Scroll down to read some of the stories we have received so far »
The more stories we receive the stronger our argument becomes.
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We’ll post the best stories on this page or share them with the media.
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 Registered Nurse David says:
I have been a nurse since 1984. My goal throughout was to become a theatre nurse. After a long financial struggle to finish my nursing degree, I entered a transition program. I felt that being in a small private hospital did not extend my knowledge and therefore decided to gain entry into a program at a larger public hospital. I soon discovered that once on the roster my education all but ceased as I was there to fill in staffing gaps. I was not alone in how I felt – I spoke to and observed a number of other nurses, who were relatively new to this area, walk out from their programs, and even discussed leaving nursing entirely.
I persevered up to the point that I nearly went bankrupt, and became ill through stress as the only places I could find employment as a junior theatre nurse were in hospitals in a major city. This took me away from home, meant I had to pay both a mortgage for my home as well as rental, and finally had to pay double expenses so that I could work in my chosen field.
Quite frankly am so disillusioned with nursing that hopefully in the very near future I will be accepted as a police recruit.
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An interstate nurse says:
I was really looking forward to the idea of relocating to North Queensland from WA in a couple of year’s time. However, after reading your stories, I’m not sure it's where I want to work. As a midwife and nurse since 1975 I have a lot to offer, but now either I'll be reconsidering which state I move or changing careers if things don't improve in Queensland.
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A nurse over 25 years experience says:
Without adequate recognition and remuneration and a guarantee that I can go home at the end of my shift (rather than doing a double shift) I'm not nursing here anymore. There’s a high level of risk to myself and my patients caused by the current nursing shortfalls. I feel we’re treated as slaves to the health system and regret that our patients are the ones suffering. If we keep appearing that we are coping we'll continue to have additional demands placed on us.
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Nurses are struggling:
I am not sure whether the government knows we nurses are struggling from heavy workload. It is serious. We need action now to make our work environment better.
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A nurse says:
The biggest frustration for me is the low number of staff compared to patients. If nurses could feel that at the end of the day they had the support, resources and increased staffing to look after their patients adequately then satisfaction would improve so much - job satisfaction, patient satisfaction, satisfaction from the interdisciplinary health team, satisfaction from families who would feel their family member had been cared for to a high standard.
Nurses wouldn't be so constantly exhausted and they would go home at the end of a shift knowing they had done a good job. We would then be able to retain nurses and attract nurses who had left back into the field. Newly registered nurses would feel more supported instead of being overwhelmed with busy workloads, and nurse buddies would be able to give the support required to new graduates and student nurses.
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A student says:
I can't believe the government is saying we need to do something about the shortage of nurses while there are people like me who are completing a registered nurse degree which is costing $15,000 in university fees and another $6,000 in books. No wonder there's a shortage when the government doesn't change the cost of the course.
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From a student
I am a grade 12 student graduating in three weeks time. I have worked in the healthcare environment for two years now as I am completing a vocational traineeship. While I am interested in nursing the cost of the course is ridiculous! Compared to other diploma courses, nursing (Enrolled Nurse) is ten times the cost. This is outrageous and as a result, many students simply cannot afford to study nursing.
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From a Queensland nurse:
I have close to 30 years practical experience as a nurse and I often feel frustrated by the constant short-staffing and overtime. We can't just put down our pens and paper and shut off our computers for the night – we are dealing with real people – your relatives, and ours!
I am constantly trying to make up shortfalls for nursing shifts only to find out there are just no nurses available – leaving many nurses to work overtime and double shifts. We need more nurses so we can provide the care you deserve and that we are trained to deliver.
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From a nurse:
I have been nursing for more than three decades and so feel somewhat qualified to offer an opinion on the current state of nursing in Queensland. I too love what I do, and am also still of the opinion that we as a group do make a difference (read: From a very frustrated nurse below). I have been on the receiving end of short-staffing as a patient and a nurse and I feel if we are to retain any nurses at all that things need to change – education for a start. Nursing is a vocational career, but there are many people who enter nursing courses without being fully aware of what it is they are getting themselves into and some who enter the profession who aren’t adequately prepared to practise. Newly qualified staff need to be given the time to adapt to working in a real ward full-time, with shiftwork, patients' and doctors' demands.
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From a very frustrated nurse:
I have been a nurse for 20 years and have never been as sad and disappointed in the system as I am now.
I nurse because I love what I do and am still of the opinion that I make a difference. I’m frustrated because my workloads are too big and there is no time for education – we have no time to nurture our new nurses for the future. The truth is that many of them feel overwhelmed and leave.
We spend much of our day managing crisis after crisis due to sick leave or staff issues which I believe are often caused by sheer frustration as staff feel under valued and ignored. No one wants to hear the truth that staff are exhausted and standards are affected by workloads.
There needs to be resources provided to retain nurses.
I hope this campaign will get the government to listen to us.
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Ali says
I shared a room with my sister throughout much of her in-hospital nursing training so I had a tiny insight into this world. It was a bloody hard slog as any nurse will tell you. At least back then there was more adequate staffing. Now, with 36 years experience behind her, my sister starts every shift knowing there won't be enough nurses in her ward to properly care for the patients. Everyone does her/his best but there is only so much nurses can physically do. While most patients are very appreciative of the care nurses give them, this profession is still one of the most underrated in government eyes. My sister is damned good at her job. Call me biased if you like but I've seen her in action. I've seen her dedication. I've seen the look on her patients' faces. I don't think my sister is ready to walk out - yet! But please, help her and the many other dedicated nurses like her to be able to work in a safe environment with adequate staffing. Power s that be take note: fix this problem because you never know when you're going to end up in a hospital ward. And who will be there to look after you?
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A message from a Queensland nurse:
 I’m a registered nurse and have been nursing for 22 years. More and more I am seeing nurses with many years experience leaving the health system. We feel our voices do not count and that we go unheard.
We look after your loved ones through all stages of their lives. We are there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We try to do the best we can with limited nurses and increasing workloads. We get frustrated when we are told to make do with what we have. We are tired and told we can't take our holidays as there is no-one to replace us. We are tired and stressed from working double shifts to make up for the shortfall of nurses. We get stressed from the same pressures each and every day of trying to provide basic nursing care to all our patients before we go home.
We need your support – we all have to work together to fix the problem. We simply cannot afford to lose anymore experienced nurses.
It’s time that nurses are heard.
Katy Taggart, Nurse. |
