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Hillary Clinton: Nurse for a Day
By Beth | August 9, 2007
I wonder what makes ol’ Hil think she can pull this off? Last time I checked, it took 2-4 years to train to be a nurse, not to mention an extensive orientation period.
According to the article, “The Clinton campaign hasn’t released any information about what nursing duties she is willing to perform - and which, if any, are entirely off the table.” How much would you like to wager that she will not be touching any bedpans? And on that note, what nursing duties can you actually perform without the proper training?
This is a cheap publicity stunt for both Hillary Clinton and the Service Employees International Union (which no doubt is a big contributer to her campaign). If Clinton were really serious about getting nurses’ perspectives on reforming health care, she would sit down and actually have a serious conversation with a group of nurses. Spending a day waltzing around the hospital with cameras following her is an insult to the nursing profession.
Topics: Blog |
August 9th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
I couldn’t agree more. This type of posturing is insulting and such a fake, obvious act, that it just makes me want to vomit. What an insult.
August 9th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
I hope she does an entire 12 hour shift on a step-down unit, or maybe on a post-op unit that has 1-2 days recovery as well as 4-6 hour recoveries (quick turn-around can be stressful when ER, OR, and admitting are screaming at you that they need a room, when the patient’s families take their sweet time picking them up from the hospital, not to mention dealing with unexpected complications while being assigned a new post-op at the same time).
But I half expect the patient assignments on that unit will be pretty light the day she works as a ‘nurse’.
And I’m confused as to why her working as a nurse has anything to do with universal health coverage anyway?
August 12th, 2007 at 11:41 am
[…] I’m not voting for Hillary Thanks to PixelRN for bringing this issue to my […]
October 18th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
How about the statement she made about nurses being overpaid and underworked?
December 3rd, 2007 at 2:06 am
I remember hearing that too - about nurses being overpaid and underworked.
Charles (or anyone) - do you know when/where she said that? I’m looking for a reference for that statement.
January 11th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
i too would like a reference for the overpaid/underworked statement. what a wonderful world it would be if politicians actually listened to voters!! if she would spend a shift with me (7p-7a in ER) she might have a clue about healthcare reform. i’d like to see those manicured nails come off so she could remove an impaction from a neglected nursing home patient in the gov’t’s care. or hand out narcotics to a junkie on the gov’t’s dime. or maybe the endless “free” pregnancy tests we do for teens who have medicaid because they come from a family that has made a wonderful living off of gov’t funding, generating a $1000 bill to medicaid for a test that is sold OTC for $5.
The fact is that private insurance costs are rising to cover the gap in hospital budgets from abuse by people who are not held financially accountable for their addictions or behaviors.
January 16th, 2008 at 5:05 am
WE KNOW MORE ABOUT HER ,NOTHING SURPRISES ANYMORE
DOES SHE KNOW WHAT SHE IS TALKING ABOUT.I WISH SHE WOULD BE A PATIENT IN ICU AND SHE WILL KNOW
WHAT NURSES DO.
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:22 pm
My wife had heard the overpaid comment too and I have done extenssive research and absolutely nothing comes up, other than other discussion groups trying to figure out where it came from. I am positive, that if it was a real quote, it would be all over the place. It’s not, so I’m fairly certain it’s just one of those internet rumor things.
Link to one discussion: http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=18867
February 8th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
I can vividly recall Ms. Clinton making the statement about nurses being overpaid undereducated idiots. It was when either her family member or former President Clinton’s family member, was in the hospital. I think it was in the very beginning of his presidency. Someone please find this article and take her down! She would not survive getting report on a floor full of patients, let alone, an entire shift.
February 11th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
I can’t agree more. What a farce, publicity stunt and even worse - a slap in the face of the underpaid nurses. I work in a busy medical intensive care unit and i would love to see her attempt to save a life of a 90-year old ward of the state - full code - nursing home patient - with multiple decubitis - who has not moved in years. I really have lost respect for the ANA for their endorsement of her. I agree we need change, this does not mean to revert back to the Clinton years. I need more money in my pocket, paying less taxes certainly would help, Mrs. Clinton wants to take more out and pay for the programs that are needed. I do not claim to have all the answers, but how does her walking in a nurses shoes for one shift help health care? Can I be Senator for the day?
February 13th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
I highly doubt she made the comment or she would have already been politically slaughtered. I am a nurse too and worked on a med surge floor of a VA hospital. We were underpaid and our nurse patient ratio was poor. However in the past 8 years have the Republicans done any better for you? You can bash her all you want. Her walking the shift gives at least some exposure to the work environment I mean really, do you expect her to get on the floor and work? That would be a liability and personally if something were fouled how could you explain that to a family member? Anyway I do agree there needs to be reform on the medicaid issue…it is out of hand in every state. Until I see a valid source I will not believe it.
February 22nd, 2008 at 9:16 am
I don’t believe that she said such a thing. It’s just like the internet rumor about John Edwards suing a drug company on behalf of an injured patient over a bad batch of flu vaccine. That wasn’t true either. Factcheck.org doesn’t have anything and there is nothing on the web. If she had said it, the “liberal” press of the 90’s and the Republican lynch mob that was always after the Clinton’s would have run with it!! What did Bush and Cheney and the Republican controlled Congress do when they had all the power, they cut deals with drug and insurance compainies, gave them tax cuts and huge amounts of government welfare. It’s time for change!!!
February 23rd, 2008 at 5:01 am
If Hillary wants to see a healthcare crisis, I would urge her to spend some time in any ICU. I work in a busy MICU/CCU and the biggest crisis/tragedy I see, similar to other comments I’ve seen posted is the 90 something patients from longterm care facilities who when able minded made the decision that that did not want to be rescuscitated, however when the moment comes thier loving family members just cannot bare to see them go. They are then admitted to the hospital (and by this time are truly unable to make decisions)only to be intubated, a tube shoved up thier nose to feed them, central and arterial lines placed, foley catheters inserted, fecal bags stuck to there bottoms, for extended hospital stays, while being turned washed, mouths cleaned and suctioned(none of these things pleasureable as you can imagine). Eventually they are trached, PEGed and on Dialysis to be shipped back to the longterm care facilities. These longterm stays in the ICU range from the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars for people who just wanted to die a dignified death. My stomache sometimes turns when providing care and seeing the look on my patients faces as if they are being tortured, which I’m sure in their minds what we are doing is torture to them. And guess who is paying for all of this? Perhap more money should go to ethical commitees to council patient family members and let them know that WE ARE NOT GOING TO LIVE FOREVER, let 90 year old granny go! I think we would save money in the long run.
February 28th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
I have heard the comment Hillary made about nurses being over paid monkeys, and that untrained nursing assistants would be able to do our job for far less. I would love to be able to find the source for this statement. If it is true, I would love to have her on our floor, where, as charge nurse, I would fulfill her wish to be cared for by nursing assistants. How would she like to have her IV inserted by one? How would she like to have her assessments done by these untrained nursing assistants when the most subtle changes can be life threatning? I say good luck trying to be a nurse for a day.
March 1st, 2008 at 12:35 am
She made the statement back in 1993. I just got out of nursing school and started as a nurse in Florida, where the nurses didn’t not care for her and her reform plan. She had stated that nurses were the most over paid profession for their education level. Then once she figured out the number of health care voters she started the clean up. She has the ANA giving her awards. Rochester University College of Nursing. She does what she does best clean up her messes and then conviences everyone it was never there. She was very bitter after her father’s death towards nursing and made comments inregards to his nursing care in a negative manner. Of course, her wonderful mother in law is a Nurse and their relation is very clear. Not to forget her health care reform never worked and she just let it go. Half of the health care problems started back in the early 90’s because of her. She has so much nursing support it shocks me. I am all for a women to be president, I think we need a change. But, she has more testerone than most men. She is hard, cold and power hungry. She will be another Bush in office to make a point and clean up what she felt Bill left behind. She can’t controll and take care of her own man, how do you think she can handle these dictators that don’t even like women. McCain is to old and set in his way and is clearly for the war. I have loved ones over there its not good and our government isn’t taking care of them. It is vetnam all over but we won’t see that for another 10years, when all the health issues and mental issues araise. History repeats itself decade after decade but we just don’t listen. I feel Obama is naive and fresh he will do more for this country than Hilliary. It is sad to see how prejudice our country is. Just because his skin is black doesn’t mean he is like Keyan West and all those other rappers. His father was a non practicing muslim and he didn’t even know him. Obama was raised by white american grandparents in the USA from age 10 and he has lived and studies in the US. I don’t understand why people are picking on things when he was under the age of 10. What about Hiliary and Mr. Foster?? What about Hiliary and White gate?? Why did Bill keep Hiliary’s files from first lady locked up for 12 years and now they can’t release them it takes to much time but it is in process. Yeal right. Why is she Senator of NY, when she live in AZ. She is so obvious to me of her fakeness. I feel if people want change for the better it won’t be Hiliary. I hope you all do your research. I have tried to find information on the internet for 1993 and her comments and I can’t. I use to have the articles and I am going to look through some boxes.
March 4th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
hi i just wanted to let you know about a fact you can check out about hilliary clinton. a remark she made about nurses and i have not forgot mostly because my wife is a nurse.not sure what year she made this comment but i know she had a convention of nurses recently and i’m sure they don’t remember her comment anyways here is what she said on national television she said that nurses are nothing more than glorified waitresses find this information and use it against her and i guarantee you will get the womens vote make her pay for the bad things she has said against you obama good luck and best regards
March 12th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
We nurses are so use to verbal abuse we just forget and move on.
March 14th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Amazing how the source of the “statement” has not been located or verified, huh ! Be careful of what you believe or accept as fact ’cause’ someone somewhere either heard or saw it. Should you not base your decisions on facts ?
March 19th, 2008 at 1:54 am
I was told of Hillary’s comment by a nurse at Euclid Hospital in Ohio sometime between January 1993 (when Bill took office) and May 1, 1994 (when I left that hospital). The comment was made during the time that Hillary Rodham Clinton’s father was in the hospital shortly before his death. I have yet to find the comment in legitimate print or on video, but then my ex-husband says that the Clintons were better at hiding things than any couple on Earth.
March 21st, 2008 at 4:19 pm
The comments that Hillary Clinton made around 1993 are not verifiable on the web because, believe it or not, the internet as we know it did not exist then. These comments could be found via a thorough search of the print media from that time.
I personally read that she belived that “$12,000 was about right” for a nurse’s salary.
I’m not a politcal saboteur or some crackpot, I’m an ICU nurse in California. I’ve read the statements of many other nurses who have personal recollections of Clinton’s remarks concerning nurses’ status and pay. For someone to just off-handedly dismiss these testaments is frustrating to say the least. There is no conspiracy among the independent voices that have raised this red flag.
March 31st, 2008 at 7:31 pm
As a member of SEIU I need to clarify something.
All democratic candidates were asked to walk a day in the shoes of an SEIU member before getting SEIU’s endorsement. Edwards, Obama, Clinton all did so. Edwards worked as an aide in a nursing home. They were to shadow the member. We did not endorse or contribute to Hillary’s campaign but in fact endorsed Obama.
May 3rd, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Thank you for that clarification. Yes, they ALL did the “walk a day in the shoes.” Whether or not it is a “fake, obvious act” and “an insult”, why single out Hillary Clinton for attack?