"restructure" (aka Layoff)

[bklynborn]

Well the restructure at our hospital is in its 3rd day. Many nurses have already bid on positions..................all the day jobs are gone, there were still 2 evening positions left at 3 pm and the bidding goes till 7pm.........I bid tomorrow at 8:20 looks like I may become a member of the NOC shift unless I want to transfer to another area of the hospital and I bet even those positions will be gone by the time I bid. Some nurses have already left and many more with daycare issues are applying elsewhere. The good thing (if there is one) is that the new positions won't go into effect till fall, so if I do have to become a day sleeper at least it will be cool.

[ANnot4me]

As I read this, my mouth hangs open! It makes no sense. I thought things were going the other way. The only reason I am still in nursing is that I live in California. It's no paradise, but there is progress.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I think caroladybelle is right about one thing. After a few months, there will be more "juggling around" as people decide they don't like the positions they bid for, etc. It takes a while for the dust to settle after a big shake up of any kind.

So ... if you are really interested in working there for the long-term, lay low, don't burn any bridges, and don't make hasty decisions you might regret later. Let people know what your long-term career preferences are and that you would be interested in hearing about any good opportunities that might become available. Then wait for the dust to settle a bit and see what the situation is.

Good luck,

llg

[Gomer]

Originally posted by bklynborn

all bids have been done by seniority...........................................

Ah, yes, the UNION way of doing things...."by seniority".

[KMSRN]

The nurses I know with the most "seniority" are not necessarily the best nurses or the ones I would want to retain if there had to be a choice.

[bklynborn]

amen kmsrn.........Bid heck I walked in the room and grabbed the only shift left on my floor that allowed me to keep my hours (the bill collectors are grinning).......however it is nights (I can do it, I can do it.............) the union now refers to me as "displaced" (that sounds really bad......I plan to lay low learn how the other shift works and wait it out. I really do like my job..........:)

[Berta]

dear bklynborn,

My heart really goes out to you. The company (major clothing catalog co.) that I currently work for does this quite frequently. (I work full time now and am going to school in fall fulltime). It is horrible. What they do is come up with "new schedules" to fit the "needs" of the business. What that boils down to is that they make it so that you do not get two days off in a row, or the shifts available do not meet the number of hours required to have health insurance. When we complain we are told if you don't like it there is the door. one of their favorite tricks is to have you take on more hours, then the next time shift bids come up, they cut the number of hours available and say sorry you can't go back to your original number of hours thus you get dropped from health insurance, etc. . This practice is becoming part of the norm is my area with a lot of major corporations. It is really a horrible thing.

[CseMgr1, ASN, RN]

Originally posted by caroladybelle

Time to find a new area...a new venue...

Nurses work as pharm reps, business reps, in the insurance company, home health care, travel nursing, legal assistance, MD offices, chemo clinics, dialysis clinics, blood services, community health, etc.

You can also move.

When hospitals feel that they have you over a barrel, the conditions frequently deteriorate. So even if you "survive the cuts", many times you find that you will find that you would have been better off getting the heck outta Dodge. They will attempt to cut staffing ratios and make conditions worse. Also, do you really want to work a hospital that treats its staff in this manner and will you really feel secure in that environment? I don't think so.

While we all fear/loath change, well, when G-d closes a door, he is opening a window. Something new in your life may be called for.

Also, remember, that some nurses will, for now, take their bidded positions. However, I lay odds that some of those with seniority see the writing on the wall and are looking for another position and just accepting the position for the security while they look. When they move on, well the rest will move up a notch. Also, some will not work out in their new positions.

I still think that you should consider a change of venue....in my experience, the situation that you describe usually just deteriorates more.

Honey, it ain't NO better in managed care. They've turned the company I work at into a bona fide sweatshop. Three months ago, I transferred from case management (thinking that it was going to be better....Lord, what was I thinking????) to Utilization Management, and it is a HELLHOLE. They have also reorganized, laid off, then proceeded to burn out and demoralize what staff they have left. Some of the nurses were so upset by the experience that they returned to hospital nursing, rather than stay and have some !#*& supervisor practically stand over them with a whip, and tell them WHEN and WHEN they cannot go to the bathroom!

There is NO safe haven for nurses ANYWHERE today!

[glow_worm]

where is this happening???? washington state? where??

[bklynborn]

not seattle..............there are many hospitals there

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

Originally posted by CseMgr1

Honey, it ain't NO better in managed care. They've turned the company I work at into a bona fide sweatshop. Three months ago, I transferred from case management (thinking that it was going to be better....Lord, what was I thinking????) to Utilization Management, and it is a HELLHOLE. They have also reorganized, laid off, then proceeded to burn out and demoralize what staff they have left. There is NO safe haven for nurses ANYWHERE today!

I have never had to bid on a job. And I would quit Nursing before doing so.

I have never been unemployed since becoming a nurse.

I have left jobs in which I felt abused...and seen those facilities fail miserably... and have to start offering the moon and the stars to find anyone(!) to work for them.

If a woman does not leave an abusive husband, he has no impetus to change his bad behavior.

And if we as nurses accept abusive treatment, what impetus does the system have to change?

I work hard as a nurse and I make sure that I am worth the money that I am paid. But I refuse to work for an abusive workplace. And I don't.

PS. As I am a Southern nurse and we have no unions (for the most part) so am used to fighting my own battles. And if your union permits the behavior of this hospital, well....your wasting dues and time on them. Just my opinion, no one has to agree.

[ainz]

Being displaced, re-engineered, re-structured, downsized, rightsized, laid off, etc., etc., is terrible. As I read through the replies I asked myself, why do nurses sit back and allow (yes--allow) the administration of healthcare organizations to do such things. If the hospital/organization is failing financially, it is the idiotic administration's fault for not having a solid strategy and sound financial management to be in a position to have to lay off people or whatever it is they do. They should apologize to the nurses and then resign for being so incompetent. Does this sound ridiculous? Let's look at this another way. Nurses are the backbone of a hospital. Hospital's cannot exist without them. Nurses have a skill set that differentiates them from any other profession/ semi-profession, technical worker, etc. This means nurses have power. We need to unify, identify what role we think nurses should play in the provision of healthcare, and use the political process to get laws passed that put nurses in key positions of power and decision making authority. It will not be a quick process but one that we should pursue. Why continue to sit back and take crap? Why do we need a union to speak for us? Why do we allow healthcare organizations to treat us as mere hourly employees who must be managed closely because we are expensive? When will we send the message that we contribute a unique service that no one else can do and the healthcare system cannot survive without us? How long will we allow accountants, attorneys, people with business degrees, people with the so called "healthcare administration" degree sit in key positions of power and decision making in our hospitals and other organizations when qualified nurses with additional management and finance training should be hospital CEOs, COOs, chairpersons, etc. We have the power to change things, we must realize that, organize ourselves, and get legislation passed that will change things. We do get exactly the amount of crap we are willing to take. We don't need to search for a safe haven, we need to create one. Look at the physicians, the AMA has effectively lobbied over the years and physicians have a strong hold on the healthcare system. They are in key positions of power and are very well paid for their contribution to the patient's outcome. Nurses have the power but don't realize it or know how to use it to advance themselves. Quit waiting for someone to come and save the day for nurses, it is not going to happen, we must create our own salvation.

[bklynborn]

Good replies.......thanks, HOWEVER I nurse leaving will not make any facility change its policies...................it will take ALL nurses banding together and refusing to be treated badly to change the way things are done................I am not so secure in the knowledge that this will ever happen related to the fact that we all like what we do and have families to support and bills to pay and the administration knows that.....................