Patreon Preview – 388. The On-Demand Degradation of Nursing
Dec 30, 2024
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Delve into the shocking rise of on-demand nursing platforms and how they’re exacerbating labor exploitation and degrading care quality. Explore the historical gender disparities in nursing and the devastating effects of temporary labor fueled by private equity. This conversation reveals the urgent need for better labor rights in a sector deteriorating under profit-driven motives. Tune in for incisive analysis on how algorithmic management is threatening the future of healthcare.
The rise of on-demand nursing platforms exacerbates labor exploitation and degrades care quality in an already vulnerable industry.
Private equity's focus on profit over patient care significantly undermines healthcare outcomes, particularly affecting marginalized nurses and patients.
Deep dives
Gender Disparities in Nursing and Labor Dynamics
The nursing industry is predominantly composed of women, with nearly 90% of registered nurses and nursing assistants being female. This gender disparity contributes significantly to the undervaluation of nursing work, reflected in discussions about pay that often dismiss the need for fair compensation. Historically, the labor structure of nursing included collective bargaining through women-run private duty registries, which empowered nurses to negotiate better pay and working conditions. However, the shift towards hospitals directly hiring nursing staff has diminished this collective power, leading to poorer outcomes and working conditions for nurses, particularly for women of color.
Impact of Private Equity on Healthcare Quality
Private equity firms have increasingly penetrated the healthcare sector, focusing on maximizing returns rather than improving patient care or working conditions for staff. This approach often involves stripping away essential services and assets, resulting in detrimental effects on hospital operations and higher mortality rates. For example, there has been a noted correlation between the influx of private equity in retirement and nursing homes and increased mortality rates among residents. The shift in policy towards expanding the supply of nurses without addressing working conditions further exacerbates the challenges faced by nursing professionals today.
We get into an excellent new report on the rise of on-demand platforms for nursing, which have spurred further exploitation of labor and degradation of care in an industry that has already been hollowed out by suppression of worker rights and financialization by private equity firms. The destruction of healthcare wouldn’t be complete if tech innovators didn’t use re-skinned versions of algorithmic management software to make things even worse by further stripping the sector to its bare bones.
••• Pre-order Jathan’s new book! https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520398078/the-mechanic-and-the-luddite
••• Subscribe to Ed’s substack: https://substack.com/@thetechbubble
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••• Uber for Nursing https://rooseveltinstitute.org/publications/uber-for-nursing/
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Hosted by Jathan Sadowski (bsky.app/profile/jathansadowski.com) and Edward Ongweso Jr. (www.x.com/bigblackjacobin). Production / Music by Jereme Brown (bsky.app/profile/jebr.bsky.social)
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