Senator Says Nurses Don’t Need Breaks As They Spend Most Of The Day Playing Cards, Nurses Respond With Sarcastic Pics

Republican state senator Maureen Walsh is in for a wild ride. The lawmaker came under fire after saying that nurses in smaller hospitals “probably play cards for a considerable amount of the day” during a debate about legislation that would provide nurses with uninterrupted meal and rest periods.

Senator Maureen Walsh is facing backlash after she said that nurses in smaller hospitals “probably play cards for a considerable amount of the day”

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She opposed the legislation, saying it “does not apply” to districts like hers with many critical access hospitals, which have fewer than 25 beds.

It didn’t take long for people to point out that her words didn’t match reality

Senator Says Nurses Don’t Need Breaks As They Spend Most Of The Day Playing Cards, Nurses Respond With Sarcastic Pics

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Senator Says Nurses Don’t Need Breaks As They Spend Most Of The Day Playing Cards, Nurses Respond With Sarcastic Pics

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Senator Says Nurses Don’t Need Breaks As They Spend Most Of The Day Playing Cards, Nurses Respond With Sarcastic Pics

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Senator Says Nurses Don’t Need Breaks As They Spend Most Of The Day Playing Cards, Nurses Respond With Sarcastic Pics

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Senator Says Nurses Don’t Need Breaks As They Spend Most Of The Day Playing Cards, Nurses Respond With Sarcastic Pics

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Senator Says Nurses Don’t Need Breaks As They Spend Most Of The Day Playing Cards, Nurses Respond With Sarcastic Pics

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Outraged by Walsh’s comments, nurses and everyone who sympathize with them started reacting. Chicago nurse Juliana Bindas even created an online petition Saturday that calls on Walsh to shadow a nurse for a 12-hour shift. As of this article, over 764,000 people have signed it. Many of them showed their outrage on social media as well.

One of the outraged nurses wrote this public letter to the senator

Senator Says Nurses Don’t Need Breaks As They Spend Most Of The Day Playing Cards, Nurses Respond With Sarcastic Pics

The public reaction has made Walsh reconsider her stance. “I want to offer my heartfelt apologies to those I offended with my comments on the Senate floor last Tuesday,” she said in a statement. “I was tired, and in the heat of argument on the Senate floor, I said some things about nurses that were taken out of context – but still they crossed the line.”

The lawmaker said she was trying to make the point that many small hospitals already face financial problems and that the bill would only make them worse.

But that didn’t stop there and people continued to flood social media with their reactions

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According to USA TODAY, The Washington State Nurses Association website crashed on Friday after too many people viewed a blog post describing Walsh’s comments as disrespectful and patronizing.

Also, the state nursing association said recruiting nurses to rural hospitals is already challenging. The organization believes that denying them uninterrupted breaks and imposing mandatory overtime would further complicate the hiring process.

Senator Says Nurses Don’t Need Breaks As They Spend Most Of The Day Playing Cards, Nurses Respond With Sarcastic Pics

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Walsh was arguing in support of an amendment that would exempt rural and smaller hospitals from a bill that would guarantee uninterrupted breaks for nurses. She had also introduced another amendment to the bill that would prohibit nurses from working more than 8 hours in a 24-hour period. On Tuesday, the Senate passed the bill with both amendments included. Walsh voted against the bill.

Senator Says Nurses Don’t Need Breaks As They Spend Most Of The Day Playing Cards, Nurses Respond With Sarcastic Pics

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Senator Says Nurses Don’t Need Breaks As They Spend Most Of The Day Playing Cards, Nurses Respond With Sarcastic Pics

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Senator Says Nurses Don’t Need Breaks As They Spend Most Of The Day Playing Cards, Nurses Respond With Sarcastic Pics

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And as for the petition, Walsh said she’d be happy to see how the job is actually done. “I love my nurses,” she told KOMO. “I’d be happy to come and work in a hospital with them for a while and shadow them and see their job.”

I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place

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Ozacoter 5 years ago

I am sorry but I will never understand how rich politicians dont give a c**p anout other human beings. There isnt enough nurses to have a normal humane 8 hour shift and she still thinks that they dont work enough? Nobody should be allowed to do 12h shifts, it is inhumane and the quality of their work will decrease.

92points

Ozacoter 5 years ago

Goverments should invest much more time, laws and resources in ensuring proper health care.In Spain we dont have doctors or nurses enough. It is so bad thaf my sister was sick today and the next apointment that she could do to vusit her house doctor was in May... By that time she will either be cured or really sick...

21points

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Grumble O'Pug 5 years ago

Maureen is a representative from Easter WA, code word for pro business and low on IQ points. Trust me, she's a twit. The state nursing association thinks too much turnover is bad for patients, they think 12 hour shifts are fine.They are nurses. Nurses know what they are talking about.

6points

R.s. Potter 5 years ago

I once read somewhere that politicians, actors, and other entertainers tend to score very high in narcissistic traits. Since some politicians have also been actors and entertainers, it's possible to get a double whammy of narcissism.

5points

Bunzilla 5 years ago

I think the problem with many politicians, is that they just don't care. They don't see us as human beings, with thoughts, feelings, needs and precious lives. Instead, we're statistics. A means to make money from. Worker drones. We aren't important; rich tycoons, CEOs and the like are important to them. Most of them have never had to survive in the real world like the rest of us, they're from rich families who have sheltered them from reality since birth. That's the only thing that can explain the truly moronic things that come out of their mouths.

4points

Michèle Gyselinck 5 years ago

You think that's bad? Here in Québec hospital administrators routinely force nurses to work double shifts if someone doesn't show up for work because those administrators are too lazy to find other solutions to understaffing. After that we wonder why nurses leave the profession. You can't screw around with people's lives like that without it having an effect on the hospital's ability to retain staff.

2points

Nikki D 5 years ago

They all have concierge care and probably never see the inside of a "public" hospital or office.

2points

Ana M 5 years ago

Here in Mexico City, for three months, various government hospitals are not working full sifts because nurses and doctors are on strike. You have to see their side of the story, not payments. And still, they are working.

1point

Lingon 5 years ago

Republican, who would have guessed? When I was a student, I worked at a care home for the very old and cronically sick. One day a polititian (M) from the municipal came to visit. M is the swedish equivalent of republican. He asked my boss if we closed during the summers. Like yeah, the old people become young and can take care of themselves just because it's summer? Idiots.

64points

Ingrid 5 years ago

OMG, even a child would not think that

22points

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María Hermida 5 years ago

Probably he thought you got rid of them in May and got new ones in September. Perhaps he thought you froze them during the summer, or something like that. You can't expect them to think. They are too busy talking nonsense and listening to the sound of their own voice.

8points

Lingon 5 years ago

John You are aware of that the entire world is not the USA? Eftersom jag är svensk, så tittar jag givetvis inte på CNN, utan på svenska nyheter. Idiot, ett ord som är samma på både svenska och engelska, men trots olika språk, så beskriver det dig väldigt väl.

4points

MN Free Spirit 5 years ago

Yeah like in the movie Cocoon, they turned young in spirit and health overnight. Ok I know I just really aged myself.

2points

John Smith 5 years ago

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Foxxy 5 years ago

Nurses are vitally important in keeping people alive and comfortable. They are just as important as Drs. Nurses are the first people you see, take blood tests, administer medications, administer IVs, clean bodily fluids etc. They work long hours, often without uninterrupted breaks in an often thankless job. They are also the ones more than likely to receive abuse from drug and alcohol violence etc. They deserve so much respect.

33points

Carol Emory 5 years ago

My neighbor's husband is in a wheelchair and spent some time at the hospital for medical procedures. She found out how the nurses rarely get a chance to eat. She tried to bring them snacks as much as possible, but the hospitals had strict rules about food consumption and breaks. This needs to change. There should be time for nurses to take care of their own basic needs. Unfortunately..there aren't enough nurses.

31points

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