Aahhhh!!!!

[StrwbryblndRN]

I was not sure how to title this thread so I just wrote what I felt.

I am a new nurse. I have been off orientation about 3 months and I am doing well. I work overnight/weekends in order to be with my kids on the weekdays. I get one child from daycare around noon and wait for the other to get home from kindergarten on the bus. Upon hire I gave my manager very specific reason why I could not work week nights but with advanced notice would be happy to do so. This way I could make arrangements or my husband can rearrange his schedule. This would be a win/win for everyone. Because it would be extra money at premium pay for me and a shift would be filled for work. I have commited previously to other nights when asked so I know it's been done)

Last week I worked 2 extra shifts and about killed myself doing so. They were desperate and I wanted to accommodate. However I have had to turn them down every night this week. I want to feel bad and know when I go in on Friday night I will have the same issue as others who worked before me. But I can't accommodate them on a regular basis because they can't get the schedule right.

Now I love this floor and my manager is great. Just staffing is the issue. Up until a month ago we always had someone pulled or canceled from our floor. We need more nurses now because we are now private rooms but to keep the same # beds we took over the other half of the floor and so we have two nursing stations to cover and require at least 4 nurses no matter what. (2 for each nursing station)

However, on this past schedule one of the days I was schedule as the only nurse for one nursing station for a total of 15 pt's. Now why in the world would they wait to cover the missing shifts till the last minute. They know what has been going on. I know I am new but am I missing something. (By the way, they just called to ask to come in. I let them know why I couldn't and if they need me next week to let me know)

I can't be called constantly to come in with less than 24 hours notice when this shortage is obvious on the schedule up to three weeks in advance!!!!! Hence my title of the thread AAAHHHHH!!!!.

I know many of you have gone through this and have probably vented in previous posts. I just wanted to put my issue out there too since I know this site is great place to let it all out.

Thank You for hearing me out.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Maddening isn't it?

My manager posts a sign up sheet for overtime about two weeks in advance. Sometimes there are three slots available for a shift and I look and only one nurse is on the schedule.......what is she thinking in the first place?

[biker nurse]

This happens alot everywhere I've worked:trout:

[swee2000]

This happens alot everywhere I've worked

Also happens quite often at my hospital. In fact, last week Thursday I was asked to stay late & work an extra 4-1/2hrs....the nice part was that they waited until I only had 45 minutes left of my regularly scheduled shift before they asked me. Talk about ARGHGHHHH!!!

And I feel bad when I can't help out but also get tired of always being the one asked.

[patwil73]

As a supervisor who works constantly with staffing, this appears to be a common problem - I know we see it every day. The problem starts with the fact that most hospitals don't have adequate staff to cover their units. This is not to say they are not trying, but often they simply don't get enough candidates to fill positions.

Second, at least at my hospital staff can call in sick up to 2 hrs prior to a shift. Unfortunately that is the same time staffing has to cancel people if they feel they are overstaffed. So if they have to cancel 5 people they start a bit early (otherwise you have to pay them 4 hrs) and then they get that last second sick call. I know a lot of people who are waiting to see if they feel better, but honestly if you are considering not coming in because you are sick, calling very early is much better. We try to ask the floors if anyone wants to stay over mid-way through the shift if we feel we are going to be short, but sometimes (make that a lot) emergencies come up and we are begging with an hour to go.

Their is simply not enough agency staff to fill in all the hospital holes. Wednesday morning I personally called 25 agencies to find help, while the staffer called staff who weren't working to beg people to come in. No takers! All agency staff was already booked. We have letters out to every agency asking for contracted positions, but are finding it difficult to fill the positions.

We have a float pool, but since the staff we have is inadequate to the number of beds, we find we are using float pool to cover what should be regularly scheduled shifts, instead of using them to cover sick calls, inservice, and vacations. Managers will often assume if they are short on a day we can use float pool to cover, forgetting that 6 other units might be short on the same day.

As much as people might not believe it managers are very busy during the day (at least at my hospital). They either make the schedule, or have a staff nurse do so and they sign off on it. However then a nurse might come with a change request, or an inservice, or a mandatory I need my BLS, etc and they might miss that taking them off will leave their unit short.

Staffing is often understaffed with multiple responsibilites (at my hospital they do staffing and correct time cards) so they have to balance staffing the shift with making sure you get paid correctly. As they are trying to find staff for holes, they are constantly called by 1) staff asking where they are working 2) staff asking if they are working (if we don't call they are supposed to come in) 3) agencies asking if we have needs that morning (they don't have staff for us, they are just calling to see if we have need) - so it is often a mad rush to get staffing set. As they are understaffed they don't have the time to "look ahead" and see if there are shortages on upcoming days.

Because of all this it is practically impossible to ask someone if they are willing to work "next week". We simply don't know that far in advance.

Hope this helps,

Pat

[miss_anneRN]

i too work nights/weekends so i can be home w/ my kids all week.

just say no to extra shifts......

unless it's to your benefit and works out with the family.

as long as you're showing up for your shifts then you should not feel guilty. never feel guilty for saying no to OT.

go to your manager with a few suggestions for change. i never go to the manager to ***** unless i have some ideas on how to change the situation.

we also have open shifts posted on the bottom of the new schedule so we have up to 4wks to fill in holes. (our schedules display 4wks at a time and come out 2wks before wk #1). if you truly do luv the mngr then it should be easy to initiate communication about this.

good luck

[ShayRN]

Two words: Caller ID;)