NEVER say we are short staffed.

[TipitiwichitRN]

I guess I am starting to wonder why we can't tell the patient that.

I thought I knew- that it was rude- that it equated to saying "I don't have time for you"- "you aren't important" etc.

However, in my garbled mind, I am starting to wonder who, exactly, this omission really protects.

As a nurse, slammed and hurried, rushed and prodded by the latest budget meetings, job stability feeling shaky in her mind... along with the disease processes, the calculations, the mental to do lists, the hourly rounding to be signed on the doors, constant charting- in multiple locations, phone calls, the sounding alarms, the delegation, the collaborative efforts, new orders, lab interpretation, the basic ABC's...

that's a lot going on... and that doesn't even take into consideration the patient...and it's true! We DO have harder times getting into patient's rooms, we do spend less time "actively listening"... hard to do with that work load on your back...

If a patient is attentive, they know that the nurse is overloaded... aside from avoiding a lawsuit, what is the point.

There are ways to say things that do not covey that the patient is not important..

Now- I am not going to say it, and I understand why it's not appropriate, but I just wonder....

[Batman25]

They don't want patients to really be made aware that there are staffing shortages that could easily be rectified but they are too cheap to address. As long as a lot of lawsuits aren't coming due these shortages if a patient complains they can pin it on the nurse not being time efficient, etc. The bottom line is about money and not as much about the patient's feelings.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Healthcare is expensive, and it makes the facility management look stingy if they understaff the place. In addition, divulging that "we're understaffed" supposedly goes against the principles of good customer service because, apparently, managers want the patient to be under the illusion that he/she is the only patient you have.

[TipitiwichitRN]

Batman, Commuter- exactly! Its always back to the money- which apparently mirrors patient satisfaction, of course... and YES- blaming it on the nurse- especially now, knowing there are hoards of nurses waiting for that spot.

I'm feeling taken advantage of- scapegoated!!

Why, does nursing school not address this issue? Instead of the politics behind the difficult hospital environment, we study theorists- who are great and all- but we don't even practice their theories d/t time and pt loads!

I am happy to be learning this now, as compared to being a new grad- scared to death as it is.

I'm just coming to terms with nursing as a business- silly me was thinking about the patient's feelings, symptoms, meds, and resources. I feel so naive!!

Thanks for responding :)

[elizabeth321]

We don't tell the patient we are short staffed because it is not their issue and it is neither professional or fair to burden them with this information.

[fungez]

When I first heard we were NEVER to say we were short-staffed my mouth dropped open. What we were supposed to tell the patient when his tray was two hours late, or it took me 30 minutes to bring in his pain shot? This is a new phenomenon. A few years ago it was acceptable to tell the patient that we were short-staffed. After all, it was the truth.

I'll make a deal with all the administrators who read this - I'll NEVER say we're short staffed if you ensure that we are always adequately staffed.

[fungez]

We don't tell the patient we are short staffed because it is not their issue and it is neither professional or fair to burden them with this information.

Personally, I'd rather know my nurse was overworked than wonder if she was incompetent or inefficient.

[TipitiwichitRN]

When I first heard we were NEVER to say we were short-staffed my mouth dropped open. What we were supposed to tell the patient when his tray was two hours late, or it took me 30 minutes to bring in his pain shot? This is a new phenomenon. A few years ago it was acceptable to tell the patient that we were short-staffed. After all, it was the truth.

I'll make a deal with all the administrators who read this - I'll NEVER say we're short staffed if you ensure that we are always adequately staffed.

Yep it is the truth- and so many times it is their problem- it does, after all, in some way-shape-or-form affect their day. And then they think we do not care or are plain incompetent. HOW is feeling that about your nurse going to set anyone at ease?

I will do what I am told for now- but give me a few years time and knowledge, and I will make that deal with administration as well.

[Batman25]

I have told many a patient that I was addressing the urgent needs of another patient when they have waited a long time for something. More times than not they understand and usually they can see and hear the commotion anyway. Some patients are astute enough to know we are short staffed and once in a while you get one that wouldn't care if another of my patients died if it meant them getting their ice sooner.

[TipitiwichitRN]

Personally, I'd rather know my nurse was overworked than wonder if she was incompetent or inefficient.

Me too! At then you know someone is trying for you... not that they are off somewhere, having the proverbial Donut all day!!!!

[imintrouble, BSN, RN]

We don't tell the patient we are short staffed because it is not their issue and it is neither professional or fair to burden them with this information.

I do not tell the pt we are short staffed, when we most definitely are, because we were warned in the strictest way NEVER to say those words. Instead, I allow pts and families to believe I'm lazy and incompetent because it took me 30 min to an hour to provide the pain med they requested. I've stood in rooms and had pts berate and demean me for not getting to them fast enough. How fair or professional is that? How can being short staffed not be their issue, when ultimately they are the ones to pay the most when hospitals run short staffed. Mistakes are mostly made when nurses are tired, overworked and stressed. Why shouldn't the pt be made aware, and then make an informed decision about whether or not to stay at a facility that puts a dollar before their well being?

I don't like protecting my employer, by keeping quiet about short staffing. I really don't like taking the blame for a situation over which I have no control.

[TipitiwichitRN]

I do not tell the pt we are short staffed, when we most definitely are, because we were warned in the strictest way NEVER to say those words. Instead, I allow pts and families to believe I'm lazy and incompetent because it took me 30 min to an hour to provide the pain med they requested. I've stood in rooms and had pts berate and demean me for not getting to them fast enough. How fair or professional is that? How can being short staffed not be their issue, when ultimately they are the ones to pay the most when hospitals run short staffed. Mistakes are mostly made when nurses are tired, overworked and stressed. Why shouldn't the pt be made aware, and then make an informed decision about whether or not to stay at a facility that puts a dollar before their well being?

I don't like protecting my employer, by keeping quiet about short staffing. I really don't like taking the blame for a situation over which I have no control.

:yeah:Well said.

Thank you.

Nelly