Ah man this thread got out of hand but I knew the second anyone in healthcare spoke up they would be met with backlash. We should just shut up and put up because we chose this. Actually, yes, I choose to care, I choose to help people at their most vulnerable but when I qualified only 8 years ago it was a very different job to what it is now. Now I can’t care how people (anyone on this thread) deserve to be cared for. You deserve a safe team around you. I find it really sad people turn on others who finally take a stance on something. I will leave this here though.
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Of course it is
Have you ever negotiated for anything in your life. Certainly sounds as if you haven't.
I agree, I don't (and never have) worked in the NHS but I obviously know a lot of people who do, it is not even just about money but the staff shortages (which are related to money and conditions, of course) Imagine being the only nurse on a ward of 24 patients? Complaining about care being impacted from strikes, I can only imagine how much it is from such overstreched staff, god knows the mistakes that are made from tiredness/lack of time etc
saw some comments that said that striking wont improve better working conditions or extra pays
so if pay increases, it stops nurses from leaving for jobs where we can get more money per hour so if the nhs retains the staff , means theres more nurses on each ward. If theres more nurses on each ward means better ratio for staff to patients, nurses arent having to give up days off or annual leave to help manage wards. If theres more nurses on each ward, nurses can have breaks which we dont get paid for which overall improves staff performance ,better morale and also less chance of burnout
so if pay increases, it stops nurses from leaving for jobs where we can get more money per hour so if the nhs retains the staff , means theres more nurses on each ward. If theres more nurses on each ward means better ratio for staff to patients, nurses arent having to give up days off or annual leave to help manage wards. If theres more nurses on each ward, nurses can have breaks which we dont get paid for which overall improves staff performance ,better morale and also less chance of burnout
they know what pay
they know what payis when they enter, but presumably they also imagine it will increase as inflation does? not that they will be earning less than they were year on year?
Exactly. People might go into nursing (and other healthcare jobs) aware that they aren't ever going to make mega bucks, that's fine. But to say they should just put up and accept worsening conditions and less pay year on year is just insane.
No doubt a lot of the people who think they should are also the types that would object to foreign nurses being brought over to plug the gaps.
Would there be an influx of nurses though? I understand the importance for the current staff and honestly they can all strike away to their hearts content and I hope something is achieved, but at the same time I don't see this fixing the staff shortages in the long term if people don't see nursing as an attractive option because the profession overall is demanding and will likely remain underpaid based on that
But nursing has always been demanding, like many jobs, and there have always been people who are nurses.
Conditions worsening over time is what is discouraging people from entering the profession.
AS a current mentor, ive had a lot of students come thorugh who are only doing nhs preceptorship period and then moving onto private or agency work so if circustances were more inviting they would stay
Two very short sighted but not uncommon attitudes that will always baffle me;
“I have a crappy job and put up with it, why don’t they put up with it if I do?”
“well they chose this career, they should just leave if they don’t like it”
there’s just so much… wrong with it. Because a crab/bucket mentality hurts everyone? Because we aren’t in the Middle Ages and should be allowed to expect basic, decent working conditions and stand ground if these aren’t being met.
“I have a crappy job and put up with it, why don’t they put up with it if I do?”
“well they chose this career, they should just leave if they don’t like it”
there’s just so much… wrong with it. Because a crab/bucket mentality hurts everyone? Because we aren’t in the Middle Ages and should be allowed to expect basic, decent working conditions and stand ground if these aren’t being met.
FYI - Tattle is an opinion forum. I’m welcome to mine, as are all of you. Thought this might be helpful for some: https://tattle.life/help/terms/
Of course you’re welcome to it! And we’re welcome to tell you it’s a tit opinion
Speaking as a former nurse, there's definitely an element of seeing it as "women's work" and expecting therefore that's its really just cheap labour and what are they upset about.
If nursing was (or traditionally had been) dominated by men but required the same degree, years of ongoing medical training, the unsocial hours and pure physicality I guarantee it'd pay 3 times what it does.
No one wants to be a nurse anymore because there are more options open to women now. Woman don't have to aspire to be secretaries and nurses anymore.
Wtf? Nursing is a highly highly educated highly skilled professional role
it’s in no way comparable to being a secretary or whatever other “little woman” job you’re comparing it to. However I agree if it were male dominated it would pay 3x as much, as would midwifery. Theyre one of the very few professions where women excel at every level and that makes it even harder to see it disrespected
definitely agree with this!
I am also sick of (as other people have said) "my job is badly paid so..." Personally my, quite highly qualified job also is, but as relatively low paid workers we are just being pitted against each other when we should be supporting each other. Unfortunately my job doesn't have a union but if it did I would have joined yesterday
Nurses withholding their labour is morally and ethically wrong. No wonder the respect for the profession is declining.
in what way is people wanted to be paid for their work "wrong"? By that you could argue they should work for free. In terms of their hours (and lets not even think about work stress) most nurses would earn more working at mcdonalds at this stage
Secretaries are highly skilled too. Be careful your superiority is showing through. What I'm saying is there are many many more jobs for women than there were 50 years ago so ergo less people want to be nurses. It's not that difficult to imagine when 15 year olds are aspiring to be content creators more than anything else.Wtf? Nursing is a highly highly educated highly skilled professional role
However I agree if it were male dominated it would pay 3x as much, as would midwifery. Theyre one of the very few professions where women excel at every level and that makes it even harder to see it disrespected