[RNPATL]

I need to hear from other nurse managers .... does your hospital expect you to work your normal 10-11 hours a day and then also staff if you can't replace a nurse who calls off 30-45 minutes before her shift? I am exhausted. Worked 60 hours this week and then had to double back to work (with no sleep I might add) on Wednesday due to a late call off. I was up for 24 hours! Now I am getting sick and am still dealing with staffing issues (they called again this morning at 6AM!). It seems like the phone never stops ringing!

If this is what is expected of nurse managers, then perhaps I have made a grave mistake getting into this! Maybe I am just plain tired and overwhelmed because of this, but wow, this is not right in my opinion! How can you nurse on the floor (safely) after working all day and without having sleep? Do other managers face this same challenge? Also, are you on call 24/7 without a break???? I am not sure I can manage this anymore and I have only been in this position for 8 weeks! Someone please tell me it gets better.

[nursemaa]

Yup, that seems to be the expectation for nurse managers everywhere. I have spent hours calling for staff from home on my day off or during the evening. I've been expected to fill in as staff, regardless of how many hours I've already worked. Of course anything over 40 hrs is free for the hospital, as I'm salary. At least the staff get paid when they pick up extra hours, and most of them only work 24-32 hours per week. And I seldom even get a thank you from my staff...yet they've been known to tell administration that I don't help them! I figured out my hourly wage- it's less than what my staff makes, yet they say "that's why you make the big bucks". I am considered to be on call 24/7, except for vacation time a few times a year. They've been known to call several times in an evening or during the night. I've been doing it for 4 years, and it's gotten worse not better....sorry to disappoint you about that. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get out within the next year. I know I sound whiny, but it's just getting to be too much.

[RNPATL]

Wow - I am shocked that you have tolerated that for 4 years. I am not about to give up my life and family time for a job! It is just not worth it to me. I am not paid big bucks by any stretch and certainly could make a lot more $$ working the amount of hours I currently work, as a staff nurse.

It is a no wonder that there is such a high turn over for nurse managers. This is an impossible task for anyone. Thanks for the reply.

[traumaRUs]

Patrick - I'm sorry you are so frustrated. I work in the ER and our manager as well as the asst managers (2) rotate call. Is there a way you could do this? We also have a mandatory 12 hour call requirement every month from May to October (trauma season). I'll be honest here too - what about getting rid of the dead wood? Sorry to be so harsh, but I agree you can't work night and day and not feel bad! You have got to take care of yourself first because you won't be of any use to anyone else if you don't.

[barefootlady]

I am so sorry that your enthusiasm and zest for the new position has been severely curtailed in just 8 short weeks. I do know that many managers just say cover the best you can and do not meet all of the unit needs all of the time. I agree that some of the dead wood may need to be swept away, also a write up for calling in so close to work time. I wish I had more positive answers for you but short of adopting some very Hilter like rules for awhile, you seem to be stuck with a new decision. Have you talked with the chief of nursing? Do you feel that you realistic support there? Have you talked with the staff collectively about staffing issues? Have you talked one on one with the usual call-offs? You know the ones who are off the weekend after payday whether it is scheduled or not. I wish you luck my friend, I know why I just could never be a manager, I value my time with hubby and family too much.

[RNPATL]

I have to agree with both of you! Dead wood needs to be gone. I think that is the main issue right now. We are in the midst of some pretty significant transition and the people who are on their way out are making my life tough. But, with a little rest and some good planning, I think it will be better. Unfortuantely, with all the hours I have been putting into the job, I have developed a really bad cold with bronchitis. For me, when I get sick, it makes everything seem so much worse than it really may be. But, once I feel better, I am sure I will be able to handle the stress and make some positive changes.

I agree with the call policy. I did not want to have to put that into effect, but with staffing the way it is, they are leaving me no recourse but to make a manadatory call policy for 12 hours. However, I may make the requirements for two shifts a month. That way we have the coverage we need. In addition, I am going to see if I can get another nurse to rotate call with me. That would be a nice help.

Thanks for the great words of wisdom .. it helps!

[nurse educate]

Look on the bright side...at least you won't hear from your staff "Why doesn't he put on a pair of scrubs and help out for once!!!

[Sadie04]

Originally Posted by bonemarrowrn

Look on the bright side...at least you won't hear from your staff "Why doesn't he put on a pair of scrubs and help out for once!!!

Good for you Patrick for getting out there in the trenches, even though it does sound like you're burning the candle at both ends and need to stand up for yourself.
The NM and ANM on the unit I just left NEVER EVER helped out on the floor. Not even to take over the role of the charge nurse so that charge nurse could take an assignment. The straw that broke the camel's back was the day I had 9 patients on a day shift and PACU called to send up a 10th. I went to the NM and she said "If you thought you couldn't handle the assignment, you shouldn't have accepted it at the beginning of the shift" Just a few days before she was lecturing the staff about "pitching in for the good of the unit without complaining"

[VivaLasViejas]

What the OP has posted is the very reason why I myself left nursing management and went back to being "just" a staff nurse. It's also why I ALWAYS thank our managers when they help us out on the floor, and they do try to do so whenever they can. You couldn't induce me to handle all that extra responsibility and be on call 24/7, PLUS never get a dime extra for the 20+ hours a week of overtime, if you offered me a hundred grand a year.......it's not worth it, when you can never totally relax and just enjoy your life and your family once in a while. Been there, done that, got the lousy T-shirt and the high blood pressure to prove it. No thanks, I'll just stick with being a little fish in a big bowl who gets paid for every minute I'm on the job and who can just be a wife and mom when I'm off.

[RNPATL]

Originally Posted by Sadie04

Good for you Patrick for getting out there in the trenches, even though it does sound like you're burning the candle at both ends and need to stand up for yourself.
The NM and ANM on the unit I just left NEVER EVER helped out on the floor. Not even to take over the role of the charge nurse so that charge nurse could take an assignment. The straw that broke the camel's back was the day I had 9 patients on a day shift and PACU called to send up a 10th. I went to the NM and she said "If you thought you couldn't handle the assignment, you shouldn't have accepted it at the beginning of the shift" Just a few days before she was lecturing the staff about "pitching in for the good of the unit without complaining"

For me ... it is important to work in the trenches with the nurses. I love the bedside and help out whenever I can. Besides, it is a good way for me to keep my clinical skills up and I like working side by side with my nurses. They really are a great group of professionals! I think my biggest issue is that while I don't mind being out there, I do not like the idea that I HAVE to staff after already working 10-11 hours that day and then come back to work for 8, 9, 10 or more hours without resting or without sleep. That is simply not acceptable to me and I will not allow an employer to place me in that situation. I hope that there can be an even compromise so I can also enjoy my time off and my family. I have an enriched life with great balance in my life and I really refuse to allow a job to change that for me.

Thank you for your nice reply and I can totally see where you are coming from. Again, as I said in my original post, no wondr nurses run from management roles. Sometimes it seems like an impossible task.