What stands out in my mind is the fact that hospitals are a business and that they act just like every other business in the world. Staffing at the hospital floor I work at is not ok. Nurses are going home crying after their shifts due to the stress from poor staffing and fear that they will make a mistake. Management is aware of this and says staffing is ok despite the fact that our patient satisfaction scores (on a general med-surg unit) are lower than the ED's scores and our staff satisfaction is the worst in the hospital. In fact, management is sending our staff away, floating them to other floors and staffing us with the bare minimum. I have worked here for 2 years and am one of the most senior nurses on 2nd shift. Course, the 2nd shift Clinical Manger has only been a nurse for 2 years...
I have never worked anywhere else, so my question..is it this bad everywhere? Is this just what nursing is? Having no aides or LPNs to help out.... each RN expected to work the floor, assess 7 patients, give meds to those patients, perform all patient care, pass dinner trays, feed patients, perform wound care, walk the halls with patients, take out discharges, etc.
I have heard stories of hospitals that have multiple CNA's and LPN's to help with care & med pass but I wonder if they are true. Is the grass really greener on the other side? I am considering leaving my current job but don't want to go through all that to find more of the same. Advice would be appreciated : )