Nurses Unionizing...to Protect Patients???

[bobson]

Nurses at the .......-operated hospital have failed several times to form collective bargaining units, but supporters say it's important to have a unified voice given the pending changes in the nation's health care system. Critical-care nurse K E says unionizing would help nurses protect patients.

This seems funny to me. Do they realize many of them will be laid off or the hospital will have to shut down if they make unreasonable demands on a public option? How does that help patients?

Money is going to be cut from our health care delivery system in a public option. Hospitals certainly won't cut doctors first.

 

[Winter_123]

Hospitals certainly won't cut doctors first.

Oh, I don't know. That remains to be seen. Most of the nurses are on the payroll at the hospitals and most of the docs, except in big city hospitals, are private practice with hospital privileges. Those docs can't be laid off but they will get hammered through reimbursement cuts.

The nurses are actually in a pretty good position. There is a shortage of floor nurses that wont go away anytime soon and nurse practioners and speciality nurses are often making a 100K plus with overtime and the hospitals would be happy to have them hustle around at the price rather than paying docs even more. The specialty nurses will be making a pantload. Meanwhile the hospital doctors will consist of recent grads from Jihad Islamabad Medical School. Just as in the UK.

Not disagreeing with. Just saying the jury is still out for me on that one. Docs are now "health workers."

Having my lunch right now and flicked on the news. Pelosi is about to come on and tell us what the right answer is.