Favoritism in assignments

Nurses Relations

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I work in an emergency department and have for the past 2 years. I am often frustrated by the favoritism in assignments in our department. People who are part of the "in crowd" get the better assignments - floating, triage, less acute beds. If we are fully staffed and one of them wants to go home, they just tell the charge nurse (most of whom are part of the "in" crowd) and they leave. I asked to leave early once because I didn't feel well when we were fully staffed and the request was refused. The thing is, I've heard these same people talk about other nurses or staff who complained to management - because management shares that information with charge nurses - so I'm reluctant to say anything. I also feel as though my experiences are being limited because I'm not chosen to do any of these other things even though I've been trained to do them. I'm not a bad nurse and I work really hard. I'm chosen to precept new nurses, so I can't be that awful. I'm so frustrated that I'm really considering leaving the department to work elsewhere. :confused:

Just go about your job. Give it more time to see if things change.

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Specializes in floor to ICU.
Just go about your job. Give it more time to see if things change.

The OP said she has been there for 2 years...

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

there is always going to be favoritism in assignments -- charge nurses are human and they'll give the sickest patients to the nurses they trust the most or, if staffing is plush, to someone whom they believe is ripe for "development." the chronic patients go to travelers, floaters or whoever is on the "poop list" right now. fail to show up for your shift and aren't especially apologetic? you'll probably get the worst assignments until you've proven you're accountable. goof off all shift? be prepared to get an especially busy assignment.

if you honestly feel that you're a good, hard worker and no less than average as a nurse and still getting the worst assignments, talk to some of the charge nurses and ask them what you can do to get the better assignments. some of the better charge nurses probably don't even realize they're giving you the worst assignments, and some of the worst ones will be more fair if the better ones take the lead.

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Specializes in M/S, Travel Nursing, Pulmonary.
there is always going to be favoritism in assignments -- charge nurses are human and they'll give the sickest patients to the nurses they trust the most or, if staffing is plush, to someone whom they believe is ripe for "development." the chronic patients go to travelers, floaters or whoever is on the "poop list" right now. fail to show up for your shift and aren't especially apologetic? you'll probably get the worst assignments until you've proven you're accountable. goof off all shift? be prepared to get an especially busy assignment.

if you honestly feel that you're a good, hard worker and no less than average as a nurse and still getting the worst assignments, talk to some of the charge nurses and ask them what you can do to get the better assignments. some of the better charge nurses probably don't even realize they're giving you the worst assignments, and some of the worst ones will be more fair if the better ones take the lead.

hmmm. i have to respectfully disagree about travelers getting the chronics. i wish it had been that way for me anyway. i have a m/s background and can handle it.

thing is, more often than not, good hospitals did not need travelers. units with a good balance of "heartfelt" nurses who are good with the chronics, but also a few "down to business" types who can avert/handle a crashing pt...........eh, they didn't need travelers.

often, after my first week, i was handed a boatload of crashing patients. why? they didn't have the faith in their own staff to create an outcome that was acceptable. hence the need for travelers. i can quote example after example of dire mistakes being made by inept staff nurses that the manager/charge nurse had no answer for other than to throw a traveler at it and hope for the best. i'll never forget the night i walked into report only to be told someone's heparin gtt. had been off a couple hours and not restarted because no one could agree on what rate to start it at..........and "btw, i'm leaving early cause i think my ex-husband is running up charges on my cc and i gotta get them blocked". thats a rl example of what i routinely walked into.

i didn't get the little old ladies crawling out of bed so much. i had the fresh post-ops with multiple complications and the one's who had been hypoglycemic all day etc etc.

its kinda mute point, cause that was just my experiences at the assignments i worked. could be completely different for another travel nurse. but.....eh, no, travelers aren't always handed the predictable chronics at all.

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This doesn't just happen in the Emergency Room. I work on an oncology medical-surgical floor and they always give the new grads the heaviest assignments. The older nurses claim they do this because "they paid their dues to nursing already" and because "new grads need the experience". For example, we had a patient who was very annoying but had a complex disease process (TTP) and had to receive plasmapharesis almost every day. The charge nurses kept handing her off to new nurses because they thought she was annoying. The new grads had no idea about the patient's disease process, and no one took the time to explain it to them. They were just blindly treating this patient. IMO, this is so unsafe. Hard assignments should be rotated and every should get the full experience of working on their unit.

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Specializes in ED, Neuro, Management, Clinical Educator.

When I read through the responses to this thread, I actually stopped and checked where numerous posters were from to see if any of them might be my coworkers (especially the one who called triage the penalty box... we say that too and it sounds like you work in the same type of place as I do!)

Room assignments has proven to be one of the biggest staff satisfaction issues that I have discovered in my role as an ED coordinator for the past few months. I combated this problem with the following steps and, while the problem has not been resolved 100% of the time, I take comfort in knowing that it is improved in at least 80% of cases.

1: ED Leaders took over control of the assignments. Leaving it in the hands of staff nurses had proven unwise, since (nothing against them, they're all great nurses) they are all inherently biased and give themselves and their friends the 'good' assignments. Since I am not assigned anywhere, I can be totally fair and impartial in making out the assignment.

2: We have a policy that states you should not be assigned in the same section two shifts in a row. Our ED is split into several "Pods." Each pod has three or four assignments (i.e. rooms 4, 5, and 6, rooms 7, 8, and 9, rooms 10, 11, 12, and 13, are the three assignments in pod one etc.) This policy essentially ensures that if you were in a certain pod the last time you worked, you won't be in the same one again next time you work.

3: We keep a log showing where you are assigned every time you work. This way we can look at the last shift you worked when we are making out the assignment to ensure that we don't stick you in the same place twice, or we don't overlook the fact that you haven't been in trauma or triage or something in a while.

4: The assignment data is publicized. I recently put together a big excel spreadsheet and made pie charts for each staff member, showing how frequently they are assigned to each area. This allows me to show them the breakdown when I am rounding on staff. I can then have something to back up my claims of "trying to make assignments more fair" since I can show them right there on the screen that they've done everything a pretty even number of times. I can also flip to a few other peoples' data and show them that nobody is getting any special treatment.

Maybe consider asking your manager to implement these steps. Assignments are a huge staff satisfier, and satisfied staff lead to higher patient satisfaction scores. If you drop that line on them it'll probably get their ears to perk up, lol.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
when i read through the responses to this thread, i actually stopped and checked where numerous posters were from to see if any of them might be my coworkers (especially the one who called triage the penalty box... we say that too and it sounds like you work in the same type of place as i do!)

room assignments has proven to be one of the biggest staff satisfaction issues that i have discovered in my role as an ed coordinator for the past few months. i combated this problem with the following steps and, while the problem has not been resolved 100% of the time, i take comfort in knowing that it is improved in at least 80% of cases.

1: ed leaders took over control of the assignments. leaving it in the hands of staff nurses had proven unwise, since (nothing against them, they're all great nurses) they are all inherently biased and give themselves and their friends the 'good' assignments. since i am not assigned anywhere, i can be totally fair and impartial in making out the assignment.

2: we have a policy that states you should not be assigned in the same section two shifts in a row. our ed is split into several "pods." each pod has three or four assignments (i.e. rooms 4, 5, and 6, rooms 7, 8, and 9, rooms 10, 11, 12, and 13, are the three assignments in pod one etc.) this policy essentially ensures that if you were in a certain pod the last time you worked, you won't be in the same one again next time you work.

3: we keep a log showing where you are assigned every time you work. this way we can look at the last shift you worked when we are making out the assignment to ensure that we don't stick you in the same place twice, or we don't overlook the fact that you haven't been in trauma or triage or something in a while.

4: the assignment data is publicized. i recently put together a big excel spreadsheet and made pie charts for each staff member, showing how frequently they are assigned to each area. this allows me to show them the breakdown when i am rounding on staff. i can then have something to back up my claims of "trying to make assignments more fair" since i can show them right there on the screen that they've done everything a pretty even number of times. i can also flip to a few other peoples' data and show them that nobody is getting any special treatment.

maybe consider asking your manager to implement these steps. assignments are a huge staff satisfier, and satisfied staff lead to higher patient satisfaction scores. if you drop that line on them it'll probably get their ears to perk up, lol.

i wish i worked for you . . . we have the "mean girls" and "the popular kids" in our unit, just like in high school. when the one of the filipino nurses is in charge, he gives the other filipinos and "honorary filipinos" the best assignments. when the mean girls are in charge, they give their favorites the best assignments. ditto the popular kids. i guess that's just human nature, but it gets old after awhile to come in and know you're going to be stuck in the c. diff room with two crazy chrons and their demanding families! when i'm in charge, i try to be as fair as possible, but if there is a particularly boring assignment, it's difficult not to think of pinky who has more than once called in sick five minutes before the shift starts and then spent the day posting pictures of her adventures the night before on facebook.

perhaps if the assignment history were posted in a public spot (instead of carefully sequestered in the manager's office) it would encourage a little more fairness in assignments. and if charge nurses were called to task for more egregious favoritism that might help as well.

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I know this is an older post but I understand the favoritism the can happen in the ER. I constantly get the same assignment when I work and I am part-time. I always get the assignment that is more difficult. Sometimes I just say they give it to me because I am a great nurse and take great care of my patients but other days I think they do it just to be mean. I have a particular charge nurse that doesn't like me. She didn't like me from day one. I never did anything wrong but she just didn't like me and the feeling is mutual. Sometime I feel she is out to get me but I can't say anything to my manager because like you said the talk. If I said something I would become even more hated by this charge nurse. I get along with everyone else in my department including the manager. I feel at a loss and I don't want to complain. What did you end up doing so you didn't get the same assignment everytime?

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Instead of your manager, why not just have a little sit-down with the nurse herself? And why don't you like her? Is it because you feel she doesn't like you? Ask her if she doesn't like you, and if so, then ask why doesn't she like you. You don't have to be aggressive (at first, anyway), just be matter of fact.

You know we're all s'psosedly adults when we get these licenses that allow us to take peoples' lives in our hands, and yet, so many are afraid of so much that is either not that big of a deal, or something that truly can be remedied, why would one want to continue to work in that kind of environment when they can make an attempt (and in most cases actually put an end to it, I'm willing to bet) to a more hospitable and positive workplace. Stick up for yourself. You have the same rights to as positive and successful work environment as she has.

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there is always going to be favoritism in assignments -- charge nurses are human and they'll give the sickest patients to the nurses they trust the most or, if staffing is plush, to someone whom they believe is ripe for "development." the chronic patients go to travelers, floaters or whoever is on the "poop list" right now. fail to show up for your shift and aren't especially apologetic? you'll probably get the worst assignments until you've proven you're accountable. goof off all shift? be prepared to get an especially busy assignment.

if you honestly feel that you're a good, hard worker and no less than average as a nurse and still getting the worst assignments, talk to some of the charge nurses and ask them what you can do to get the better assignments. some of the better charge nurses probably don't even realize they're giving you the worst assignments, and some of the worst ones will be more fair if the better ones take the lead.

You had a much different tone in one of your posts from 2006 when you were getting crap assignments....

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Specializes in Hospice.

Ruby! You have a stalker! I'm jealous :grumpy:

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Only because it was all under the search results of this topic...

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