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???
Specializes in Cardiothoracic Transplant Telemetry.
You should check with your BRN. I know that some of those hours are on call and that you may not have to work them, but my understanding is that you are only covered under your license for up to 16 hours. There was an issue with my other hospital when people would volunteer for double shifts for extra money. With 12 hour shifts, that amounted to a 24 hour day. Even though the extra shift was voluntary, the hospital still put a stop to the practice, and my understanding was that it was a licensure issue
And if you simply refused call what happens? It's not as if they can replace you. Dictate your terms and tell them take it or leave it. Abuse needs a victim.
Specializes in ICU;CCU;Telemetry;L&D;Hospice;ER/Trauma;.
This is an excellent way to burn out quick; make a mistake due to battle fatigue and get sued for it; learn to hate nursing in short order....I would look for something else...soon.....
Give TravMed a call, or any other travel angency....see what they have to offer....I KNOW you won't be required to work 20 hours straight....even airline pilots are not allowed to work past 12 hours....air traffic controllers, bus drivers, truck drivers....what the heck is the matter with the supervisor with the village idiot hat on thinking????
Can't just refuse call...or you get wrote up and its put on your employee file! There are a total of 7 RN's on staff in this county hospital where I work. 4 of which have been there for years...so its normal for them to put up with these hours, they think of it as thier duty to the county to keep the hospital running. This isnt the first time ive had the hours pushed, once i had the on call nurse call in unable to come in for day shift, none of the other 5 nurses would work. I called the DON, she told me I could just stay and sleep and work again that night! a triple shift !!! No sleeping gonna happen in a county hospital on a weekend dayshift..was she kidding...its ER central during that time and I would have been the only RN on! I refused called the administrator and finally she convinced another nurse to come in and cover the shift. The DON told me and another nurse that I could pull the triple shift... then later denied it !
One of the senior nurses, admitted to bein and alcoholic, and stealing morphine, injecting it into her brachial in the bathroom while at work! They reported it to KNAP for alcohol abuse, never reported the morphine...3 months later she has her narc keys back!
But yet the DON and admin refuse to advertise for more nurses...their excuse ....well then everyone would apply and we dont want the "trashy" people applying...my response to that is ...thats what the interview is for...to weed the bad ones out !
I love working in the ER so I stay merely for that, but I think its time to move on and find an agency that has local jobs! So tired of the small hospital politics! Its like this 2 of us are dam good nurses, but the rest of the staff almost makes us believe that we are the bad ones that arent "TEAM players" !
If moving is an option, come up to KC!!! I grew up in a rural area, but would not want to work at a rural hospital for the exact rasons you are describing.
There are a ton of hospitals here, and none of them expect the kind of time commitment your job is requiring.
And KUMED is a level 1 trauma center!
Good luck. The point of the game is to work to have a life, not to live just to go to work.
great advice all, but should i go for another staff job or agency traveling ?
Only you can answer that. I think you've got great experience and would be able to handle the quick orientation that being a travel nurse requires. Are you interested in moving around and seeing the States some? If it's an option for you, then travel. I loved it. Check out California with its nice staffing ratios... Arizona is also a great place to try.
Good luck... and whatever you decide, get gone from where you are now!! It's unsafe to practice like that. You're going to hurt someone due to impaired judgement from lack of sleep!
Can't just refuse call...or you get wrote up and its put on your employee file! There are a total of 7 RN's on staff in this county hospital where I work. 4 of which have been there for years...so its normal for them to put up with these hours, they think of it as thier duty to the county to keep the hospital running. This isnt the first time ive had the hours pushed, once i had the on call nurse call in unable to come in for day shift, none of the other 5 nurses would work. I called the DON, she told me I could just stay and sleep and work again that night! a triple shift !!! No sleeping gonna happen in a county hospital on a weekend dayshift..was she kidding...its ER central during that time and I would have been the only RN on! I refused called the administrator and finally she convinced another nurse to come in and cover the shift. The DON told me and another nurse that I could pull the triple shift... then later denied it !
One of the senior nurses, admitted to bein and alcoholic, and stealing morphine, injecting it into her brachial in the bathroom while at work! They reported it to KNAP for alcohol abuse, never reported the morphine...3 months later she has her narc keys back!
But yet the DON and admin refuse to advertise for more nurses...their excuse ....well then everyone would apply and we dont want the "trashy" people applying...my response to that is ...thats what the interview is for...to weed the bad ones out !
I love working in the ER so I stay merely for that, but I think its time to move on and find an agency that has local jobs! So tired of the small hospital politics! Its like this 2 of us are dam good nurses, but the rest of the staff almost makes us believe that we are the bad ones that arent "TEAM players" !
Would you rather get "written up" or lose your license?
Nightcrawler, BSN, RN
320 Posts
You should check with your BRN. I know that some of those hours are on call and that you may not have to work them, but my understanding is that you are only covered under your license for up to 16 hours. There was an issue with my other hospital when people would volunteer for double shifts for extra money. With 12 hour shifts, that amounted to a 24 hour day. Even though the extra shift was voluntary, the hospital still put a stop to the practice, and my understanding was that it was a licensure issue