Few professions take their work so nobly as nurses. They are our health guardians and our saviours. And the CNA has striven nobly for legislation to advance universal coverage for decades, culminating in Sheila Kuehl's SB840, which passed both houses but was vetoed by Das Gov.

It was the nurses who orchestrated Michael Moore's visit to Sacramento when premiering his film SICKO which demonstrated just how bereft of decency our medical infrastructure and practices are, especially given their abysmal management by insurance companies and big pharma...

The nurses are not necessarily advocating higher pay, but rather a reversal of overbearing hospital administrators compounding patient load oversight on the backs of nursing (and physician) staff, at a rate that is not only unsafe for patients, but harmful to the practitioners and caregivers themselves, in a system which is deliberately overpriced to put more money in the hands of the corporations that oversee operations.

Healthcare in California and America is in a very sad state, even despite attempts to open up coverage to millions more. The actual practice still costs too much and breaks the backs of both patient and practitioner...

Thank God for the nurses -- they are at the vanguard of changing this broken and profiteering system....

bbbbmer,
I couldnt agree with you more! They are wonderful people working to ensure not only our safety, but our quality of care should we be sick in the hospital. I commend them for speaking out, and standing up for us and themselves. Thank you for the comment!

... or this is simply just another opportunistic trade guild making a bunch of noise to get more dues paying nurses on the gravy train.

Nothing against nurses, but I don't recall Florence Nightingale complaining about having to work through lunch.

Typical nurse works about 30 hours a week, making in them look more like a French office worker than "health guardians and saviours". But kudos for the flowery imagery bbmer.

Duhh. it is after 12 o'clock, and on a Friday no less.

As a former practicing RN, I can attest to how the nurses feel. When I was working on a step-down cardiac surgery unit, there were many, many times I could barely find the time to go to the bathroom let alone eat.

A scary way the hospital tried to cut costs was having housekeeping and nursing assistants take on some duties I did and then give me more patients to care for. The problem with that was, sometimes setting up eating trays and bathing patients was included in my assessment. I was trained to see the big picture and sometimes the food trays were wrong for people on special diets or who had to avoid certain foods because of allergies or medications. Also, when I would assist patients with their activities of daily living and ambulation, I was able to assess many things that the untrained eye may not detect.

The unfortunate thing was that I was ultimately responsible for the safe and adequate care of my patients but my hands we tied wtih too much paperwork , too many patients,and less one-on-one time with my patients. As a result, I didn't take breaks, I took that time to go the distance because it was ultimately my butt on the line and there just wasn't enough time in my shift to get everything done and done right. The administrators at the hospital counted on this. Nurses are caregivers and givers. Most will go above and beyond...it's in our nature.

Kudos to the nurses. It is a noble profession and a very difficult one. The days of Florence Nightengale are long-gone, my friend. Nurses are doing things only doctors did a few years ago and the patients are much sicker because with technology, many of the patients are alive who would have been dead in years past.

So in summary you are saying nursing is one of those jobs where management pushes you to work really hard at times. Got it.

It is interesting to note that it's always the unionized tradespeople that are constantly kvetching about their workload. Yet at the end of their blistering 32 hour work week, the nurses for instance can always find time to go "rally" while wearing their union flair.

Now I patiently wait for for inevitable response that iI have no right to comment on nursing if I am not a nurse.

Not everyone is a fan of unions, myself included. I was not a member of a union. I have no problem with working hard, cogmeyer. It's different when you're dealing with people, not paper. You are dealing with people in crisis and sometimes they die. You believe what you believe and I certainly understand that. I've just been there, done that and it is not an easy job. I respect anyone who does it.

Well, the whole reason we are having this discussion is because a trade guild which has been ordered not to strike is holding a "non-strike" at UCDavis. So frankly we are all sorta the chumps here in what is really just another discussion between managment and labor.

I will just point out that just in the process of walking out the front door each day, we all rely on the efforts of thousands of people to act professionally and keep us alive. Whether its the electrician not electrocuting you through faulty wiring, the engineer designing a coffee maker that doesn't explode, or the air traffic controller that keeps a 737 from augering into your house.

Thank God those folks are doing what they do and quietly taking care of business each day instead of wasting time "rallying". Thats what I call noble.

I see your point. However, perhaps these nurses are there on their day off. They are calling attention to something that matters to them. Whether you agree or not, that is what this country is all about.

As far as your comment: "just in the process of walking out the front door each day, we all rely on the efforts of thousands of people to act professionally and keep us alive. Whether its the electrician not electrocuting you through faulty wiring, the engineer designing a coffee maker that doesn't explode, or the air traffic controller that keeps a 737 from augering into your house."

I agree. The difference I'm speaking of is that these people who have been properly trained to do their specific jobs probably don't have the janitor in there messing with things. They probably can't personally be sued as nurses can. There is a huge responsibility placed on nurses shoulders with many gray areas that are not in their direct control so yeah, I think they should speak up.

To clarify: The nurses attending this rally were indeed there on their day off. Hope that helps....