Okay...I have 20 years in the medical profession. I have worked for and with both union AND non-union hospitals.

Nurses are extremely educated and savvy people....heck...they have managed to make having a "RN" degree a requirement for almost EVERY position within management. So, there are tons of nurses out there in non-nursing positions...and we have been led to believe there is some "shortage" of nurses out there which is a big misconception.

Which brings me to this point. More than 95% of upper management has a RN degree...because...well...because they made it that way. As health care evolved over time, a nurse 100 years ago did patient care AND all the paperwork. Then we invented health care insurance, and suddenly they needed someone that could comprehend the patient charts and Dr Scribbles, and do all the paperwork...so they made that position a RN required position. Now the facility has "x" amount of RN's on staff...but how many are actually doing patient care? That is where we are today.

Here is what really gets me irritated. I have 20 years experience as a medical professional. During those years I helped make the actual patient diagnosis, treated patients personally, made quality of life better for every patient I had, watched lives mature and come into this world, and held many hands of those leaving it too. I was hurt on the job and can no longer do my old job...BUT...I could do ANY of the management positions in a heartbeat---BUT they won't even consider someone with a "different" medical degree! I have to be "RN"...SO...my valuable experience and education is worthless.

It is a sad bit of irony. The very people you are probably mad at in upper management are RN's. They know how thin they can spread a nurse on a ward because they have been there. The management looks at them and does not understand why you are complaining, because they are working with the recommendations that other RN's came up with. It is like shooting yourself in the foot. When you complain they don't understand why.

RE: Union v/s Non-union. There was a time in our history where unions served an important purpose, but I think that time is long past. The union shops use outside agencies to fill most of the actual patient care positions which cancels the effect of a union in the first place.

FYI..traveling nurses which work for agencies...make triple the pay and pick where they go to a large degree as well as the hours they work. The ouch part of it is the actual travel. If you live in a large, diverse, and densely populated area such as New York City or Los Angeles you probably won't even leave home. I have several friends that do this and work two weeks on and three weeks off. Pretty good Huh?

I have returned to medical school. My education which was accomplished in the military 20 years ago is worthless to the college system. That was hard to hear from a snotty little 25 year old...

"Like...OMG...you CAN'T expect the college to take 20 year old transcripts...and a military education..please be real!"

"Yeah, you can go die for us but we are not going to take military education seriously. Heck we may only give you credit for PE."

..........Sorry. That is another whole different topic.