Staffing/Hiring: Am I dreaming or is this common practice?

Specialties Geriatric

Published

So I come in for NOC shift last night, after a four day weekend and marching in comes a nurse that I have never seen in my life and I have never heard of either. "I'm supposed to orient with you tonight".... "Oh," I say, "pleasure to meet you. How nice! And wich shift are you going to be working?" She says "Night shift, Monday through Friday." My jaw kind of dropped a little. I work Tuesday trhough Thursday and another nurse works Friday through Sunday. The only day they had problem staffing lately was Monday! I have not received a phone call about wether I would be willing - say - change my schedule or re-locate to a different wing. :uhoh21: The only phone calls I receive were as to wether I would pick up and cover extra shifts that they have trouble staffing. They know, as I very politely explained to them on several occasions - and as a matter of fact, when they hired me as well - that I cannot generally pick up additional shifts above our initial agreement, since I have two small children and especially on short notice day care is an issue. I also told them however, that I am willing to accomodate their needs as much as my private life allows, and offered them to talk to me at any time about shifting my work days around, if that would help the staffing planning.

Needless to say, the poor orientee was very distraught about the whole thing. She was saying that the last thing she wants to do is to bump a colleague. It was overall a very awkward and unpleasant situation.

People are quitting all the time here and I'm suspecting that they have trouble hiring new ones (which is probably common these days with the shortage - at least in my state). So I'm suspecting that they just promissed this new nurse anything, just to get her in the door, in hopes that she'll adjust to wathever they need to do with her at the end. Or could it be that they are planning to dump me (or bump me) for someone who is willing to work five days a week? Would that even be legally justifyable? I asked other nurses who've been there for a year or two and they said that they never seen or heard of such a thing and that they didn't think that that was legal... I've worked there for almost three months now, I have never called in sick, I am not aware on any complaints, overall I had the impression that I'm well liked by all and doing a satisfactory job... This all makes me nervous, and also it makes me feel kind of insulted. I mean, I'm not that hard to talk to and I am willing to listen and work with you.... At least you could give me the curtesy of a heads up and spare me the anxiety and the awkward situation with the orientee. :o

So my question is, is this normal? Have you ever experienced something similar? Do I have to worry?

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
So I'm suspecting that they just promissed this new nurse anything, just to get her in the door, in hopes that she'll adjust to wathever they need to do with her at the end.

I'm thinking that this is the case (i saw it happen MANY times), but for your sake of CYA, i'd inquire about it.

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See, I was kind of thinking that I should be quiet for now, do my job as if it was none of my business and wait it out. Why come to them first and make their job of approaching me about a change (If that's in fact what they are planning to do) easier? Don't you think? Am I off base?

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

Because i'm think you might not want to get blindsided if they've got something up their sleeve, which no matter what it is, it sounds like there IS something up their sleeve.

I'm just saying i would be suspicious, too, if this happened to me. I'd also want as much time as possible to plan ahead for any change that may happen, even if that means finding another job. The sooner you have an answer, the better for you

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

Besides, you're obviously distraught at not knowing what they are up to, you could at least have an answer, and be able to plan accordingly.

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Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.

I think unless you have a written contract, you are am employee at will. They can change your time any time they want....not saying this is right....just thinking it's not illegal. I wouldn't do it to a good employee. When I have someone come in looking for a job, I show them the list of the positions I have available. If they take one, great. If they say "I can only work every 3rd Tuesday and Thursdays when there is an "r" in the month..." You get the point. I can only bend so much in making a schedule.

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Specializes in LTC, Hospice, Case Management.

I think I would just go ask the DON or whoever does the schedule what is going on. Could be they very innocently messed up and haven't even realized it yet. Whatever the issue... they just messed up vs. they're giving you a hint, I would rather know what I am up against as opposed to waiting and worrying.

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Just curious...............what is the "Hospital Policy" on posting vacancies? If they did not follow written protocols about needing to post a vacancy, then you could easily approach management with your concerns. Also, is it appropriate to b*t*h to the new RN about your being unhappy with the situation?- doesn't this increase the stressful situation?

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Just curious...............what is the "Hospital Policy" on posting vacancies? If they did not follow written protocols about needing to post a vacancy, then you could easily approach management with your concerns. Also, is it appropriate to b*t*h to the new RN about your being unhappy with the situation?- doesn't this increase the stressful situation?

Hmmmm, I'm affraid I don't understand... This is a LTC, I'm affraid there aren't any written protocols on posting vacancies. They juggle it as they go (and as people are comming and going) and this is the result.... :o

I haven't said I was bitching to the new RN about anything in my original post. But as the awkward situation of neither one knowing what is going on emerged, the only thing I did tell her about this is (and I doubt that that would constitute "bitching" per se) that I have no problem relocating to the other wing (as far as I can accomodate, meaning I don't have to work weekends and my three night shifts are all in a row), so that she can work her mo-fri schedule, like she had planned. The problem is that nobody approached me about it if that is in fact what they were planning to do... I just had to assume that that was what they were planning to do, since I knew from hear say, that there were other vacancies on NOC shift there.... :uhoh21:

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Get it from the horses mouth....ask...whats up with the new girl.

At my facility we have the opposite problem...someone quits or gets firred and it takes months to find replacements..

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Hi there,

I just had the same thing happen to me. I usually work three days a week. Well, a week ago, I am introduced to a new RN who was hired for 4 days. Now I work three, another nurse works every Sat. So guess who lost a shift??? Me!! I am not thrilled but what can I do? I am looking to pick up another day somewhere else now.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

So, what's happened with this? My first thought in reading your initial post was that perhaps they were going to put another person on the night shift with you.

When there are nurses coming and going all the time you have to wonder what is causing that. Unfortunately, when you go into a place and apply for a job you don't always know that might be happening. Sometimes places just go through a period of a lot of employee changes like that. Sometimes its an indicator that there are problems in a facility. Since you're in the situation you have the best perspective on it. If the DON and others seems to be supportive and you haven't heard about any really off the wall things being done to employees by the management, chances are that the place is just going through a phase. I don't particularly like, however, that the DON didn't get some sort of a message to you that you would be orienting someone new. She could have picked up the phone and called you at home about it quite easily. Then, again, she could have asked one of her assistant managers or supervisors to notify you of this and they didn't carry through. You know, I was just thinking that in your shoes I might have picked up the phone and called the DON at home to verify this nurse was really a new employee. For all you knew, she could have been some crazy nut saying she was supposed to orient with you in order to get access to medications. I know that sounds paranoid, but some people are very clever when it comes to getting drugs.

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