Getting pulled at 3:00

[NurseLKY]

HI all

The other day at work( I work 7a-7p) I was having a pretty busy day. The kind where all your IV's go bad and everyone has IV meds do when this happens. Anyway I got caught up at 2:45 so I went to lunch. My charge nurse came and found me and said that I was being pulled at 3:00. Nice notice, tell me 10 minutes before I have to go. Thank god I just did all my charting. The unit that I was going to knew all day that they were going to be short at 3 so why did it take them 8 hours to call the house manager to tell her. The policy at my hospital is that staffing be done at 1:00. I go to this other unit at 3:30 (after my lunch and giving report) and I walk into hell. There were 3 nurses for 33 patients. I have 11 patients (I normally have 5 on my unit) so this is a shock. There were 2 CNA's. This unit that I was pulled to is going through some major problems, all the nurses are quiting so there is no staff and they always pull late in the day.

This isn't the first time they have pulled right at shift change. Our manager has talked to their manager and even some of the house managers. This really isn't fair to my unit or the other unit since we get there late.

I was just wondering if anybody else has been pulled right at shift change, and what your facility does about it.

[oramar]

This other unit can't keep nurses because of the tricks that get played. Now they are trying to fix it so that the people on you unit get pissed of and start leaving. I think having to work two different assignments in 12 hour shift sucks!

[ceecel.dee, MSN, RN]

10-15 minutes notice? I think I just might say NO.

[LaurieCRNP2002, MSN, RN, APRN]

I've been down that road....working 12 hour days and having to get pulled somewhere else for the last 4. Since I've been per diem, I'm at greater risk since we are the first to get pulled. So now I won't commit to 12 hour shifts...just 8's. If it turns out they need people at 3 and I'm in the mood....well, maybe I'll stay. Or maybe not With the short notice, I don't blame you for being upset. Where was your manager in all this? Why didn't she raise hell about the short notice being given to her staff? I think you need to go to your manager and let her know that you and your co-workers will not be put thru this again and enlist her cooperation (if she's the type to stand up for her staff).

Good luck

Laurie

[mattsmom81]

I was PRN in critical care at one facility and they regularly pulled me from one area to another...in a 12 hr shift I often did 4 hours in each unit...CICU, NICU,SICU... .It was unfair to everyone involved. I had to quit as it was the 'warm body' approach and was not conducive to good patient care.

A girlfriend of mine only commits to 8 hr shifts for the reasons you describe. You can make it known you *might* be open to staying an extra 4 hours..... but only on your unit.