Company removed all chairs

Nurses General Nursing

Published

  1. Are they allowed to do this

    • 3
      Yes
    • 0
      No
    • 3
      It’s illegal
    • 35
      Find a new job

41 members have participated

The company I work for is messed up. It is a SNF They switched pharmacy to save money now we never have medications we need and even run out of Coumadin in the emergency safe. We are always short staffed and I have 26 beds and 3 CNA and they have residents in different sections as well. The facility had 22 falls in 25 days! Not on my station but there are high psych patients and they are cutting down psych meds. A lot of resident violence towards staff now company removed all chairs and are installing computers that are attached to carts permanently. They blame the nurses for everything that happens even when state was coming the head came in yelling at nurses and gave us a book and sa D we wouldn't pass another med until we get 100 percent on her test but no med errors occurred only CNA mistakes. Is this okay can they treat nurses like this? We never even take 10 min breaks. I do now since I can't rest my feet while I chart but other nurses look down on it.

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We are nurses, not lawyers ...and I suppose you could be anywhere in the world. Laws vary. In any case, that's not a job I'd stay at unless I were starving and had no better option.

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If I were you, I wouldn't care if they could or couldn't do whatever. I'd be looking for another job. They clearly do not support the nurses.

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If I were you, I wouldn't care if they could or couldn't do whatever. I'd be looking for another job. They clearly do not support the nurses.

This. Vote with your feet.

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Specializes in Critical care.

Sounds like they wouldn't hesitate to throw you under the bus. I'd run, not walk away from this job.

Best wishes!

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

Oh **** no. I would seriously consider not a two week notice, but a two minute warning.

What I would ABSOLUTELY do is

1) Call the ombudsman. Your higher ups are interfering with your med pass. They are obstructing residents' care. That's if the residents' meds are even available TO give.

Also, their policies and staffing levels were responsible for falls nearly daily, for nearly a month! Those residents are not safe!!

2) Call the dept of labor. They are guilty of verbal violence towards staff. Also, when you say you can't even take 10 min breaks -- if they don't pay you for 100% of your hours, specifically the 30 unpaid minutes for lunch, they are breaking federal labor laws.

3) call OSHA. Staff is experiencing physical violence, and denied the opportunity to sit while charting. I'm guessing there are staff with arthritis or back problems, for whom the lack of chairs will be harmful. Even for the average, reasonably healthy nurse, to not allow sitting while charting? That is a **** move. We are not working in the Victorian era, people!!

:mad: :mad: :mad:

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I vote find a new job. The post before mine is very well stated so I won't repeat it.

But even if you do all the above, don't expect immediate, satisfactory changes. The fact is, they don't give a flying fig about you. When I feel that way, I find a new situation for myself and I have done that a few times over 21 years.

I don't think it "illegal" to remove chairs, but do find it telling that a company would rather do that than increase safe ratios to help with the residents who have issues.

But I can't imagine what they did is illegal, but a crappy move that won't solve a damned thing.

So get a new job.

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Specializes in Oncology.

Chart standing up. Don't sit for 8+ hours straight. Get plantar fasciitis. Go out on comp. Milk it for all it's worth. Quit as soon as you're cleared to come back.

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Specializes in M/S, Pulmonary, Travel, Homecare, Psych..
This. Vote with your feet.

You beat me to it.

Although, I was gonna be a smarty pants about it and say "Vote with those sore feet."

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Oh **** no. I would seriously consider not a two week notice, but a two minute warning.

What I would ABSOLUTELY do is

1) Call the ombudsman. Your higher ups are interfering with your med pass. They are obstructing residents' care. That's if the residents' meds are even available TO give.

Also, their policies and staffing levels were responsible for falls nearly daily, for nearly a month! Those residents are not safe!!

2) Call the dept of labor. They are guilty of verbal violence towards staff. Also, when you say you can't even take 10 min breaks -- if they don't pay you for 100% of your hours, specifically the 30 unpaid minutes for lunch, they are breaking federal labor laws.

3) call OSHA. Staff is experiencing physical violence, and denied the opportunity to sit while charting. I'm guessing there are staff with arthritis or back problems, for whom the lack of chairs will be harmful. Even for the average, reasonably healthy nurse, to not allow sitting while charting? That is a **** move. We are not working in the Victorian era, people!!

:mad: :mad: :mad:

In addition to this get into their own offices and take their chairs. Remove chairs from the patients rooms and visitors lobby. Yeah it may be Petty but....

I'm serious, this is war. That'll get the families riled up and don't worry, that situation won't last long. Call Medicaid, you can't give safe and adequate care. Also inform the media. This is probably the only time it might be worth posting to Fakebook about your job. Please find a way to publicly identify that pighole you work in on this site as more than likely, the pigs in charge are here. I for one would relish that opportunity, Oh yeah.....what fun there would be........

And get the hell out of that pig hole. Forget about any notice, you are better off working at Walmart. Call in today and quit.

It's hard to believe that any doc is going to stand for not having a place to sit but this isn't the first time this has happened.

I really want to know who these pigs are. Good lord.

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They are probably allowed to take the chairs away but that's a guess. What they are not allowed to do is expect you to work without paying you. If you are not being paid for Xminutes of your shift put in for OT if they refuse report them to the department of labor if you care enough. That's not the real answer though. Get out of there!!!!

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Specializes in Psychiatric Nursing.

This is a very clear example of an administration that has more dollars than sense. Unsafe client care, pharmaceutical errors, unethical practices, unsupportive administration, etc. I think the previous posts give a clear messages as to what you should do. You should leave this place before you become known as "The nurse who worked for the place that the state shut down." Don't be the last rat on the ship. Find a job where you will be appreciated. The fact that you recognize the shortfalls shows that you are better than this.

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