Good point, Sheena, but:
"Safe staff to patient ratios" is not even a concept here in Israel
where the medical system is overtaxed by patient overload due to
terrorist attacks and constant state of war for the last 56 years,  to
name a few reasons.  This is a public health system.  Not enough money
to pay enough staff members.  Understaffing is a major problem.  Can't
change that for the moment.  I have to work with 2 night nurses in a
ward with as many as 50 moms.  In one of the maternity wards you also
have moms before birth.   I have convinced the nurses to think about
taking women from doula courses to do their clinical hours helping these
moms labor so that will free the nurses to do other things.  So far, the
midwives here are not in favor of allowing doulas to enter their
territory, but don't forget, that is how everyone felt about non-nurse
lactation consultants several years ago, and yet I am still here!! This
might be a way to get doulas into the system.  
Esther Grunis, IBCLC

-- 
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.296 / Virus Database: 265.6.5 - Release Date: 26/12/2004
 

             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html