Advice? Need thoughts from people who can relate... please?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in Peds (previous psyc/SA briefly).

Hi all -

First off - thanks for opinions!!

Okay, I'm a second career nurse. I've been an RN for just under 4 years - all of which I've spent working on the same Peds floor at a great hospital. I love nursing and am a passionate advocate for changing things for the better. I volunteer for committees and do peer education. I don't complain about charge, floating, flexing... and I'm not a huge gossip, whiner and I try and finish my work. Obviously, I'm a newer nurse, so my technical skills in some things aren't fantastic - but I get great reviews from my peers and from my families.

Morale on my floor is really low. Staffing is not good. I work weekends, so generally have one tech at best for part of the shift between 25 beds. Our 5:1 ratio has gotten noticable more acute in the time I've been there - so each of us usually have at least one, maybe two "step down" kids that probably would be better off in the PICU. Our boss keeps promising a 4:1 ratio, but it never seems to work out. Some shifts, we have no secretary, so you know what all is involved there.

My boss is not a warm person. She's been heard to refer (frequently) to her employees as "my little victims." I had to actually quit to have my son, because during pregnancy I went into PACs and CHF (really) and she wouldn't cut my shifts even with a doctor's note. But I came back right after my son was born because I love peds. There is no flexibility on scheduling and things like that. And although I work with some amazing women, there are still political cliques and infighting.

So - recently, I realized that I wasn't being paid for my mandatory classes and meetings. I asked my boss about it and she said she'd look into it. After going back and forth, she insists that I am being paid - that it is reflected in my gross pay, even though my paycheck says "class $0.00". Now, I know this has never been the case previously (even for my PALs and BLS.) It's almost like she doesn't care if I find out she's lying - and the class in question is a one hour meeting.

So right now, I emotionally want to quit. I've never felt appreciated - my reviews are average - but the worst part is they are totally generic. In one, she said that she'd hoped I'd be able to obtain a college degree someday. I'm in my mid-thirties, have a prior degree and grad school and am working to get my MSN. She has been told all that. Ouch.

I've talked with travel nurses who say our floor isn't "that bad" compared to others. And it is my only choice for pediatrics (my passion) if I want to be less than an hour away.

So do I just suck it up and keep my job, quietly working to make things better? Or do I look for something else and quietly leave?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Kristen

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, CCU, Trauma, neuro, Geriatrics.

Not being paid for mandatory time...humm Association of RN Attorneys comes to mind. 877-538-2262. see if one of them can make her care a bit more.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Unfortunately what you describe seems to be the norm in a lot of places. Mandatory inservices should be paid at least at straight pay though.

I have been a nurse for 4.5 years now, have worked in 7 different places, LTC, rural hospital, psych, OR, geriatric psych, and have found them all to be generally the same. One boss even referred to me as a "warm body". They don't care about your health, your family or your stress level, only their schedule.

You just have to keep telling them what you will accept and what you won't do, and stand your ground on issues relating to money or union issues. No boss can force you to work with a doctor's note especially for something as serious as what you describe, you just have to push it and take it to the higher ups.

It's sad that this is the reality in health care, especially because it's HEALTH care.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peds (previous psyc/SA briefly).

Thank you guys!

I guess I'm just having trouble believing that it isn't better in another hospital. Dumb, huh?

Another person posted in another thread that she was tired of never being fast enough, smart enough, good enough, whatever enough... that is EXACTLY how I feel.

I'm used to doing okay. My parents taught me that hard work paid off and for my first 33 years on earth - that was true.

In bedside nursing, hard work means more hard work.

I would never have thought that my boss at any job would be trying to screw me over. That's just bizarre and unprofessional!

It's not worth it. And then I feel like a selfish witch because it isn't worth it. But I have a functional life! I have great kids, a wonderful husband, a happy house... and I honestly love the nursing profession. It's so frustrating that no matter how hard I try, no matter how hard I work or how fast I run, nothing changes.

Argh. I just wrote to our Congressman, Senator and State Rep. Now watch, that news will get out and I'll be fired for being too political. Maybe that wouldn't be a bad thing!

Thank you both so much for the thoughts. I really need and appreciate the camaraderie!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ED, ICU, Heme/Onc.
Thank you guys!

I guess I'm just having trouble believing that it isn't better in another hospital. Dumb, huh?

Another person posted in another thread that she was tired of never being fast enough, smart enough, good enough, whatever enough... that is EXACTLY how I feel.

I'm used to doing okay. My parents taught me that hard work paid off and for my first 33 years on earth - that was true.

In bedside nursing, hard work means more hard work.

I would never have thought that my boss at any job would be trying to screw me over. That's just bizarre and unprofessional!

It's not worth it. And then I feel like a selfish witch because it isn't worth it. But I have a functional life! I have great kids, a wonderful husband, a happy house... and I honestly love the nursing profession. It's so frustrating that no matter how hard I try, no matter how hard I work or how fast I run, nothing changes.

Argh. I just wrote to our Congressman, Senator and State Rep. Now watch, that news will get out and I'll be fired for being too political. Maybe that wouldn't be a bad thing!

Thank you both so much for the thoughts. I really need and appreciate the camaraderie!

There is no such thing as being a "selfish witch" for expecting compensation at your agreed to wage for the hours worked. What you are describing isn't everywhere. I'm sure there are worse places, but there are also better. Good luck with recovering your lost wages.

Blee

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, telemetry, LTAC.

You might also call your state department of labor and see if they are able to help you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

"The only reward in being a hard working nurse is more hard work."

Up Vote Up Vote ×

It couldn't hurt to look at who else in your area is hiring. If you feel bold, contact a nursing recruiter or two.

Knowing that you have the power to leave your unsatisfying job for another is a big morale booster.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

You may want to go directly to Payroll and ask someone there to explain how the pay-for-inservices thing works -- I'm not trying to defend your boss, but I've worked in a lot of different hospitals over the years and some of them had very weird ways of documenting on your pay slip how you were getting paid for different categories of time. Most every organization I've worked for has been very careful about following all the employment laws about paying for time, mandatory classes, etc. If what's happening is that your NM, personally, is gipping you out of time/pay (out of, I don't know, some misguided desire to save the organization some money? Pure meanness?), the HR/Payroll people would probably want to know about that (I guarantee you they don't want to unexpectedly find themselves in trouble with the NLRB one day! :chuckle)

And, if you do find out definitely, finally, that she's lying to you about this, that's useful information for you in deciding what you want to do next, isn't it? :)

I would definitely take up the "paid time" question directly with Payroll, and then decide where to go from there, depending on the answer I got.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

I wish I could assure you that things would be much better somewhere else. Unfortunately, I can't. But that doesn't make your manager right.

First of all, as a former nurse manager, let me tell you that the first rule of happy management is NEVER to mess with an employee's time or pay. I suspect that your manager is over budget and is trying to trim her expenses by failing to pay for "little" things here and there. It's not only morally and ethically wrong, it's illegal. I suggest that you go to her one more time and let her know that you are entitled to pay for mandatory meetings, and provide a list of back meetings for which you are owed money. If the funds do not appear on your next paycheck, go to her supervisor, HR and payroll. Most hospital administrators don't like the idea of being reported to the State Wage office, and I suspect that they will "do the right thing".

As for dissatisfaction over patient care, working conditions, staffing, lack of leadership, etc. those are universal issues. People often jump from the frying pan into the fire when they change jobs hoping to see improvement. If you would like to explore other options, I suggest you try working per diem at another facility before resigning your present job. That way, you will know what awaits you at the next facility, and whether or not it is an improvement.

I wish you well. You sound very conscientious, and that is a personality trait that serves our patients well, but drives us nuts in the workplace.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment