I just got off a wonderful night rotation on rehab. Something that was going on over on the med/surg floor gave me cause to shudder. Two RNs, one agency one regular staff and one aid for 16 patients plus four addmission that came in bang, bang. Regular RN was shouldering the bulk of the load and screaming and *****ing about it, was also verbally attacking and abusing agency nurse. I understand, but I always blamed the people responsible when I was in this situation. Who is responsbile, well managment of course. Agency nurse was extremely experienced but it was her first night and she was floundering a bit because regular RN was not supporting her. The aid was a pulled aid and was screaming and *****ing because she was mad that she was pulled. She was also regularly leaving the floor and hanging out on other units. I have seen this this passive aggressive technique for getting even about being pulled many times. The supervisor was hanging out on my floor because it was slow thus avoiding the chaos on the med/surg unit.(I could strangle them when they do that). They did pull the ER secretary to help with the paper work. Unfortunately the ER was busy and really needed the secretary. I have had nights like this that were done the right way and the wrong. The right way is three regular staff members who pitch in and pull together. A supervisor who hangs out on the busy floor not the slow one. If it must be an agency nurse the supervisor must take resposibility for their support thus freeing the regular staff for the patients. A regular night secretary whose job it is to go to busy floor and help out with the admissions. The screaming and moaning helps not a bit but I mostly blame as usual MANAGMENT, MANAGMENT, MANAGMENT. I happen to be in a place where I could witness the goings on and it made my blood run cold. I had the symptoms of Post Tramatic Stress just watching. What is going to happen here? Well, the agency nurse will never come back. The aid and the regular nurse will move on to other jobs and the reputation of the hospital will suffers because the patients got crummy care.

Most of us (unfortunately) have lived through what you described. I know I can't tolerate it anymore. Such a difference good management vs. poor management makes on the floor. I always say the poor morale, lateral violence, backbiting and moaning roll down from the top.

Uhhhh...first of all I would have called the city cops to come bail me out of a badly staffed situation along with involving one of the local news stations to come video tape the disaster. :chuckle

And um...I would do it too. What nurse in their right mind would even accept an assignment like that with no support? The minute I walked on the unit and saw the number of patients and only two nurses to care for them knowing MORE admissions are always possible....my nursing license and I would have excused ourselves and gone home where we'd both remain safe from an accident at work waiting to happen.

As my quote below says: Stop the nurse abuse! We do it to ourselves. Just because a horse is led to water doesn't mean he's going to take a drink right? Well, just because you show up on duty as scheduled doesn't mean you have to partake of the crap that is being handed to you. Have the professionalism and sense to WALK...NO...RUNNNNNNNNNNN from a disaster like that.

Originally posted by oramar

The screaming and moaning helps not a bit but I mostly blame as usual MANAGMENT, MANAGMENT, MANAGMENT. I happen to be in a place where I could witness the goings on and it made my blood run cold. I had the symptoms of Post Tramatic Stress just watching. What is going to happen here? Well, the agency nurse will never come back. The aid and the regular nurse will move on to other jobs and the reputation of the hospital will suffers because the patients got crummy care.

Right you are, Oramar...I almost have an anxiety attack, every time I think about going back to work, because it was MANAGEMENT'S decree that only two nurses (myself and another), be assigned to carry the load that FOUR departments once covered (and with difficulty, I might add).

I went out on a Medical LOA three weeks ago, due to this abuse. And, quite frankly, I hope I NEVER have to go back!

it was MANAGEMENT'S decree that only two nurses (myself and another), be assigned to carry the load that FOUR departments once covered (and with difficulty, I might add).

That's horrible!!!!

And management wonders why no one will work Med Surg. those poor nurses are so dumped on. At least the agency nurse doesn't have to come back to that mess. I agree totally, it is management that is to blame but of course we all know that won't happen. I am so glad that I am a nurse so if anyone in my family is ill I can and will insist on good care for them.

I hope and pray that the 16 included the four admissions and they didn't have to go up to 20 paitents and then have their aid pulled.

"The here is some work and we're not giving you any resources to safely get it done, and I'm going to act like I don't care by ignoring you and just hang out somewhere." is the message being sent.

I've been there and done that. But I never, ever would have taken it out on the agency nurse. What I've done is work my butt off, help the agency nurse apologizing profusely, taking all his/her abuse for being treated with so much work and stay late doing paper work, get a headache and an ulcer and toss and turn all day from lack of sleep due to the stress. Things are much better now at our facility thank goodness management opened their eyes, and we have good supervisors that would have pulled an aide from somewhere slow to come help the one aide we had, if they couldn't have found a nurse, or send the admissions somewhere else.

As the wise one says: "We will get as much crap as we take."

Originally posted by 3rdShiftGuy

As the wise one says: "We will get as much crap as we take."

That's just the point............too many nurses STAY and TAKE the crap instead of using the feet to make a statement! If the nurse doesn't want to refuse the shift assignment at dangerous levels such as the one oramar mentioned, that sends a message to Admin/Mgmt that "they can do it again because nurses will take the crap. It's up to us nurses on the units to STOP the crap by making a firm statement that we will NOT be abused!

Oramar, this is typical staffing for the med-surg unit where I work.

It is the norm, sad to say. Night shift starts with 10 pts each, then they take turns getting admits. No free charge nurse. 2 aides, no secretary. This is how it has always been, of course they all *itch and complain.

This is why I work ICU, there is no way I could put up with stuff they do.

Do any of you work where the unit clerks assign the new admissions to the nurses? I do, and I don't like it. They aren't nurses and yet they say who gets what patient???? What's wrong with this chain of authority ya'll?