avoid responsibility they are investigating the patient. No, I meant that nurses' unions have actually had so much influence on hospital management that this type of action is taken. Anyway, I don't know the details of the story (location, etc..) However, I didn't mean to attack nurses at all.


If Obama is requiring more people to buy insurance, only insurance companies benefit. What worries me is that if he drives the medicare payments to doctors any lower, insurance companies will have to increase their premiums so that nurses, doctors, and the industry as a whole can still profit. This is one reason the cost of health care is so high.

onan

Quote from: Frys Girl on June 07, 2012, 09:36:04 AM
Nurses' unions and nurses are not one and the same...I didn't mean to attack nurses at all.


Although we often disagree FG, I almost always have consideration for your arguments.

But to this argument I have to say a few things. First, only about 21% of all hospitals have nursing unions. Second, only California has a law limiting the number of patients a nurse can be responsible for. More patients, less nurses is always an equation for failure. Nursing attrition rate is 7 years. Add to that 80% of nurses have seen extremely small increases in pay over the last 2 decades. Union nurses fair only slightly better. With this recession staffing has been minimized to the point of nurses with less than 2 years experience are given leadership positions... guess what?

All the while hospital CEO's now having salaries of over a million dollars a year. Hospitals should always be non-profit.

Insurance companies are operating with overhead budgets in excess of 30%. Medicaid and Medicare operate at ~ 3%

Medical care hasn't been compromised due to nursing unions. If anything nursing unions have helped stem the tide of even poorer in patient treatment.

Lovely Bones

Quote from: onan on June 07, 2012, 10:09:19 AM
Second, only California has a law limiting the number of patients a nurse can be responsible for.


Interesting, Onan.  The incident I described which has engendered this conversation took place in California!  Given the law limiting the number of patients a nurse can be responsible for, California should have been the last state in the Union for such an incident, no? 

onan

Quote from: Lovely Bones on June 07, 2012, 10:13:20 AM
Interesting, Onan.  The incident I described which has engendered this conversation took place in California!  Given the law limiting the number of patients a nurse can be responsible for, California should have been the last state in the Union for such an incident, no?

I dunno, probably. There are too many unknowns. It is certainly possible that the staff was jerking off in a corner. I do have to consider though, what was going on that the hospital is investigating your relative. It seems odd to me that would be a position for a hospital to take. Perhaps it is all innocent... most likely it is. But again I dunno.

I am not trying to be antagonistic here. It is just weird. I will say that patient acuity is more than just the number of patients to be attended. I don't know what type of unit your relative was on. Screaming in a post op unit or telemetry unit is an OMG moment. On a psych unit, some hospice units... still scary but not necessarily an OMG moment.

To set the benchmark it is never acceptable for a patient to need help and no one available to give aid.

I dunno.


MV/Liberace!

Quote from: Frys Girl on June 07, 2012, 07:30:33 AM
In 2012, a woman driving causes a sensation and her firing. Saudi Arabia is a joke.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/07/manal-al-sharif-saudi-protester_n_1576454.html


i have a friend who is saudi.  i've mentioned this whole women driving thing to him many times.  every time, he emphatically states it's not because they think women can't drive or shouldn't drive.  he says it's because the men in SA are crazy and would follow/harrass/stalk/bother the women as they are driving about... which would place them in real danger.  he says he's not even allowed to go to the mall because they only allow women in or men who are not likely to cause problems for the women inside.  i'm not sure i buy his reasons for the driving thing, and every time he says it, my bullshit detector begins flashing.  perhaps if men and women in SA weren't so segregated, men wouldn't go batshit every time they see one.  maybe? 


there are several things he's said about SA which i don't believe for 2 seconds.  like true contrarians, saudis (and arabs in general) LOVE to tell you everything you know about them and/or their culture and/or their government is wrong.  it's like a hobby for them.  my wife is the only arab i know who doesn't do this.  she's perhaps as (or more) critical of her own world/culture as anyone you'd find.  that said, my saudi friend's three sisters are in the US with him, and all of them are allowed to drive here... so maybe there's some truth to what he says.


saudi men really are naive and child-like.  they know pretty much nothing about the world outside of SA.  it's partly cultural and partly due to the fact that the education system universally SUUUUUUUCKS in the arab world.  the saudi government is spending big bucks to send their youth to western schools, women included, which will probably go a long way toward changing some of this.  SA has already changed significantly in the last 20 years according to my friend, and he says in another 20, you won't recognize the country.  when talking about these subjects with him, i always maintain that with SA's oil power, they could be among the world's most powerful/advanced/envied nations if they could just shake the religious fundamentalism.  he agrees. 

Marc.Knight

Quote from: MV on June 07, 2012, 12:05:37 PM
i have a friend who is saudi.  i've mentioned this whole women driving thing to him many times.  every time, he emphatically states it's not because they think women can't drive or shouldn't drive.  he says it's because the men in SA are crazy and would follow/harrass/stalk/bother the women as they are driving about... which would place them in real danger.  he says he's not even allowed to go to the mall because they only allow women in or men who are not likely to cause problems for the women inside.  i'm not sure i buy his reasons for the driving thing, and every time he says it, my bullshit detector begins flashing....


This is the same type of ignorant "logic" applied to why women are segregated to the back of the Mosque, and closed off.  Every Muslim I have asked about this says the same thing:  "The men are in the front of the Mosque because they are weak and need the prayer services more than women do." 

See the same pattern... men are weak or crazy, therefore we cannot allow women to...   [bullshit]

fysisist

Quote from: MV on June 07, 2012, 12:05:37 PM

i have a friend who is saudi.  i've mentioned this whole women driving thing to him many times.  every time, he emphatically states it's not because they think women can't drive or shouldn't drive.  he says it's because the men in SA are crazy and would follow/harrass/stalk/bother the women as they are driving about... which would place them in real danger.  he says he's not even allowed to go to the mall because they only allow women in or men who are not likely to cause problems for the women inside.  i'm not sure i buy his reasons for the driving thing, and every time he says it, my bullshit detector begins flashing.  perhaps if men and women in SA weren't so segregated, men wouldn't go batshit every time they see one.  maybe? 


The segregation, plus the fact that women have to be covered from head-to-toe all the time, is probably making these poor bastard's balls about ready to explode.  I think the extreme modesty imposed on women by the cultural norms there actually has the opposite of it's intended effect.  I mean, when all you can see is a pair of beautiful brown eyes, doesn't your mind just kick in as to what else is under there???  Or maybe it's just me... 

Zircon

Quote from: onan on June 06, 2012, 09:20:27 AM
I have been a nurse for a long time. I have never been in a union. I can tell you that a union would be a godsend in NC. Nurses are always understaffed. Are there "bad" nurses? hell yeah. But management is often the problem. In every position I have had it has always been too many patients. Often there is more than one crisis at a time. Since physically it is impossible to be in two places at once one crisis can go unmanaged for some time. Very sad but very true. When a nursing station is empty always consider the management decision to under staff.

All that being said nurses can certainly be blamed for allowing those conditions to arise. Nurses are commonly spineless when dealing with management.

The fact that the patient is under investigation is a hospital/managerial decision. Generally, hospital policy doesn't allow nursing staff to take any position or action dealing with legal issues. If I get attacked and or physically harmed by a patient I would quite possibly lose my job if I pursued any legal action.
Onan, my wife is also a nurse here in Oklahoma. She gets paid well by the standard of living for our location but the insurance provider, formed by the physicians for the corporation she works for, is not that good. High deductible and 20% with prescriptions that are OK for the cheaper ones and way too high for some name brands. I just tried to get Chantix but our provider does not cover any smoking cessation programs. Weird as you'd think medical doctors and their creation would welcome anything to get someone to quit smoking. So it will be an anti-depressant and a cold turkey for me.

Anyway, we're a right-to-work state here and I suspect "NC" meaning North Carolina is as well.

Per your comments on the work place and how any stupid patient gets their way can be rather grating to a person who is charged with taking care of them and trying to help them heal. What is worst is when she and her colleagues have some huge person (in size or weight or both) and have to baby them. Moving them around can cause muscle pulls and injury if they fall on you.

Management ... let me tell ya ... kissing ass is the rule. Scheduling is often based on a few in a click who work it out so they can go drink or have the bigger weekends off (Holiday type weekends). My wife has worked on Mother's Day, Christmas and even Thanksgiving plus a day or two. Since management is run by women, they can be real bitches.

A union wouldn't help out since these same people would find a way to make it work for them. No problem with being understaffed here but in her previous job at a major regional hub medical facility, under-staffing was the norm (6 patients and always a couple of whiners). At times she couldn't even take a break to eat a sandwich. We're talking 15-20 minutes.

Am I just making points that you experience? Probably so. I'd never be a nurse as I'd tell patients to shut the fuck up and take your meds.

MV/Liberace!

Quote from: fysisist on June 07, 2012, 01:50:08 PM
I think the extreme modesty imposed on women by the cultural norms there actually has the opposite of it's intended effect.  I mean, when all you can see is a pair of beautiful brown eyes, doesn't your mind just kick in as to what else is under there???  Or maybe it's just me...


you're exactly right about this.  i've heard stories of saudi girls going places with their boyfriends (just don't get caught by the fucking religious police)... and they're LESS likely to get caught because nobody can see their face and identify them.  also... the whole "what's under the threads?" question is definitely something to consider.


one thing americans can't and won't understand is that most saudi/arab women are just fine wearing their burkas and abayas and hijabs.  i know 2 saudi girls going to school here in cape girardeau, MO who walk around wearing a veil with only a slit so you can see their eyes.  it attracts 1000% more attention than would be the case if she just walked about like a westerner... or if she just downgraded it a TAD and just wore the hijab (which covers the hair)... it would be far less conspicuous.  but... she WANTS to wear this shit.  most arab women are generally fine with things as they are.  it's what they know.  there isn't any "womens' lib" groundswell taking place in the arab world... and only an american/westerner would think there is.  we're talking about a people who just DO NOT think the way we do, but we continually analyze and evaluate them based on our notions of what's acceptable/just/normal.  doesn't work.  it's gotten us into a few wars, actually.

Zircon

Quote from: MV on June 07, 2012, 02:48:52 PM

you're exactly right about this.  i've heard stories of saudi girls going places with their boyfriends (just don't get caught by the fucking religious police)... and they're LESS likely to get caught because nobody can see their face and identify them.  also... the whole "what's under the threads?" question is definitely something to consider.


one thing americans can't and won't understand is that most saudi/arab women are just fine wearing their burkas and abayas and hijabs.  i know 2 saudi girls going to school here in cape girardeau, MO who walk around wearing a veil with only a slit so you can see their eyes.  it attracts 1000% more attention than would be the case if she just walked about like a westerner... or if she just downgraded it a TAD and just wore the hijab (which covers the hair)... it would be far less conspicuous.  but... she WANTS to wear this shit.  most arab women are generally fine with things as they are.  it's what they know.  there isn't any "womens' lib" groundswell taking place in the arab world... and only an american/westerner would think there is.  we're talking about a people who just DO NOT think the way we do, but we continually analyze and evaluate them based on our notions of what's acceptable/just/normal.  doesn't work.  it's gotten us into a few wars, actually.
You comments have been most informative MV. The world is made up of a lot of folks with differing ideas. We westerners can't imagine why anyone else would "choose" (perhaps too generous a word) not to be like us. As I've stated in other threads, we are still children here in America when it comes to evaluating cultures/nations far older with traditions that were set before "freedom" (whatever that actually is) was ever considered.

MV/Liberace!

Quote from: Zircon on June 07, 2012, 03:20:25 PM
We westerners can't imagine why anyone else would "choose" (perhaps too generous a word) not to be like us. As I've stated in other threads, we are still children here in America when it comes to evaluating cultures/nations far older with traditions that were set before "freedom" (whatever that actually is) was ever considered.


i agree.  if we want the arab world to be more like us, we're going to get there with our internet, our tv, our clothing, and our corporate interests who do business there.  it's already happening.  we won't bring about that change with bombs.

McPhallus

I had a friend in high school who blew off part of his finger while making a pipe bomb.  I'm pretty sure that was the end of his hobby.

Quote from: onan on June 07, 2012, 10:43:50 AM
I guess being stupid is now illegal.

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/01/12010349-feds-woman-admits-building-pipe-bombs-claims-its-just-hobby?lite

onan

Quote from: MV on June 07, 2012, 03:32:53 PM
we won't bring about that change with bombs.

That is just crazy talk.

MV/Liberace!

when i was a teenager, i made (what we thought was) napalm from styrofoam and gasoline.  fun times.  i've always enjoyed burning things.


onan

Quote from: MV on June 07, 2012, 04:06:32 PM

ok.

my comment was meant as humor... guess it didn't work.

I agree, wars are not the way to change a society's values.

Frys Girl

Quote from: MV on June 07, 2012, 03:32:53 PM

i agree.  if we want the arab world to be more like us, we're going to get there with our internet, our tv, our clothing, and our corporate interests who do business there.  it's already happening.  we won't bring about that change with bombs.
Depends on your definition of change. Some people who bomb arabs want them to be exterminated.

MV/Liberace!

Quote from: onan on June 07, 2012, 04:56:12 PM
my comment was meant as humor... guess it didn't work.

I agree, wars are not the way to change a society's values.


you forgot your sarcasm tags.

Harmness

Quote from: MV on June 07, 2012, 04:06:04 PM
when i was a teenager, i made (what we thought was) napalm from styrofoam and gasoline.  fun times.  i've always enjoyed burning things.

My buddies and I did, too.  Once we learned how to read the word "flammable," there wasn't a can we didn't read and touch a match to.

We burned about 4000 acres and an old shithouse when we were about ten.

Such is the innocence of youth.

b_dubb

I think most adolescent boys go through pyro phase. I know I did


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