[equity]

EquityWell, I am sort of surprised to hear this from seasoned nurses, but fortunately, you are the ones that have stayed and endured what I am just finding out! I graduated last year as an LPN and already am feeling the brunt of horrendous inconsideration by administration and the public. Wow! I never thought nursing was so hard and entailed so much more than patient care (which is hard enough as it is). Administration wants us to clock out on time, but also have everything done. And it is just not possible. So us dumb-dumbs will clock out, go back to work to "finish up" to protect our licenses. Anybody else have to do this? When you look at it, the pay rate is actually much lower!

[nursegoodlove]

Originally Posted by equity

EquityWell, I am sort of surprised to hear this from seasoned nurses, but fortunately, you are the ones that have stayed and endured what I am just finding out! I graduated last year as an LPN and already am feeling the brunt of horrendous inconsideration by administration and the public. Wow! I never thought nursing was so hard and entailed so much more than patient care (which is hard enough as it is). Administration wants us to clock out on time, but also have everything done. And it is just not possible. So us dumb-dumbs will clock out, go back to work to "finish up" to protect our licenses. Anybody else have to do this? When you look at it, the pay rate is actually much lower!

Hi Equity, I'm not sure where you are located? Our LPN's (in British Columbia, Canada) have been mandated by this government to become "full-scope" by the end of this year. If the LPN's do not become full-scope, they cannot practice so there's little option. Schooling is one day a week for ten weeks, they receive 2 days for medications, are responsible for up to 9 patients during practice (and in the real work setting - up to 25!). The acuity level of the patients have soared (as I am sure...is the same everywhere) and the LPN's are finding it a struggle to just get their medications out never mind charting, wound dressings, assessments and so on. Our government has also rolled back their wages (all hospital employee union members) by $ 3.00 hour. More responsibility, more work and less pay. They are decreasing the RN's - which means there is less support for the LPN's. I can well imagine that your work load feels insurmountable.
Do you belong to a union (if so - working overtime is $$$ after 15 minutes beyond your clocked time). Can you go as a group to talk to your supervisor about the problems? I feel badly for you - here is a prime example of someone brand new, someone we need so badly in nursing...being thrown to the dogs and ready to run for the hills! I will be anxious to hear how you make out - there is strength in numbers. Document the problems and pursue!
And most importantly...something nurses often neglect (or forget) is to look after yourself...because if you aren't well...you can't reasonably look after others.

[cbarnett2]

I am currently a nursing student...when I first broke the news to my mother a year ago she was less than overjoyed. You see she is an RN of 26 years and had got stuck in the rut of abusive nursing position. She finally decided 5 years ago to put herself through college again for an IT degree. After graduating she landed a comfortable IT admin position and was very happy with her decision at the time of our conversation. Fortunately, I continued on with my dream of becoming a nurse.

A year later she was layed off from her IT job. Now she had settled for less than a nurses salary to take this job in the IT field, but after the lay off she couldn't even get an interview for anything else. Finally she gave in and interviewed for an RN position in HHC and was hired on the spot for top pay, next day assignment, and within a week was offered the opportunity for advancement. Needless to say she is on cloud nine! She told me this past weekend, that she had never tried something new in Nursing because she thought it would be the "same old thing" anywhere she went. She wishes now she had just gone down the street and applied for a new job instead of just giving up!

[lifeisbeautiful]

Originally Posted by Trauma-tizedRN

Anyone been exposed to the "Fresh Baked Bread" therapy? A manager read somewhere about this great therapy and instituted it. You would get your assignment and if it said BM after your name....

Thank goodness that when BM was after your name, they only wanted you to make bread

Heck, if you want to pay me $30 an hour to make bread as oppose to wiping some homeless man's arse, no problem!

[Trauma-tizedRN]

Originally Posted by lifeisbeautiful

Thank goodness that when BM was after your name, they only wanted you to make bread

Heck, if you want to pay me $30 an hour to make bread as oppose to wiping some homeless man's arse, no problem!

Did you think that I meant making bread INSTEAD of wiping butt? Let me clarify......
Full assignment AND breadmaker. Sure....i'd take the 30/hr for breadmaking too!

[RN4NICU]

Originally Posted by equity

EquityWell, I am sort of surprised to hear this from seasoned nurses, but fortunately, you are the ones that have stayed and endured what I am just finding out! I graduated last year as an LPN and already am feeling the brunt of horrendous inconsideration by administration and the public. Wow! I never thought nursing was so hard and entailed so much more than patient care (which is hard enough as it is). Administration wants us to clock out on time, but also have everything done. And it is just not possible. So us dumb-dumbs will clock out, go back to work to "finish up" to protect our licenses. Anybody else have to do this? When you look at it, the pay rate is actually much lower!

I would worry about my license practicing nursing off the clock. I am not sure your (or the hospital's) malpractice insurance will cover you if you do that. Not to mention the fact that requiring someone to work off the clock is illegal. Admin. needs to wake up to the fact that they can either have everyone out on time OR they can have everything done - but not both. If they want both, they have to do something about workloads. Yet, as long as people WILL clock out and go back to work, nothing will change.

I am pretty sure the labor board would have a few things to say about this situation if someone placed an anonymous call.

[anna c]

I, too, moved to another state and could not believe what I was being offered after 22 years of nursing. I was blatantly told that they are waiting for the new graduates at the local college so they can choose from them. My take was that they want to pay them the least amount of money and work them like dogs. I am in the "sunshine" state. What is sunny about it, I ask? I will never encourage anyone to go into nursing. When they ask me what I think? I tell them if they are looking for encouragement to go into nursing, they are asking the wrong person. Money matters...that is the bottom line....not the patient.

[SmilingBluEyes]

Originally Posted by anna c

I, too, moved to another state and could not believe what I was being offered after 22 years of nursing. I was blatantly told that they are waiting for the new graduates at the local college so they can choose from them. My take was that they want to pay them the least amount of money and work them like dogs. I am in the "sunshine" state. What is sunny about it, I ask? I will never encourage anyone to go into nursing. When they ask me what I think? I tell them if they are looking for encouragement to go into nursing, they are asking the wrong person. Money matters...that is the bottom line....not the patient.

ah yes yes yes, the warm-body syndrome. Another big reason experienced nurses are walking away. new grads are sought and paid nearly what experienced are....and chosen over them for these very reasons! We are expendable resources, like so much toilet paper to some administrators.

[mattsmom81]

Originally Posted by zenman

I could see this one in court. "Yes, your honor, I was fired for not baking bread in the hospital. And your honor, I have never been trained in how to bake bread."

Remember that old list of nurses duties 125 yrs ago...this sounds like we've come full circle.... Back then they 'did it all' and cooked too....

[Trauma-tizedRN]

Originally Posted by mattsmom81

Remember that old list of nurses duties 125 yrs ago...this sounds like we've come full circle.... Back then they 'did it all' and cooked too....

Probably an admin ploy to sweeten up the nurses image.....to tie us back to old Flo for increased pt. satisfaction reports (as it turns out, like usual, poorer nurse satisfaction reported) It would be a great job for the auxill. ladies....wonder why it was not delegated there.....I am beginning to small a rat here....