Am I Just Bein a Baby or should i quit ???

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Ok heres the deal. I have worked at a county hospital now for 3 1/2 yrs. Have only given the staff raises once in the three yr time frame. Very short staffed as all hospitals are and being small rural setting means you specialize in all fields, med/surg, ER, OB, PEDS....ok you get the drift right...rural hospital setting. I love my job but here is the story.

We are required to take 7 days of call time a month, which ends up being more than that every month. I've had to take 20 days of call before. Wanna know what we get paid for that .....10 $ a day !!!! It also means that you work your scheduled shift and whatever happens to need filled as well plus emergencies. Must be reached and able to make it to the hospital in 30 min ! For instance, I'm supposed to work a 12hr night shift tommorrow, I just got a call that i have to go in at 1pm for surgery coverage as well ...that means a 19-20 hr shift!!!! Not voluntary..its required!!! I tell my boss....you know thats a 20 hr shift right...she giggles and says ...welcome to our world! ***! I could handle it if it was an occasional thing, but this is a weekly thing with the place!

I just gotta add....we get to work with Dr's that cant tell the difference between a Left BBB and a ST elevation of a tombstone ! They sent him to acls class for that after i wrote it up!

But so you get both sides of the story... I work weekends.... all but one a month. Generally work 3- 12 hr shifts a week until my one weekend off then i get a 10 day stretch off. So yea i do get a break but as far as social life...lol there is none. I do get paid time and a half for weekends. So that part of my job is great!

So here's my question...am i being a whiney baby or is it time to move on....and anyone know what the best agency/traveling nurse places are in kansas???

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Specializes in Nursing Home ,Dementia Care,Neurology..

I'd say if you've got somewhere else to go,go for it! You are not a robot,could your boss do a 20 hour shift? If the answer is no then why should you be expected to.

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Get gone.

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I wouldn't put up with that. No employer should expect employees' lives to revolve around work.

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Specializes in Government.

I think the on call aspect is sloppy and poorly thought out. It probably grew out of an informal system and now is "the way it is". I wouldn't be able to accept that. It isn't professional or safe. Anyone who is on call that much should get a significant salary bump for the inconvenience. 10$ is an insult.

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Specializes in transplant case management.

Get out NOW! I know that there is no way, I could give competent care if I was working a 20 hour shift. I for one worked way to hard for my license.

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Crazy thing is ...everyone i work with has been there 10+ yrs...so they think this is normal to work hours like that...or "we must help out the hospital" But the bosses dont think of ya like family...just a warm body to cover a shift!

So what are the top agencies ?

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Specializes in Case Management.

A 20 hour shift is unsafe. Leave.

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Stay put for now. Until you have another job in view, being unemployed in a rural area where jobs are few is not a good idea.

In your position, you have time to really look around to see what nursing jobs are available nearby, decide how far you are willing to commute, and if conditions/pay/schedule are better elsewhere.

If you find another job, you can leave on good terms with your current employer. If a new job does not work out, you have not burned your bridges.

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

This, unfortunately, is what happens when you live in a rural area and the hospital is the only one around. They kind of have a monopoly on you. I know of one hospital like this where the nurses had finally had enough, asked for help from their state nurses association and went on strike. It pretty much crippled the hospital and they bent to the nurses demands.

I think you're stuck. Have you considered moving into or commuting to a larger city? Where there are several hospitals in operation, there tends to be more competition for nurses so these kinds of things don't go on. I used to live in KC and knew several people who worked in rural KS hospitals so I know what you are dealing with.

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Specializes in Addictions, Corrections, QA/Education.

Thats just crazy to even think that a 20 hour shift is safe. Its not. First thing... NO you are not a baby, you seem to want to practice safe and competent nursing and second thing...

RUN! Get out of there!!

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Ok heres the deal. I have worked at a county hospital now for 3 1/2 yrs. Have only given the staff raises once in the three yr time frame. Very short staffed as all hospitals are and being small rural setting means you specialize in all fields, med/surg, ER, OB, PEDS....ok you get the drift right...rural hospital setting. I love my job but here is the story.

We are required to take 7 days of call time a month, which ends up being more than that every month. I've had to take 20 days of call before. Wanna know what we get paid for that .....10 $ a day !!!! It also means that you work your scheduled shift and whatever happens to need filled as well plus emergencies. Must be reached and able to make it to the hospital in 30 min ! For instance, I'm supposed to work a 12hr night shift tommorrow, I just got a call that i have to go in at 1pm for surgery coverage as well ...that means a 19-20 hr shift!!!! Not voluntary..its required!!! I tell my boss....you know thats a 20 hr shift right...she giggles and says ...welcome to our world! ***! I could handle it if it was an occasional thing, but this is a weekly thing with the place!

I just gotta add....we get to work with Dr's that cant tell the difference between a Left BBB and a ST elevation of a tombstone ! They sent him to acls class for that after i wrote it up!

But so you get both sides of the story... I work weekends.... all but one a month. Generally work 3- 12 hr shifts a week until my one weekend off then i get a 10 day stretch off. So yea i do get a break but as far as social life...lol there is none. I do get paid time and a half for weekends. So that part of my job is great!

So here's my question...am i being a whiney baby or is it time to move on....and anyone know what the best agency/traveling nurse places are in kansas???

Time to move on. I believe you deserve better!

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