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i Te -- -- Hg me mlm FO : i i -- ee i FA 24 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, May 10, 1988 (From page 22) "Generally, it's not bad," she ad- mits. : Although one major car accident victim in emergency, combined with a woman giving birth in ob- stetrics, can cause real problems. "But the nurses are excellent up there," Mrs. Brown says. "We really are prepared for emergen- cies. We're very innovative peo- ple, resourceful, we have to be." The nurses at Port hospital, or at any hospital, are a busy lot, di- viding their time amongst patients and paperwork, cleaning and even acting as security guards. There are no security guards at Community Memorial, so there have been times when nurses have been put in "awkward" positions, to Sy the least. She once had a knife pulled on her. Once Mrs. Brown had a patient pull a knife on her. Fortunately, she wasn't hurt, but she did have to deal with the patient on her own for what seemed like a long time while she waited for police to arrive. But what really bugs nurses, says Mrs. Brown, is working nights and especially weekends without compensation. Until a recent contract was ne- gotiated, nurses worked overtime, nights and weekends without any FRIDAY the 13th Midnight Madness 9:30 AM to Midnight de die dk de de dk "Tent Draws" sk ole ok Ne sk ok A Fun-filled Event dk de dk Ne de dk Clock Specials A ole sk de eK Prizes sk oi dk dk de Sk Open to Midnight sk ol dle de Ne ok and much more ... se sl oe de ok de Don't Miss Out! se oe ok ok kK extra financial compensation. But effective April 1, 1990, nurses will receive a weekend pre- mium of 45 cents an hour. Mrs. Brown asks to compare that with the overtime wages of a unionized factory employee. The contract also improves other things slightly for registered nurs- es. Until it was finalized last De- cember, and put into effect April 1, 1988 (until March 31, 1991-- nurses' first ever three year con- tract), a nurse with 20 years of ex- perience made a maximum of $4,000 more. It didn't matter how much education or how much ex- perience a nurse had--the pay scale allowed only so many raises. With this contract, the scale has been altered somewhat to allow more experienced nurses to make slightly more money. But as Mrs. Brown points out, money isn't the main bone of con- tention with nurses. She says they're frustrated be- cause they can't do as much "nursing" as they want, or need, to do. And they're really tired of being away from home so much at nights and on weekends, and of be- ing called to work with hardly any notice in some cases. She says it's a shame that nurses do their work without hardly any he Q}3 ay ------ Nurses unhappy [3 with profession ~~ tal. recognition or financial gain-- compared to other professions. Es- pecially when a nurse's work in- volves human lives. "When you consider it might be your life, or your child's life at stake..." she muses, and then com- pares how much a plumber is paid compared to a nurse. "Really, how important is it to have your pipes fixed as opposed to your life, your health." A tiny jaundiced baby gets some special attention from Nurses Abie Selleck and Sandra Carrier in the obstetrics ward at Port Perry's Community Memorial Hospi- 'Although she says nurses would love larger pay increases, they know "there's not a never-ending well of money" with the govern- ment. Up in arms about vincial budget. And she says nurses are "really up in arms" about the provincial tax increases--and the hospital bud- get cut-backs. These problems aren't new. Mrs. pro- OSHAWA'S GIGANTIC FASHION CLEARANCE TENT EVENT - Under the Big Top - 6000 square feet of great fashion savings for you! HOURS: the Look for the big blue and white tent in our South Parking Lot. Tent event runs May 11th to May 21st only. 9:30 AM to 9:30 PM Monday to Friday, 9:30 AM to 6 PM Saturday a OSHAWA 571-1211 ------------ EE Brown says they've been around for as long as she's been a nurse. But she says times have changed, society has changed, and nurscs aren't content to let everyone step on them--as they once were. With more and morc business options, women are realizing they can go into a completely different line of work--and make more mon- ey without being on their feet all day, without constantly struggling to keep up with new technology. Without being nice to irate pa- tients, without going through the stress of a death, or comforting a hysterical family. In a small hospital like Com- munity Memorial, the nurses have to be jacks of all trades. "My daily arrangement can be anything from soup to nuts," Mrs. Brown says. "We have such a total picture about everything." And in spite of problems, Bev Brown likes being a nurse. She, liké most others, became a nurse because she likes the feeling of helping others--of doing someth- ing important in a community. But for too long she says nurses have been taken for granted. "Nurses aren't as willing to come in at a minute's notice now. They're just sick and tired of working all the shiftwork, all the weekends," she says. "Now, they want to work when it is conven- ient for them to work." And if they can't find it as a nursc, many are going elsewhere. Most nurses who leave, studics show, do so within the first decade after graduation. Of all intending "to leave, 37 per cent felt they would do so in two to three years, while 20 per cent did not know 'when they would do so. Of all intending to leave, 68 per cent indicated they would be enter- ing other professions (statistics from an ONA survey). What nurses want is compensa- tion, support staff, incentives, and improved working relationships. Much of the dissatisfaction nurses have with their working lives comes from having insufficient input as to how health-care servic- cs arc organized and delivered. "What nurses lack is re- spect." Mrs. Brown points out that no matter how long a nursc has known a doctor, she must still re- fer to him as "doctor". Even if she is older and has morc experience in the workplace. What nurses lack, she says, is respect. And that's where Nurses Week (Turn to page 35)