Published
We have reorganized some of our staff roles. Nurses and nurse assistants are now doing their own blood draws (making a standard system wide) so our phlebotomists on nights will support until December then after that were not sure what happens to them. There have also been changes in respiratory therapy as well. Some staff got moved to different locations others were laid off. I haven't heard anything about nurses being laid off.
I am in Michigan.
Hmm - so far, Houston has not had this problem -
This is happening all over the country. Hospital volumes are dropping at an unprecedented rate and there is no end in sight. This is going on at the very same time that new (lower of course) reimbursement rates are going into effect. It's horrible.
Even when most of the eliminated positions are not nurses... it has an impact on nurses. Sometimes, it is blatant... like at Vanderbilt, where nurses are now responsible for a lot of housekeeping work ... and sometimes it's more subtle like eliminating couriers and cutting down hours for support departments. The work does not go away, it is taken on by nurses who now have to run around 'hunting and gathering' or preparing/heating meals for patients admitted after hours.
Who would have thought that one day we would refer to the 1990's as "the good old days"?????
Wow...that's first I've caught wind of anything like this going on. Going to have to keep my eyes open. I'm in Oklahoma, so far our hospitals seems to be doing well still. Lots of empty beds lately though....which is very strange for my hospital. We have definitely made lots of budget cuts thought....no over-time whatsoever.
Hmm - so far, Houston has not had this problem -This is happening all over the country. Hospital volumes are dropping at an unprecedented rate and there is no end in sight. This is going on at the very same time that new (lower of course) reimbursement rates are going into effect. It's horrible.
Even when most of the eliminated positions are not nurses... it has an impact on nurses. Sometimes, it is blatant... like at Vanderbilt, where nurses are now responsible for a lot of housekeeping work ... and sometimes it's more subtle like eliminating couriers and cutting down hours for support departments. The work does not go away, it is taken on by nurses who now have to run around 'hunting and gathering' or preparing/heating meals for patients admitted after hours.
Who would have thought that one day we would refer to the 1990's as "the good old days"?????
We have not had any problems with low volume at my hospital. In fact, most weeks we are bursting at the seems running out of places to put all of our pts. Linen closets have been turned into pt rooms, and we are in the early planning stages of a new floor, which is desparately needed. Also, when our parent corporation does financial records my hospital is always making a profit.
We have not had any problems with low volume at my hospital. In fact, most weeks we are bursting at the seems running out of places to put all of our pts. Linen closets have been turned into pt rooms, and we are in the early planning stages of a new floor, which is desparately needed. Also, when our parent corporation does financial records my hospital is always making a profit.
Happy for you. And it's "seams," not "seems."
But just so you know, your current plenitude of patients is NOT the national norm. And it may well change in short order.
roser13, ASN, RN
6,504 Posts
I posted recently that 2 out of 4 hospital systems in my city had laid off hundreds of employees. Yesterday, the 3rd system announced its several-hundred lay-offs/attrition.
Just waiting for the announcement from my system. We're the last one standing......