Do you have a problem with staffing shortage?

bill4745, RN · Oct 30, 2007

I don't think there is a hospital in the entire universe that doesn't have staffing problems. And I don't think there is an administrator with normal hearing.

Zookeeper3 · Oct 30, 2007

same hospital 10 years, same units... same shortage.

the variety pack of short and long term solutions.

no relief

swee2000 · Oct 30, 2007

The floor is hectic and so busy that we all have to work overtime during the shift. It seems that administration has a deaf ear to this problem.

At times(and there's alot of them), I couldn't agree more!

Lately my hospital has been really short-staffed...or at least on my unit. It was so bad this past weekend that all the CNS nurses were told they'd be on-call. One of them, who actually came in Saturday morning vs waiting around for a phone call, made the comment "This is the first time in 8 years I've been at work on a weekend." Awww! If she only knew how many employees worked doubles Saturday &/or Sunday just so that she & the other CNS nurses wouldn't actually get a phone call.

Heck, yesterday they were so short-staffed on 2nd shift that the charge nurse asked me if I felt my orientee would be able to work an addt'l 4hrs WITHOUT a preceptor. I advised against it but she went ahead and asked him anyways. They know the poor guy is struggling to stay above water!! But because they're desperate for help &/or wouldn't think of staying later themselves, they'd rather throw the orientee(and the nurse he'd work with) under a moving bus in order to cover their butts. They did eventaully find a solution: they made a different employee, who is on light-duty with a back injury, work on the floor instead. I love my job. :uhoh3:

nurse1970 · Oct 30, 2007

I work in a hospital where there has never been a day go by that we were not short staffed somewhere in the hospital. Our staffing problem is really bad on our med/surg unit. There are usually 2 RN's to assess 30-35 patients. It happens all the time and the patient's are complaining and not receiving the care that they deserve. Administration is fully aware of this and yet, they do nothing. The other night there were 2 RN's scheduled for 32 patients....one of the RN's had 17 patients. The charge nurse on the day shift had tried to get help, but could not find anybody else to come in. The administrator on call was notified and her exact words were, "Do the best that you can." That is totally unacceptable. But what do you do? Personally, I would not have taken 17 patients but someone has to take them. I think the problem is pretty much the same everywhere.

Conrad283, BSN, RN · Oct 30, 2007

First short staffed has to be defined. I worked for 4 years in the staffing office calling staff to see if they would come in and work on their day off. I felt so bad doing it. They're tired, and work pretty hard as it is. But that's another story. I'm not a nurse yet, but I am a clerk and I see the nurses work. Just the other night (my mom is the evening supervisor and tells me all of this stuff), my floor had to work 2 nurses for 29 patients. That's just about as bad as it gets. Sometimes on the telemetry floor, in a dire situation they work 3 nurses for 50 patients (very rare).

There are sick calls everyday, they're inevitable. But sometimes they happen all at once, and that's when the administrators get backed up against the wall. They know about the staffing problems, but there's not much they can do about it right then and there. I know my hospital is constantly hiring nurses, but the problem is they're usually filling in for someone who just left, or they left 5 months ago and haven't been replaced since.

It's tough, but hopefully when it's so bad, there's only one way it can go and that's up.