CANARIA, Andre N.

Subject Code: ANA 203

MSN (Nursing Administration 3) October 13, 2013
1 | P a g e


Requirement 1: Nursing against the Odds

Suzanne Gordon is an award winning journalist and author who writes about healthcare
delivery and health care systems and specializes in nursing issues. She is the author of fifteen
books which all target the healthcare system. She wrote the Nursing against the Odds which is a
brilliant assessment of nursing at a time of crisis in health care what has gone wrong and what
can be done to restore this esteemed profession. The book also controversially argues about the
advent care in the United States and the different variants of cost-cutting. It tackles how
healthcare cost cutting, media stereotypes, and medical hubris undermine nurses and patient care.
These have long been an issue in the healthcare setting and Gordon boldly addresses the issues
that have been present all along but has been turned a blind eye on to or even dealt with
ineffectively. On the basis of interviews, personal experience, news articles, industry
publications, books, and popular media, the well-known author Suzanne Gordon investigates the
workplace dynamics that drive the current nursing shortage and provides evidence and opinion
as to why current industry solutions may serve only to worsen the situation.

The book specifically targets the nurses, healthcare professionals, educators,
policymakers, and patients. Also, it is a shout out to the legislators and policy makers who want
to protect patients from the consequences of managed care and hospital restructuring and to
uplift the esteem of the nursing profession. Nursing against the Odds gives enough reasons why
national health care quality goals will not be achieved until nurses work environments are
fundamentally transformed. Gordon boldly emphasized the importance of nursing in the
CANARIA, Andre N. Subject Code: ANA 203
MSN (Nursing Administration 3) October 13, 2013
2 | P a g e

healthcare system and how the system will be disabled if nursing system is corrupt and
disorganized.

The book critically gives real life scenarios about what is really happening in the
healthcare setting. The causes and effects of poor nursing system and what is the weight it will
bear on the quality of patient care. Cost-cutting has been an undying issue ever since. It is
understood that hospitals have the specific budget allotted for different purposes but what
happens when cost-cutting is not anymore beneficial? The ultimate challenge for the hospitals is
how cost-cutting can be done without compromising the quality of patient care. Labor costs in
health care are primary targets for cost-cutting. Professional nurses, the group of healthcare
providers who take up most of the hospital budget, are being targeted in many settings as an
expendable budget item. However, cost-cutting greatly affects the quality of patient care by
expending quality and experienced nurses who merit a good paycheck. With cost-cutting, these
quality nurses are being replaced by inexperienced and poor quality nurses and aides who also
receive poor pay. Salary is a big motivation for nurses. If they are not being paid fairly, how
would they gain the motivation to work in their full capacity and quality? This is an imposed risk
for the patients. Downsizing the nursing staff would produce a dangerous shortage of nurses and
as a result, it will greatly compromise the quality of care being given to patients. The book
exemplifies scenarios of poor patient-nurse ratio. Not only is the quality of care compromised
with the downsizing of nursing staffs but also the nurses quality of satisfaction with their jobs.
They are being paid little but asked to work hard.


CANARIA, Andre N. Subject Code: ANA 203
MSN (Nursing Administration 3) October 13, 2013
3 | P a g e


The book is definitely an eye-opener especially to the legislators and administrators on
how to improve the budget for the nursing labor force. Creative, innovative, cost-effective
methods of delivering critical care services must be developed in order to meet the demands of
an increasing patient population. The budget for the labor needed a re-structuring and the quality
of lives of the nurses must also be assessed. Cost-cutting may be used without compromising the
quality of services rendered and without risking patients quality of care.

The book clearly tackles how an effective transformation will revolutionize this esteemed
nursing profession. Cost-cutting is mainly a big issue and somehow, the root of all the issues
surrounding poor nursing. This is the reason why a lot of nurses are burn out and dissatisfied
with their job. Why do However, there are creative ways that the administration can use to
reduce the costs and manage the budget. Reducing overtime will greatly reduce inflation costs. It
is just a matter of delegating the right tasks depending on the shift. Assigning workloads
accordingly will minimize the need for overtime. Lesser workload must be assigned on a
demanding and tight shift and vice versa. Proper management of nurses should be implemented
in order to maximize the capacities of nurses. In addition, reducing supplemental labors more
effectively cut costs. Many healthcare leaders routinely budget for traveling or per diem nurses,
but that much of that may be unnecessary. Although there are reasons to use supplemental nurse
labor, daily census demands shouldn't be one of them. Stopping nursing staff turnover proves an
effective cost-cutter. Losing a nurse is taking a huge premium. However, professional nurses are
looking for more than a job, they're looking for ongoing learning, extensive in-service meetings,
nursing grand rounds and they want to be treated well. Turn over should be avoided. Bottom
CANARIA, Andre N. Subject Code: ANA 203
MSN (Nursing Administration 3) October 13, 2013
4 | P a g e

line, reducing overtime and effectively using supplemental labor (contingency staff) are both
invariably tied to reducing turnover and the related issues of staff burnout, decreased morale, etc.

Another issue that should not be taken lightly is the nurses self-worth and self-esteem.
Gordon clearly argues that nurses still have to wage a bruising battle just to get modest increase
in wages, safe nurse-to-patient ratios, an end to mandatory overtime, the implementation of
predictable schedules, and modicum of voice in institutional policies that govern work. Some of
these may undeniably be cured using the correct funding and budgeting; the other major
problems may still remain a big thorn for the nurses. Ms. Gordon argues that similarly dedicated
people in other fields demand reasonable working conditions, reasonable pay and other
compensation for their skills and dedication. Until nurses make the same demands, Gordon
believes that nurses will not obtain the respect they deserve (Annette Kennedy 2005).

It still all boils down to the issue of cost cutting. If nurses will only get the proper and just
compensation they are due for, they will be highly regarded. Nurses deem respect and regard for
their dedication and hard work. Nurses are not doctors aides or helpers. They are equally
professional and capable and they deserved to be respected. However, most of the time nurses
are neglected for their effort to save lives. Most focus will be given to the physicians and they
are the ones who receive thank you notes more often. Nurses, too, are valuable and they are the
ones who are hands-on to save lives. Truth be told, Nursing against the Odds is a very powerful
book that voice out the inner cries of all the nurses worldwide and hoping that the heads will do
something to make the status of nurses better.