Absurd Things That Managers Do

[Sheri257]

Luckily, I don't work at this particular hospital anymore but ... I was at a clinical rotation where the new Med Surg Director warned the staff that you would be written up if you're scrubs were "too tight."

When I did work at this hospital, I don't remember seeing anybody who was dressed inappropriately. And I haven't seen anybody dress inappropriately during this clinical rotation either. I mean ... scrubs are scrubs. There's nothing revealing about them. Even if the pants are too tight, the top usually covers everything so I'm trying to figure out what the big deal is.

Apparently three RN's have already quit over this, and one of the student externs ... who always dresses appropriately as far as I've seen ... was written up also. It seems really crazy to me since they're always short staffed as it is.

Has anybody had managers who do crazy things like this? Why would they do this? It's no problem for the RN's to quit and get a job tomorrow if they want to so ... why would a manager harass them like this?

Maybe they're trying to bring in their own people but, there's plenty of vacancies as it is and, I can't imagine that having to hire more people is going to make their job any easier.

:typing

[Gompers, BSN, RN]

I disagree. As long as you wear a size that fits you, there is nothing wrong with the newer, trendier styles. I happen to like them and wear them myself. No, people don't see my underwear. No, I don't wear them a size too small. I wear them so that they fit comfortably, yet do not hide the fact that I have a figure. The new styles are not the problem, it is the people who wear them inappropriately.

I personally think that the "traditional" scrubs look far more unprofessional. They are boxy and lack shape, which gives a sloppy appearance IMO.

I think it's more professional to look boxy than to raise your arms up and show ANY midriff skin. Every nurse I've seen wearing those new scrubs does indeed look great standing there but as soon as they start reaching and bending they're showing way too much skin. Maybe your scrubs are different than the ones I've been seeing.

[beautifulb]

Okay. I'll post. About 6 mos. before I got married I requested the time off for my wedding and honeymoon. I recieved a written acceptance from my NM. Within that time the NM changed. Well, the schedule came out for October (the month of my wedding) and guess what? I was on the schedule for the 3 nights before my wedding. Ugh!!! Luckily my co-workers are great and ended up working for me.

[ZASHAGALKA, RN]

So, how chauvanistic is it of me to say that I don't have any particular problem with young ladies showing off whatever they want to show. . .

hehe.

But then don't be 'outraged' when my eyes focus on exactly what you wore those outfits to show off. . .

And ladies, either wear tshirts underneath or don't bend over to help somebody boost a pt up in bed. Because those scrubs reveal quite a bit that way . . . I'm not saying I'd look, but I HAVE spent many a situation trying my best NOT to look.

But, if you want to freak out: Go to a mirror when you are finished getting ready for work, bend over at just the angle you do to boost someone in bed, and see what you are showing off. . .

~faith,

Timothy.

[milky]

Did this nurse manager at least give verbal warnings prior to the write ups?

Or maybe have a meeting or inservice on dress codes. This disciplinary action seems a little severe on such a petty problem. There are far worse nursing issues that go on and on in hospitals and other medical institutions...

ie: abuse, neglect, medical malpractice, med errors , substance abuse etc.etc.et. Maybe some of those poor nurses who wear too small of scrubs can't afford to buy newer better fitting ones!!!

[nicolentony]

It's sad that people don't know how to dress professionally. I have had to "talk" to 3 people in the past month about their uniforms. One person keeps wearing thong underwear that is visible through her white pants. Another keeps wearing short sleeve knit tops that ride up every time she hangs an IV or empties a foley and all her rolls hang out. The other wears her knit tops so tight you can see her nipples. Do these people not own a mirror? All kidding aside it IS a serious issue when not only do fellow coworkers complain, but the PATIENTS complain, too.

[Gompers, BSN, RN]

Okay. I'll post. About 6 mos. before I got married I requested the time off for my wedding and honeymoon. I recieved a written acceptance from my NM. Within that time the NM changed. Well, the schedule came out for October (the month of my wedding) and guess what? I was on the schedule for the 3 nights before my wedding. Ugh!!! Luckily my co-workers are great and ended up working for me.

Sounds like something that would happen to me. I work nights, 3 12's a week. I wanted to go to a nursing conference one week and there was no paid time off available because so many people requested it that particular week. So I was fine with working all 36 hours AND going to this 8-hour conference, no problem. Thing was that it wasn't going to work out with me working nights that week, so I asked management if I could work 3 12-hour DAY shifts instead, putting me on a "day" schedule for the 7am conference. This was 8 weeks in advance, and the schedule requests for that particular week weren't due for over a month at the time I asked.

I was denied.

They told me that they couldn't make the day/night rotators work nights that week for me because "they rotate so much anyways" and it wouldn't be fair to them. Fair to them? The day/night rotators, for the most part, don't have as much seniority as I do. Some of them had only been there 6 months at the time I asked - and I'd been there for 7.5 years all on straight nights! I could have requested one of those day/night rotating positions years ago, but I preferred nights so I stayed on nights. Had I switched before, one of the new girls would have had to work straight nights instead, or the rotators would have had to work MORE nights over the years. Know what I mean?

Wouldn't be FAIR? What about fair to ME?

I almost quit that day, I was so upset. I felt taken advantage of, completely. During my yearly evaluation, I mentioned this to both of my managers and neither apologized - they stuck with the original story that it wouldn't be FAIR for a night shifter to "get" to work days for three stinkin' shifts. After 7.5 years. Yep.

[NurseCard, ADN]

I have to agree with LLG, I have also worked with people who dressed, in my opinion, rather inappropriately. Actually, one of those persons never even wore *scrub tops*, she wore these tight little knit tops that showed a bit too much.

There is this other nurse who still works there who often also wears tops that are too revealing. And again, they aren't even traditional scrub tops. She wears these really tight knit tops and you can often see her bellybutton if she stretches herself out much.

Most traditional scrub tops are usually not "tight", and if they are they look dang stupid and why would anyone wear them like that?

The rule at your hospital probably needs to read more like this: Scrub tops only. No knit tops or T shirts allowed. ALSO, scrub tops must be long enough so as not to reveal any part of the midriff. (because Dickies has those really short scrub tops out now).

[NurseCard, ADN]

And since the topic was actually "Absurd things that Managers Do" , I'll add something new.

We have a new nurse manager on my floor. She's actually worked on the floor for six years, first as a new nurse, then as a charge nurse for about four years; now she's manager. She has a nice little habit of jumping to some pretty stupid conclusions.

Case in point:

One morning, apparently someone (probably a disgruntled tech) found, in an empty patient room at the *end* of the hall... four or five chairs nicely arranged around the TV set. She reported this to the manager who then sent everyone a nasty email about it, mostly assuming that it was a group of people that worked on the floor that did this, and that this group was doing this and neglecting their duties. Not only that, but she kinda insinuated in her email that it was evening or night shift, and not anyone on her precious day shift.

Okay, what is funny about this is a) if a group of us were going to get together and watch tv, why would we have picked this particular room at the end of the hall?? The floor wasn't that full at the time; we would have picked a closer room. b) Our BREAK ROOM, also at the end of the hall, has a TV in it. c) I have NEVER, in seven years of working there, seen a group of employees do what she insinuated we had done. I guess I just don't work with a group of big TV watchers.

I mean, you had to see this email. It was a LONG ranting email. Stupid, stupid, stupid. This new manager has run some long time employees off.

[NurseCard, ADN]

Oh, and it did end up being a patient's family, who had gone into that room to watch the UK basketball game that night.

Which personally, would have been MY first assumption; that it was a patient's family.

Our manager, when she was a nurse, also had a tendency to believe that all us night shift people did/do was watch TV and sleep all night. One morning I was giving her report in the breakroom, and she said, rather sarcastically "Oh gee, look, the TV is on!". Oooooh, that made me mad and I let her know as much.