Should nurses be allowed to strike?

Does the overall welfare of the profession ever supersede the obligation to provide client care?

If you haven't been sick lately or are not in contact with the medical setting very often then you may not be fully aware of the dire straits our medical institution is in.

Some one mentioned that if nurses strike "you go to another health care institution" - that would be if that facility had enough bed, or more over had enough nurses to safely and effectively deliver care. Most facilities now a days have neither, and if one hospital was forced to take fewer patients because of a strike all hospitals in the area would feel the crunch -- it wouldn't be a pretty situation.

Should nurses be allowed to strike - absolutely. Nursing is like any other profession - we have the right to a safe work environment with acceptable compensation.
Do nurses strike? Not often - because nurses are the type of people who put others above themselves. A fact that people should be damned thankful for.

Our aging population is growing literally by leaps and bounds - our baby boomers (who overwhelmed the public education system as children) are now coming of age where health problems develop and their parents are living longer, which creates another population of the aging who require nursing care. Healthcare facilities are expanding to try to meet this demand - only one problem.......there are not enough nurses to cover these new beds.

Nurses care for their patients - on a level that is above par of all other medical professions. Why are people hospitalized? For 24 hour "physician" care - no for 24 NURSING care. Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare industry, yet get treated like they are as disposable as a pair of used rubber gloves.

So yes - nurses should be allowed to strike, but the American public should thank their lucky stars that on a whole they don't. When I started nursing a normal patient load on a medical floor was 6 patients, now it is 8 or more.....more often MORE. Which creates an incredibly unsafe environment for the patient. Mandatory overtime was unheard of 15 years ago, and now is the norm in many facilities because their aren't enough bodies to go around........so imagine if nurses pulled together and said "we aren't going to take it anymore"....you may not think nurses are all that important - but if you're the one who gets sick you would truly understand just how damned important they are.

Nurses are allowed to strike.

They tend not to due to the very unselfish nature of Nurses in the first place.

Nurses are very rarely motivated by money hance they are often taken advantage of by the helth system.

Yes i believe so, if they are not getting paid good and have good benefits and are not being trated fairly then yes. Nurses are in demand and they need to paid accordingly.

A few things relating to this question and the overall topic.

1) Government employees should not be allowed to form unions nor should they be allowed to strike. If you do not like your government job then you should look for a private sector job.

2) Private entities can (and should) be able to form unions. Since they are private entities they can strike or do whatever they wish. This is simply freedom. Although, if they strike they will have to deal with the ramifications of that which may include losing their jobs and having to find new ones.

Individuals in the private sector have no obligation to provide anything to anyone.

Healthcare is not a right.

And besides, in the United States there are numerous great medical institutions. If one is on strike you can simply find another.

Yes, I believe that any and all employees of any company should be allowed to strike. Usually strikes have pretty good warning for the employer. If the employer in question is smart, they will have an emergency plan in the case of a strike.

I think anyone should be "allowed" to strike, but then they shouldn't be protected from ramification.

Yes. Very often their strikes are for issues that
affect patient care, (overload of responsibility etc.),
and are for the general good.

EXCUSE ME??? Are you are a nurse? If you are not....then shut the hell up!!! Nurses deserve to get paid more than most people today...but, they don't. They deal with death and sickness more than anyone on a daily basis. If they are getting treated unfairly...they deserve to strike to get their message heard!!!