dem uppity nurses

I spoke before about the corporation I work for proposing nurses in all their hospitals wear the same uniforms. Right now we can wear pretty much what we want scrub wise. The reason for this change they tell us, is that surveys done with patients say that they like it when all nurses have the same color.

At first I thought, whatever, who cares? What difference does color make? But I've been thinking. ..(uh oh).

Let me preface this by saying that in the last 10 years nurses have made some significant progress in places across the country about patient care. In California, patient ratios are mandated by law. A lot of people don't agree with it, but its an example of nurses advocating for thier patients and getting some control over their practice. Nurses are speaking up about patient care in different cities, some more loudly than others.

In other words, nurses are realizing the power they have to advocate for their patients and their profession. We are the backbone of the medical profession. When we bargained our contract last year, we felt good standing up for ourselves and our patients. Of course the hospital didn't like it. They want to be able to control nursing at the hospitals we work in. They want us to stay in our place. So when nurses demand the pay and benefits and working conditions due a professional on whom everyone in the hospital depends, the hospital answers that nurses are greedy and unrealistic. They hire PR firms to speak against nurses in the press. They hire PR firms to advocate against the idea of patient ratios in the legislature. They try to change the structure of union activities at the hospital. AND they propose things like uniform changes. To put the nurses back in their place. It says you are hourly wage earners and we can even control how you look. Its just one more way to take away our power. Dem nurses they jus' gettin' too uppity...Your thoughts?