Aggressive staffing person at LTC

echoRNC711, BSN · Oct 19, 2012

[psu-213Personally, I would would stay away from the 'harassment' comment...no reason to bait them
My reasoning for actually saying "harassement " is this person sounds like a bully. Bullies thrive on fear so they need to called out on this so they get the message that you will no longer respond fearfully.
I do agree that screening calls is effective. However if that means you spend the rest of the day worrying then a more direct approach is needed to stop the calls completely.

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Oct 19, 2012

And if the scheduler didn't call EVERYONE to see if you'd come in, you'd complain that you had to work short and no one even tried to fill the open slot.

PMFB-RN, RN · Oct 20, 2012

My cell phone is set up to ring with a different sound if it is my employer. I think most phones can be set up that way. As soon as it rings I know it's work calling. If I am in the mood to do OT I will answer. If not it goes to voice mail. I can't imagine why you are even answering the phone. Before the days of cell phones I used to let an answering machine screen my calls.

allnurses Guide · Oct 20, 2012

"No. See you Thursday."

evolvingrn, BSN, RN · Oct 20, 2012

Just say no. you aren't going to get fired for saying no.............their short as it is. We are very short staffed right now and when i know that i don't want to work i will tell them while im at work and they will code it by my name so that shows im not available.

WhereIsMyCallBell · Oct 20, 2012

Deja.. dejaa Vuu ! I feel your pain and your frustration. Boy, oh boy sounds so familiar... I left that job, I was so over it after being "bullied" into covering other peoples shifts constantly. Now I am working at a facility that understands and tries to give us our time off to get the R & R we need to be the kind of nurses they WANT working for them. It's refreshing. Really, look around and see if there are any other LTC facilities in your area that may have a more positive mgmt. team. Change is hard sometimes, but alot of the time it is SO worth it!

And btw... caller ID is a wonderful thing! :) Keep your chin up.

Novo · Oct 20, 2012

How hard is it to say no? Practice in the mirror. NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO...

jwhite502 · Oct 20, 2012

I'm so tired of LTC. You nurse 20 residents and get paid 17 dollars a hour. I been a LPN for 5 1/2 years and I worked in 5 different nursing homes. You can't grow in nursing homes as a nurse. Administration in nursing homes is not trying to help you with any skills, if you make a simple mistake, they are ready to write you up and fire you instead reminding you of the correct way to do things. That's why nursing homes have such a turn around rate with staffing and so much abuse in nursing homes. LTC residents deserve consistency with familiar faces, same nurses and CNAs. Not everytime they wake up, the nurse they got fimilar with is replaced with a different nurse. Nursing Homes is supposed to be their home. Who wants a new stranger in their home every other week? Because of all these reasons, I have turned my back on LTC. I use to love caring for the elderly in nursing homes. I enrolled back in school to try to get my RN. I'm ready to for the next level in my nursing career and I'm ready to be a leader in nursing care. Thanks to LTC, I been inspired to do more to help people. I am a patient advocate, and I take that title serious.

ImKosher · Oct 20, 2012

*phone rings

Me: Danny's Dry cleaning business how may I help you?

Steve: Rob? You started a business?

Me: No. Just needed to make sure your not staffing trying to call me in.

Easy as that. You should even go as far as to say that your on the Do Not Call list. He might as well be a telemarketer.

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Oct 20, 2012

Just say you can't make it. It's my day off and I have appointments, I am helping in my child's classroom today, I have no transportation, I whatever comes to mind that you can remember IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE TO EXPLAIN, WHICH YOU DON'T.

Just say you have plans for your day off, sorry I can't help you today.

Best of all, of course, is an answering machine so you can screen your calls.

Grow up, new friend BlackCat99. Yeah, I know it's tough sometimes to say no. So just avoid the whole issue by having a good answering machine. The best part is that, once the staffer knows you are saying "no" and he can't bully you, he will quit calling you. Of course, you might not get all the OT you want, but that is another battle for another day. Who decides who works Christmas?

I wish you the best.

CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN · Oct 30, 2012

And if the scheduler didn't call EVERYONE to see if you'd come in, you'd complain that you had to work short and no one even tried to fill the open slot.

Sometimes you can't win. Esp when it gets to the staff in a union. Around the holidays they like the calls to come in and darn it, if you don't call them in seniority order, I get flack for that. It gets old calling people when you know that they are overworked and tired already, but it is a necessary evil part of my job as a weekend supervisor.

Its all in the approach thought, I normally end up apoligizing for the intrusion on their day off, but we had a call off and I was calling to see if you were able or interested in coming in. The OP and many others, are not talking about this type of call, but the harrassing ones. I've had one before in my 17+ yrs and it was from my administrator who told me it was my "duty to come in"....um...no, I was part time and would sometimes come in when called (if I was able to).

Does the DON or ADM know how rude or harrassing the calls are?

ktwlpn, LPN · Oct 30, 2012

We suffered cut backs and job eliminations last year so in place of several full time positions our PRN staff was expanded and it's a huge pool,now. We also have several good dependable regulars that come in from an agency.We were recently informed that we (regular full time staff) are not to ask any of the pool folks to work for us-they are NOT for our convenience.