Nurses associations, my very own arcade claw machine

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(Insert Your State) Nurses Association

It seems that there isn’t any shortage of things to write about here at Innovative Nurse when it comes to fellow nurse Amanda Trujillo. Search Twitter for #NurseUp, and all of the amazing nurse bloggers out there (links below), that have kept you somewhat up to speed on the case of Amanda.

So, I was on Tweetchat this past Sunday with some of these amazing nurse bloggers, leaders, and entrepreneurs out there and the support is just off the hook (save that hook reference for a sec). I know we’re here for a bigger cause than Amanda. I just can’t believe it took something like this to bring us together. We’re here for the nursing profession, and in support of our ability to work collaboratively and to advocate for our patients. There are nursing professionals I’ve never even met that are pouring themselves into this cause with great vigor. Watch out because the energy behind this is unstoppable.

Out of all of this outpouring of support over the last week, and the collaborative work we’ve all done to elevate this cause, I quickly realized something during this most recent chat with some of my new colleagues. I felt like I was working at the hospital again and it’s National Nurses Week. Remember this?

“Hey everyone, great job. You made it through another year. To show you our gratitude, we’ve got some killer schwag for you. Wait, no pushing or shoving, everyone will get their branded (insert name of hospital here) beach towel, lunch bag, and pen light.”

Okay, so I digress for a moment as I really want to mention the obvious here regarding this particular story and our newly organized #NurseUp community here. Where are the nursing associations in all of this? You know, to those organizations that you pay your annual dues so that you can reap the benefits of being a member.

By the way, I got a nice bumper sticker.

Really? American Nurses Association, you’re spending upwards of a million plus a year lobbying, and contributing to…wait, what are you contributing to? Hey, really appreciate the discount on my cellphone bill, oh yeah, thanks for the 20% off those nursing books. What I’m most thanking you for is that discount on my professional liability insurance. I’ll sure need that since I can’t rely on any direct support from you if I need it.

So you might be asking how do I really feel? You know when you pass by one of those arcade claw machines and your kids are just relentless about you throwing your hard earned money into this thing hoping to get one of those stuffed animals? You get suckered in, and after a few bucks go into this machine with no success, you’re just praying that you’ll get that fake iPod® wedged in the corner behind the frog.

Of course you don’t need another digital music player. You’ve probably got the real thing at home, or your smartphone holds more songs than this thing does, but dammnit you’ll at least feel like you’ve gotten something for all of the money you’re dumping into this thing.

Twenty-five bucks later, and a Super Mario Brothers® stuffed toy, you feel defeated, and you’re out about fifty times what that doll costs to manufacture. The point I’m trying to make here is where is the support from the Arizona Nurses Association? What about on a national level? Amanda was fired for advocating for a patient, working within her scope of practice, and upholding the code of ethics found here at the American Nurses Association website. One of my fellow nurse bloggers out there, Mother Jones, RN, received a response back from the Arizona Nurses Association, which Amanda is a member of, and they’ve basically offered no support.

So, maybe I’m just better off taking those annual membership dues and just dumping them into my new love for Arcade style claw machines. I’ll probably get the same benefits. The pleasure of giving my hard earned money to something that gives me an inconsequential “prize.” It’s just another useless machine.

THANKS FOR THE BUMPER STICKER!

Better yet, I think I’ll just contribute to Amanda’s fight, and our cause to advance the nursing profession. #NurseUp.

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