Called in on days off...what to do?!?

[Kalypso22]

Hello All!

My situation is a little different because I am a "supervisor" on a medsurg floor at a very small hospital. Basically I take patients and deal with any issues that arise on the nights I'm there. I work 6 on and 8 off, which was a huge reason to take the position. However we are extremely understaffed and the answer from upper management has been , "everyone will have to pick up."

I'm relatively new to this hospital I've been there 5 months and it has been like this the whole time. I have picked up extra shifts where there were holes, usually one or two on my 8 days off but now nurses are calling off in addition to the holes that are already there. I suspect burnout from constantly working overtime.

I feel guilty saying no because I am a "supervisor" though my time away is important too. I work my six in a row and feel like adding more is too much at one time. I don't know what to do. I like my job but I don't want it to be my life. It's frustrating because nothing is being done about the staffing. Should I just suck it up and work?

Thanks!

[Tenebrae, BSN, RN]

I pick up if i can, however otherwise say no.

I have works number in my cell, so if it rings I can choose whether I want to answer it. And I dont feel at all guilty.

[nutella, MSN, RN]

It's just very frustrating. Management keeps sending out emails about how everyone needs to think of the TEAM. They are offering $5 per hour shift incentive but even with that no one has picked up. To top it all off my manager went on vacation for a week and a half....not that everyone doesn't deserve a vacation but that doesn't seem very team like. I am so over feeling guilty about not wanting to go in on my day off.ugh.

This kind of scenario and expectation from higher management/admin is why I left management. They literally pressure the "middle manager" into burning out staff. And, this was also the reason I left community palliative and hospice care as a nurse.

At my previous job, the manager did exactly that - calling for the "team" spirit and nurses around me would pick up like crazy. But everybody burned out and people who had worked there for a long time left. And you get a revolving door that way quickly too and things do not improve.

I can only second what others have said - as long as nurses continue to enable management by picking up shifts when it is not occasional but actually used as a tactic to deal with fluctuating census.

I think it is ok to fill holes when there is a sudden call out or multiple factors - but a facility has to have a contingency plan and plan for times in which census is higher than normal or staff is out for vacation.

It is inappropriate to guilt trip people and pressure them into working extra.

I would not feel obligated to react to any of those emails or calls. They just do not want to hire more staff and will continue to burn out everybody until people stop enabling that.

[Guest219794]

Hello All!

My situation is a little different because I am a "supervisor" on a medsurg floor at a very small hospital. Basically I take patients and deal with any issues that arise on the nights I'm there. I work 6 on and 8 off, which was a huge reason to take the position. However we are extremely understaffed and the answer from upper management has been , "everyone will have to pick up."

I'm relatively new to this hospital I've been there 5 months and it has been like this the whole time. I have picked up extra shifts where there were holes, usually one or two on my 8 days off but now nurses are calling off in addition to the holes that are already there. I suspect burnout from constantly working overtime.

I feel guilty saying no because I am a "supervisor" though my time away is important too. I work my six in a row and feel like adding more is too much at one time. I don't know what to do. I like my job but I don't want it to be my life. It's frustrating because nothing is being done about the staffing. Should I just suck it up and work?

Thanks!

It's not a question of "sucking it up". It's a question of meeting your obligations. You know nursing isn't for everyone, and if you aren't willing to pitch in.....

Nah- just kidding. but, you already know the answer to the question.

If they want more than you have to offer, they may need to find somebody else. If you want more than they have to offer, (They offer manipulation and dishonesty) you may need to find a different employer.

But, at least they used the term "everyone will have to pick up." So, clearly management is helping out on the floor. Even the ones that aren't nurses are coming in to help out when staffing is short, right? You don't need a lisenceto get meal trays and clean up poop.