Bass Report

  Is nursing an autonomous profession? An autonomous profession is one run by the members of that profession. If nurses manage other nurses at the topmost levels of management, that would be an example of autonomy. But if nurses are being managed, ultimately, by lawyers and business models, then it is not autonomous. Imagine nurses working in the field. They see an issue with a policy or procedure that was imposed upon them by management. These nurses give feedback that this policy or procedure is incongruent with patient needs and safe care. An autonomous organization would welcome and value feedback. But if nurses are ultimately beholden to "the bottom line", that is, the profits of the company for which they work, then their feedback is not likely to be welcomed, their job satisfaction is likely to suffer, and patient care is likely to decline. Feminist theory can be used to empower any disenfranchised group. Traditionalists and conservatives need not write off feminist th...

  In nursing school, we learned about "nursing judgement". In the field, if a nurse is told by her boss, "follow the policies and procedures and no one can sue you and you should not care if people yell at you" it feels like a real contradiction.

 עברית אחרי: The nursing literature reflects the importance of patient centered care. You advocate for the patient.   Evidence-based practice means that nurses should cull evidence from their field of work to evaluate the policies and procedures, putting the patient as the center of what works for them.    In Israel, a signature on a health form differs in its legal weight than a signature on say a mortgage agreement. If the person signing the mortgage agreement claims he did not know what he was signing, that carries no weight, but if a patient signs a medical consent form and then claims that he did not understand what he was signing, the patient can claim wrongful action on the part of the health-care worker.   Since about 2016, school nurses in Israel were told that the health declaration that parents sign, which contains a clause regarding vaccines, is sufficient permission to vaccinate the child. Some critical thinking questions could be brought forth rega...

  Someone mentioned to me that government ministries are resistant to change. I responded:   The ministry of health certainly allowed the change of privatizing school nurses.    They allowed the change of one nurse for two schools to one nurse to 16 schools.   They allowed the change from a nurse who performs much follow up to the nurse who gives one or two chances a year for vaccination and then blames the parents for not keeping up their vaccines. "Let's give responsibility to the parents" the current head nurse said. How are overstressed parents supposed to know what vaccines need completing?   Thus, plenty of change has conspired   They allowed the change from a nurse who has some free time each day to speak with the school children to the school nurse who has a minimum amount of work to do in a day then move on to another school.    They allowed the change from performing heights and weights in first, third, fifth and seventh grades to...