How can nursing care be changed to provide better and personal service to patients?

Because these days people are in the nursing profession just because it pays good.

I see a bunch of my colleagues have already answered this question so well! Thank you all and I appreciate all of you!

People are getting interested in the nursing profession because of decent pay, flexibility and travel opportunities. However, these people don't generally have the dedication to make it through the program and good nursing advisors/clinical instructors are very good at weeding them out. Then they have to pass the NCLEX and stay in the nursing profession. You can't make it through clinicals, preceptorship and your first job if you don't genuinely want to care for people. There's not enough money in the world if you're not cut out for nursing.

Nursing doesn't need to change -- administration needs to change staffing ratios and pay and then the public would get better care. Nurses are so overworked and underpaid (despite what you may think) that they can't help but give second rate care.

I don't think for a minute that people go into nursing for the money. The nurses I know would pee themselves laughing at that one. They work long hours, take a lot of crap off patients, doctors and (worst of all) nursing supervisors.

Nursing could be improved (in the US, which is where I am) if the lawyers would slow down their feeding frenzy. Nurses spend way too much time documenting every little thing, and not enough time actually nursing.

I agree that there are some nursing establishments that
are apalling - but I have *NEVER* heard anyone say that nursing
homes pay well.

Part of the problem running these places is that the turnover
of labor is so fast - get someone trained and they're gone.

I'm not sure you're talking about ALL of nursing care, or just
for the elderly or what... However, the mantra all comes
down to saner hours for nurses and fewer patients per nurse.
Ideally, the nurse should at least be present when some
medical decisions are made to give input.

In elder-care, you need to have somebody who really knows
the client well - for instance, if he is deaf or needs dentures
to talk. I've seen people tied up because they appeared to
be raving incoherently - and were instantly understandable
given dentures.

As much money as nursing homes cost, the money is
NOT going into the pockets of the front-line employees
providing the service. It goes into insurance, legal fees
and perhaps the pockets of the owners.

Well I do not think it pays all that great. I am responsible for 5 people for 12 hours a day, often without a break and a rushed lunch, flowsheet after flowsheet on top of completing care plans and talking to physicians who do not want to hear from me (the RN) unless the patient is on deaths door. If you want change our whole healthcare culture has change.

include some of your own trials and tribulations into your convos w/ your patients. Have fun with them. Make them Smile. Instead of being totally professional, be personal as well. Ask them to help you with problems in your life, by just having them answer questions. People dont like to be submissive, they want to help too even if they arent physically able maybe mentally they are. Ask them too!

There's nothing wrong with the staff themselves. Nurses are overwhelmed with the patient load they are given. If things need to change it's the nurse to patient ratio. If you have the proper amount of staff you will see a big difference. It's not that nurses don't care, they just don't have the time to spend with patients, between the amount of patients they have and all the paperwork involved. Give nurses a little slack, they are not in it for the money, besides I think they are underpaid.

i know this has to be a joke...12 hour shifts with no break and half the time not making it to the bathroom until you are about to explode while doing treatments, meds, assessments or even codes on a bunch of people who are all convinced they are the only patient and no one can possibly be a sick as they and think we are maid service--oh, and we should be tending to their family's needs, too and fetching them this-and-that as well, charting, calling the doctor, getting yelled at by the doctor (and then the families and the patient because they disagree with the doctor), educating and reassuring every last patient and family (with an ice pitcher for this room in one hand and meds for another in the other) being stopped every two seconds and then having to stay over because it never ends...yeah, sure, i'm so overpaid for it. i get a whopping 5 dollars more than my friend who works in the factory...and i help save lives! the doctor orders your treatments and meds--we poor shmucks do the stuff that actually makes you better. do the words nursing shortage mean anything?--nurses are leaving in droves because of all the abuse we get and the low pay...all the while risking our license and money/time spent on education because once again the unit is short-staffed so things don't get done immediatley and properly. did i mention that a nurse can be mandated to work overtime and is not subject to the usual labor laws? so sorry, what was the question?