Lettera aperta agli Infermieri italiani e al Presidente De Palma.

Open letter to Italian Nurses

Through “the Nursing Up page”

To Dr. A. De Palma

President Nursing Up

Rome

To the Nurses

Dearest colleagues, Dearest President,

I am a Nurse, writing from the province of Palermo. I worked for almost forty years in a Sicilian healthcare company. Today I am retired. I spent forty years on the wards, I have seen all sorts of things. I witnessed the timid evolution of a nursing system that traveled, and perhaps still travels, on two tracks. I experienced the subordination of nurses to the category of doctors and I hoped that the rules promoting change in the early nineties could be applied immediately. From the birth of the reform, at least 10 years had to pass before people even started talking about Nurses... It must have been 2004, when I found myself in front of two young colleagues who spoke to me about a category union... Nursing Up to be precise.

We talked a bit, about this and that. I told them I was registered with another union, but at the same time I felt something changing inside me. 

I sensed that something was opening up before me that I had inside and had not been able to express until that moment. It was what I had felt in me for a long time but had not yet had the courage to admit to myself. Those two young colleagues spoke my same silent language. It didn't take me long to tell them I would join that union. The Nursing Up Nurses' union.

I have never been a union representative; too many family commitments, work, but I would have liked to. However, I contributed, in my own small way, to the growth of the union in my area. I encouraged other colleagues to work as a team. 

All this did not go unnoticed. Other unions, annoyed, tried to hinder the new movement that was trying to advance. They did so by any means at their disposal. In some cases, even involving company managers and politicians. Yes, politics and management, when they join forces, are capable of the hardest conquests. They tried in every way to defuse something that was not convenient for them. According to many, Nurses had to stay on the wards, while only a few, administrators and cronies, could have the privilege of deciding at any level the fate of the Nurses.

This might have seemed a reason for easy surrender. Nothing could be more wrong. It felt like living the fable of “David versus Goliath”. This made us proud of what we were doing. We knew we were on the right side. 

Nurses had to work as a team, grow, bring their union to greater representation. And so it was. We managed, even in Sicily (a territory historically “difficult” in many respects...) to contribute, in our own small way, to fulfilling a dream. They were years of intense work for those who actively carried Nursing Up forward. We saw it from behind the scenes. I understood one thing, watching the work of my colleagues: they did not want to do the usual union activity that everyone knew. That’s why I immediately felt a positive impulse and joined. These people spoke a new language. 

They started from the premise that to improve the general conditions of the category, you had to start from the basics. It was necessary to make colleagues understand who the Nurse was. You had to start from the basics that many belittled: professional profile, code of ethics, educational system, and so on. If you forget who you are, others will exploit your work, they said. Yes, that’s it! That was the turning point for the category. 

That was exactly the heart of the matter. Many forgot who they were, professionally speaking, and what they were risking. The Nursing Up delegates started from these things. It was important to review dormant notions, because the Law does not admit ignorance. 

They said: “if you find yourself before a judge, ifs and buts won’t help!! If you don’t work aware of who you are, of what you do, the risk of getting into trouble is very high.” For many, a sense of belonging began to take shape, the desire to go deeper, to understand many things. 

ECM training began to make its way, now mandatory. Nursing Up, a pioneer in this sense, offered training through accredited courses. Many grumbled, worried about losing ground. In some cases, they went around saying that “we were engaging in unfair competition.” The same thing happened when Nursing Up, for the first time, introduced the novelty of “gross negligence” insurance coverage.

Men from other unions ignorantly claimed that insurance for Nurses was not needed. I can testify that in my area, several colleagues had to use the insurance coverage that Nursing Up offered them for free, saving several families from significant expenses. Over time I took part in demonstrations, strikes. I met colleagues, on the bus to Rome, going to strike in the square, under the pouring rain, even though they were just a few months from retirement. A great sign, I thought, for the young people. An example of a certain caliber. Today, instead, I still see young Nurses standing still. It seems to me like going back, seeing the specter of the 1990s again.

Today I wish I were still on duty and could lend a hand. I would do it actively. I would like to be able to speak to young colleagues to encourage them. Not to waste any more time. The category has, with many sacrifices, brought a recognized leader to the national tables and the weight of Nursing Up must be strengthened. The contribution of everyone is needed, especially the young. Through you, I would like to send a message to all colleagues, especially the youngest:

Don’t make the mistakes we made in the nineties. Today you have a great opportunity: Nursing Up. Support your/our category union. Don’t let those who know nothing about our profession have the chance to interfere and decide the Nurses’ contract. It is no longer time to allow anyone to approve contracts that are the same for everyone. Do not allow the exploitation of the category, as we of the old generation did for so many years. Be proud to have colleagues who represent you at the national tables, in Aran, before the Institutions. Unite, be proud to be Nurses. With the pride of having given a small contribution 20 years ago, I embrace you all. 

 F.C. from Palermo.