I would like to comment on the article printed in the Dec. 31 edition of the Bangor Daily News titled, “Hospitals sweeten pot for nurses.” While I think it is commendable that hospitals throughout Maine are attempting to reduce the vacancy rate through active recruitment and retention programs, such as tuition reimbursement, pay increases and hiring bonuses, I believe one of the main reasons for the vacancies is something which cannot be solved by simply using more money as an incentive.

My wife has been employed in healthcare for several years as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) and now as a registered nurse (RN) at a hospital in Bangor. In approximately six years of employment she has been struck by patients, kicked and urinated on. This probably would be tolerable if one could say the patients were “not in their right minds” or if these were isolated cases, but the fact is virtually all of these many incidents were by patients who were fully in control of their senses. I think it’s interesting to note that many of these same patients would never go into a local retail store or office and hit, kick or urinate on an employee, but when they’re in the hospital they somehow can justify their actions.

Is it any wonder that Maine has enough nurses to fill every available open position in the state, but many of these registered nurses have chosen to work elsewhere – places where they are not abused on a weekly, sometimes daily occurrence? Maybe ringing a register doesn’t pay as well, but you generally don’t have to worry about an irate customer hitting you. I would challenge any one to ask a nurse who has left the field this simple question – Why? Ask them why they chose to work for a few years, enough to pay off their loans, and then left healthcare. I would wager the working conditions – not the pay – is the main reason they decided to leave nursing.

Pay increases, tuition reimbursement, hiring bonuses and even flexible schedules are great, but the fact of the matter is these are short-term solutions. One long-term solution perhaps might be to create a working environment that no longer tolerates abuse. Unfortunately, this solution is not an easy one to make as it involves nurses, doctors, hospital administrators, law enforcement and even the patients and their families.

A few years ago legislators created a Patient’s Bill of Rights as a way of helping patients to become more active in the healthcare decisions that impact them. Perhaps it is time to create a Healthcare Worker’s Bill of Rights as a way of creating a safe working environment for doctors, nurses, CNAs and other medical technicians.

Nurses and all healthcare workers should be empowered with the knowledge that they don’t have to tolerate abuse as “normal” working conditions. No one should have to fear going to work because they know there is a good chance they may be verbally, physically or sexually abused. Hospitals and administrators need to let patients and patient families know abuse (verbal, physical and sexual) is not tolerated. If you abuse an employee of the hospital then you will either be asked to leave the facility and/or criminal charges will be filed. Hospitals should not be allowed to just sweep alleged abuses against personnel “under the table” and law enforcement and the courts need to take a proactive stance and treat abuse in the hospital seriously.

Patients need to know abuse is not tolerated. Yes, the patient may be in pain and may be seriously ill. But, both the patient and patient’s families must realize each nurse is caring for several patients in the facility which is already under-staffed and that patients in today’s modern hospital are very sick and need a lot more care than the patients found in the hospitals just 10 years ago. Patients and families need to be patient and understand abuse and threats (i.e. “my lawyer will hear about this”) does nothing to help the situation.

Many of us tend to be complacent about the nursing shortage. We say to ourselves that we are in decent health and have nothing to worry about. Besides, Maine’s shortage is lower than the national rate, right? The problem is, when your health suddenly takes a turn for the worse and you end up as a patient you’ll suddenly see this problem from a whole new angle. And unfortunately, the nursing shortage in Maine and the United States will most likely get worse before it gets better.

The problems with the decreasing vacancies in the nursing field are complex, but there is one simple thing that we can do to help in the short-term. The next time you, a family member or friend is a patient in the hospital and you see abuse, say something. Talk to the patient or the family members. Talk to the nursing supervisor or the hospital administrator. If enough people speak out, the abuse will stop.

And finally, take a minute to thank the nurse or CNA. If the nurse does an exceptional job in caring for the patient, follow up with a letter to both the nurse and their supervisor. It only takes a few minutes but sometimes a few kind words of praise can mean a lot to someone who is used to hearing harsh words.

Jason Johnson lives in Unity.