I have to agree with the premise that nursing care standards have dropped since the introduction of university degrees for nurses. I was a nurse for 30 years, I only retired 4 years ago, so I have some experience in this field.
And yes, I was one of the "old" nurses trained under the hospital system, but the relevant word here is "trained". We were taught that the comfort, hygiene and medical support for the patient was paramount. We knew that any job, however repugnant, was part of that care, if it related to the health of the patient. We didn't have to worry about demarcation issues because all staff worked together for the benefit of the sick. Nurses, cleaners, doctors, clerical staff. I saw doctors change dirty nappies, nurses mop vomit off floors, cleaners help a patient with a meal. There was none of this "not my job" attitude that prevails today.
And yes, nursing care standards have well and truly dropped. I have witnessed this first hand with sick members of my family and myself. Lack of support for simple things like bathing and eating and mobility. Even worse is the lack of attention to patient hygiene, which is probably a contributing cause to the worrying spread of the so called superbugs in the system.
Add to this the problem of university graduate nurses who are totally unprepared for the realities of shift work, and hands on nursing, as opposed to theoretical nursing and it is easy to see that the shift to university training was a retrograde step. Graduate nurses could still have been given a degree, much of our training was theory, and we wouldn't have the staff shortages or reduced standard of care we now have to suffer.

Hasbeen, if you were there watching what happened with your mother for 36 hours in that hospital, which you must have done to make such a statement, then why the hell didn't you feed your mother?
As for your lady with the gallstones, how do you know the medical staff weren't busy with real emergencies? You don't....

Like Rhosty said, you sound like the many bully relatives I have come across in 30 years of nursing, but the difference is I would have called security and have you thrown out with all the other bad dummy-spitting boys!

Big Nana, I am also a hospital trained RN, but I am still working full time.
There are good and bad nurses of any training background, just as there are in all jobs.
I would suggest that many more people complain about tradies and mechanics than ever do about nurses.

Most University trained nurses are very good once they have been on the wards for some real experience. I agree they should probably spend more time on the wards before they graduate, but I also felt we didn't have enough classroom time during my training.

Rhrosty thanks for proving once & for all you are an idiot.

Suse I'm surprised at you.

I walked into a ward where my mother, 98 at the time, who had been sitting up & asking for a hand mirror & hair brush 36 hours before, was incoherent & dehydrated. Looking like a prune.

I had not liked her being in a single room, but she did not mind.

There were 3 meals & 5 of the containers of the thickened water she was required to drink, still sealed, sitting on the bed table, out of her reach, as she could not get out of the bed.

When a nurse came in, I asked if she was there to feed her, & without a word the nurse left very quickly, almost running.

I went straight to the office & demanded to see the duty manager. He was not available I was told, but appeared very quickly when I started shouting about legal action. I hope it is OK to shout at office staff Rhrosty.

It is amazing how the loud threat of legal action, in front of a gathering crowd, & the thought of black marks against their career prospects can galvanise bureaucrats into action.

We got back to the ward where someone was starting to remove the evidence of their guilt. To his credit the manager was horrified.

I don't believe this would ever have happened if she had been in a ward, where it would have been harder to ignore her.

If you would have done less than this in the same position Rhrosty, you are a waste of space.

My mother who was there only because of bleeding piles, was never able to stand again.

Nurses were once really great, but too many of the current crop, particularly those who specialise in high paying weekend shifts, are not worth feeding.

Hasbeen, Rhosty is no idiot. He was merely giving his opinion, as is his right.

3 meals and 5 cups of thickened water does not equal '36 hours with no food or water".
Are you sure your mother agreed to be fed and take her fluids?
If she was on thickened fluids then she certainly had more problems than 'bleeding piles'.

At 98, you can't say that the hospital staff were the cause of her never walking again, because that is very doubtful.

I realise you loved your mum and wanted the best for her, but taking out your anger on the hospital staff, especially the admin staff, only goes to show more about you than them.

In August 2014 I took part in a workshop at the University of British Colombia (UBC) in Vancouver on what and how they teach. The issues identified in the subsequent report were: an increasing focus on vocational education, on-line competition and a demand for mid-career education: http://blog.highereducationwhisperer.com/2014/09/ubc-flexible-learning-strategy.html

These are areas I suggest Australian Higher Education also needs to address. The proposed federal government reforms of university funding, and much of the public debate, is missing the most important question which needs to be addressed: Will Australian Universities be able to compete on-line? http://blog.highereducationwhisperer.com/2014/12/your-future-is-australias-future.html

The Australian Computer Society runs an e-Learning Special Interest Group meeting in Canberra. The first meeting for 2015 is
"Innovations in Teaching Innovation", Wednesday, 11 February. Topics and speakers for the other meetings would be welcome: http://blog.highereducationwhisperer.com/2014/12/innovations-in-teaching-innovation-in.html