There is currently a palpable low morale among the nurses in the very large teaching hospital where I work. Quite a few seasoned nurses have been fired for seemingly frivolous reasons. Working hard, well-liked, never call in, have never been in trouble and suddenly fired. Many nurses say they are trying to find new jobs because they are afraid they will be suddenly fired.
This issue was brought up in a staff meeting. We were told that there were good reasons why these nurses had been fired. If we wanted to find new jobs they would be glad to give us good references. Many have left over this issue.
To make it more confusing. The CNO is verbally asking, trying to determine why they cannot retain RN's? Stating it's so expensive to orient nurses and then they leave for no good reason. All are afraid to speak up for fear of getting fired by their manager. Seems as though the managers and the administration are not on the same page.
It seems they should be on the exact same page. They go to the same meetings regarding staff, staffing and budgets. What would explain the difference?
Specializes in Med-Surg, Oncology, Neurology, Rehab.
There is currently a palpable low morale among the nurses in the very large teaching hospital where I work. Quite a few seasoned nurses have been fired for seemingly frivolous reasons. Working hard, well-liked, never call in, have never been in trouble and suddenly fired. Many nurses say they are trying to find new jobs because they are afraid they will be suddenly fired.
This issue was brought up in a staff meeting. We were told that there were good reasons why these nurses had been fired. If we wanted to find new jobs they would be glad to give us good references. Many have left over this issue.
To make it more confusing. The CNO is verbally asking, trying to determine why they cannot retain RN's? Stating it's so expensive to orient nurses and then they leave for no good reason. All are afraid to speak up for fear of getting fired by their manager. Seems as though the managers and the administration are not on the same page.
It seems they should be on the exact same page. They go to the same meetings regarding staff, staffing and budgets. What would explain the difference?
I think it is one of the saddest things in nursing that those who work so hard give so much compassion, sacrifice and when one gets older they are replaced! The NM's who are doing this were once bedside nurses themselves and it seems as though the bottom line for them is M-O-N-E-Y! I don't see how I can recommend anyone to go into nursing just because they think have a secure job. That is no longer true. Like teachers they should go into this field because they love it. The teachers should get much better pay for what they have to put up with. This country no longer cares for the working person. These politicians only care about themselves, and how they can always make a fast buck. Why is it that the USA is the best country in the universe that here in American we have children who go to bed hungry. This should not exist! Why is it with the best techonology in the world we still have such a high rate of patient death due to errors. This should not be happening!!
California has a 5:1 patient ratio on a med-surg unit, and 1:1 in ICU! This should be the norm over the entire USA, but in Florida now they are giving ICU nurses 3 patients and these are patients who are very ill and should still have 1:1. They have info about errors and how to reduce the error rate yet they do not care, saving money is the bottom line and screw patient safety!
We must stand together and make a change! I know that is easier said than done.
There are laws on the book that protect older workers but management has found a way to get around that by firing nurses for trivial things. I believe that one day those who mistreat others for the bottom line will one day themselves have to face the "music"!!
Nurses CAN AND SHOULD contact the EEOC and file a complaint. Attorneys will not take an age discrimination case until the EEOC has investigated, and found just cause for the complaint.
The above employees who were fired in an obvious age discrimination situation, lost pensions, etc, should not just sit idly, wringing their hands. They should take action immediately, and contact the EEOC, as there is a Statute of Limitations that needs to be met.
Nurses are easy targets in the work place, because most of you are not unionized, and have little, if any power in the workplace. I hope that all of the anti union nurses on this listserve will stand up and take notice. Being nice, doing a good job, being loyal, will not keep you from being shown the door when the mood strikes the PTB. Heard enough? Then do something about it before you are next!!
Call the NNOC and the National Nurses United, and get the ball rolling. The only thing you have to fear, is losing you job because of discrimination.
JMHO and my NY $0.02.
Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN
Somewhere in the PACNW.
I'm "only" in my forties, but have been an RN >20 years. Due the massive upheaval in restructuring at our hospital, it's only union intervention that I still have a job...for now. I'm at the upper end of the pay scale and have been watching my cohorts disappear one by one over the last year.
It's become obvious I have a target on my back despite my good work-record. If they still want me gone, they'll eventually find a way. However... I'm taking notes. :)
Very sad really, as I've always held this facility in high regard, and is the reason I've stayed on ten years. But it's becoming clear that my value lies not in my expertise, but in my cost vs benefit ratio.
I'm "only" in my forties, but have been an RN >20 years. Due the massive upheaval in restructuring at our hospital, it's only union intervention that I still have a job...for now. I'm at the upper end of the pay scale and have been watching my cohorts disappear one by one over the last year.
It's become obvious I have a target on my back despite my good work-record. If they still want me gone, they'll eventually find a way. However... I'm taking notes. :)
Very sad really, as I've always held this facility in high regard, and is the reason I've stayed on ten years. But it's becoming clear that my value lies not in my expertise, but in my cost vs benefit ratio.
We older nurse are throw away people. All our knowledge that we got over the years is worth nothing except I can say with out me being a nurse 46 people (I keep count) would be dead and that no CEO,DON, Supervisor or any one else can take away from me.
It took me 26 years to learn that high paid nurses are the first to be fired when the
hospital budget starts to crunch numbers. I hired an attorney and he said you can't believe how many nurses have said this to me. So wake up nurses, is there any thing we can do
about this common practice. I've learned to insist on peer reviews. Its not uncommon
for a nurse manager to give a high paid nurse a severly poor yealy review in preparation
to fire her/him. There is no protection or honest support for nurses in the hospital setting.
Nurses who cross into management no longer are loyal to nursing but to the corporate
staff salaries come out of the unit budget. yours wouldn't be the first nm to fire senior nurses at the top of the pay scale so that they can hire two new grads in their place. it's rather short sighted -- new grads don't stay very long usually, and the senior nurse probably would have stayed much longer and can precept the new grads hired to replace those hired last year who have already left.
I worked for sutter for 20 years and as soon as I got to 55,my manager suddenly starts writing me up for thee most tiniest of issues that nobody else was getting written up for,so I started working like a dog trying to be as perfect as possible,so she started making up stuff that also was extremely small and totally made up,then they started to make insane demands of me.finally they fired me.I hope anyone who takes part in this evil practice burns in hell forever.now noone will hire me because of my age.my wife is disabled(no ssi) and i have a mentally retarted blind daughter. We are now on welfare and lost our home.please dont work for sutter health.they are evil!!
jtmarcy12, BSN, RN
220 Posts
I think it is one of the saddest things in nursing that those who work so hard give so much compassion, sacrifice and when one gets older they are replaced! The NM's who are doing this were once bedside nurses themselves and it seems as though the bottom line for them is M-O-N-E-Y! I don't see how I can recommend anyone to go into nursing just because they think have a secure job. That is no longer true. Like teachers they should go into this field because they love it. The teachers should get much better pay for what they have to put up with. This country no longer cares for the working person. These politicians only care about themselves, and how they can always make a fast buck. Why is it that the USA is the best country in the universe that here in American we have children who go to bed hungry. This should not exist! Why is it with the best techonology in the world we still have such a high rate of patient death due to errors. This should not be happening!!
California has a 5:1 patient ratio on a med-surg unit, and 1:1 in ICU! This should be the norm over the entire USA, but in Florida now they are giving ICU nurses 3 patients and these are patients who are very ill and should still have 1:1. They have info about errors and how to reduce the error rate yet they do not care, saving money is the bottom line and screw patient safety!
We must stand together and make a change! I know that is easier said than done.
There are laws on the book that protect older workers but management has found a way to get around that by firing nurses for trivial things. I believe that one day those who mistreat others for the bottom line will one day themselves have to face the "music"!!