i'm quitting my my job, i've had enough!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in ccu cardiovascular.

Last may, i took a new job in my facility to open up a new unit. We were promised wonderful staffing, good nurse-patient ratio and only chf patients. We were all handpicked by the new manager who i respected deeply. Well instead of having a 26 bed unit, were forced to care for 38 patients with only minimal staffing. My manager did her best she went to bat for us consistently, but the idiots that run the damn place have no idea what safe staffing is. On night shift we could have anywhere from 10-15 patients a piece. Most are med-surg overflow,only 10% might be chf.

I was originally picked to be head charge nurse and was told i would have a small assignment of maximum four patients, but take care of the patients going bad plus take care of the charge duties, calling doctors, making the doctors lists doing all admissions and other charge paper work for the daytime charge.

Well nothing promised was given, other then i still have all my other duties plus taking care of 10-15 patients on nights. To make matters worse, i'm the only nurse with at least 1 year experience(most of the nurses are new grads from last june)

Last night we had two codes, one made it, one didn't and two people were sent to ccu, of course i ended doing it all. To top it off the day time charge nurse was ticked because i was not ready to give her report at 630am( i was dealing with the family of the patient who died) and the nurse is per diem, works only one day month with 1 year experience.

Last week my manager also resigned, she can't take it anymore and has to leave this facility, i told her i'm right behind her.

Thankyou, needed to vent

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Specializes in Trauma,ER,CCU/OHU/Nsg Ed/Nsg Research.

Wow, RN-Jane! It snounds like you're leaving not a minute too soon! How can they expect you to be charge and take 10 or more patients??? I know our charge nurses have a hard enough time taking care of 4 in addition to their other charge duties. Does your facility have a no agency policy or something???

I hope you find new work in a facility that doesn't treat their nurses like this. Good luck to you! :)

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I understand completely what you are going through. It is incredible the amount of work and stress that nurses are made to endure on a daily basis. It makes even minimum wage jobs look appealling. I feel as though I am endangering my health each day I go to work, dealing with irate patients, stress and exposure only to be unappreciated by both management and the patients I care for. I began taking my heart rate at work this week, what an eye opener, I do not think it was under 130-140 all shift. I too am thinking of leaving, the profession not just my current position. I began requesting college catalogs last month. Especially after I heard two physicians talking about how they had to "keep an eye" on the nursing staff at their offices because "they slack off without supervision and its not like I should trust them they are only nurses" I am so tired and becoming more bitter by the minute. I am usually such a happy and optimistic person but frankly nursing is sucking the life out of me. I am so sorry for your situation, run do not walk from it. Very best of luck to you!

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The worst thing about it is the fact that facilities like this are the rule not the exception.

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Specializes in Community Health Nurse.
Originally posted by oramar

The worst thing about it is the fact that facilities like this are the rule not the exception.

Amen! I am a former employee of one so I know that's the dang truth! :rolleyes:

I'm currently signing on to do home visits/home health so I can still be a nurse and give my patients the one on one attention that they deserve to have from their nurse. I'm actually petrified to return to hospital nursing because "the drama" is "the rule and not the exception" when it comes to hospital nursing today. :o

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Specializes in Corrections, Psych, Med-Surg.

...but you can't fool ALL of the people, ALL of the time.

Your story is an excellent reason to believe NOTHING until you get it in writing with appropriate penalties for inadequate performance of the contract--something NEVER forthcoming in healthcare.

But what the heck...they got you to do it their way for 8 months, and there is no reason to think they won't be able to sucker in a new team every subsequent eight months, if needed. Meanwhile, they profit and you burn out--modern healthcare systems in action.

Just be glad you didn't lose your license in the process, since you know that some patients didn't get what they needed while in that facility.

Your challenge, of course, now that you are a bit older and MUCH wiser, is to avoid getting sucked into lies from prospective future employers so you don't repeat this kind of experience in your life. Ask the hard questions at the interview. Get it in writing if it is important to you. Good luck.

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So sorry that you have had to endure this situation, Jane. As Cheerfuldoer stated, this is more and more the norm not the exception on units in hospitals today. I am surprised that the manager got the good sense to resign also. I have seen so many just continue to feed the staff a line of lies and back the administration's bullsnitt to collect their bonus.

I wish you good luck in what ever you decide to do. Please keep us posted. Did you ever think of calling the media for a impromptu visit to check on staffing levels at this facility? Or the Nursing Board? Maybe do the Nancy Nurse who just wants to inform them that critical staff levels do exist in this facility and patient care is dangeriously compromised.

The public may like to know this situation does exist.

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Specializes in ccu cardiovascular.

I'm sending out my resume today to several hospitals.

I work at a hospital about 1 hour north of pgh, been here almost 4 years. I hate to leave, work with so many nice people, alot of friends, but don't think they will be staying either much longer.

I already commented to a few doctors i respect and they are quite upset over the manager and the unit. They liked our unit, thought we gave the best care in the hospital but i think they are disillusioned with the suits, they lie to them and tell them everything is fine and we're lazy. They have told me they know that's not true and they respect the nurses on our unit, but it's time for me to say goodbye, before i end up losing my license.

I like to report it to the local paper, but the editor is on the board, they got everyone here in their pocket, which is why other hospitals within 30min , running ads for nurses never reach the paper in print.

Believe i plan to say a few things when i'm gone to the state board of nursing.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

Good luck in finding something better and safer.

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Specializes in Case Management, Home Health, UM.
Originally posted by sjoe

...But what the heck...they got you to do it their way for 8 months, and there is no reason to think they won't be able to sucker in a new team every subsequent eight months, if needed. Meanwhile, they profit and you burn out--modern healthcare systems in action.

SO true. I am waiting on a settlement, and when it comes, our modern healthcare system won't have me to kick around anymore, that's for damn sure!:(

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What a nightmare. I hope you find a safer place to work.

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Originally posted by Rapheal

What a nightmare. I hope you find a safer place to work.

The saddest truth and nightmare is that there are very few places to work now that are safer.:stone

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