slave labor

[Uptoherern]

I work in a medium sized er. Busy place. Usually am charge rn & triage rn (if not triage, I take on full assignment-4 pts., sometimes more if we are using hall beds). It is almost impossible to be responsible for an entire ER, to know what is going on, to be asked questions everytime you turn around; when you are also trying to take care of your own assignment. the last month (at least), none of us have had a lunch break......12 hours running your a@@ off, full tilt, neck breaking pace, and no food. This is ridiculous! I actually looked up on the internet to see if there is some type of board that I could complain to, and found out that the National labor board does not mandate any type of lunch/dinner break! Certain states DO, but not mine. They staff so tight, we have no one to relieve us....we are supposed to relieve each other for breaks.

Any ideas who/what I can complain to? Don't suggest mgmt. They are well aware....... and have done nothing to change this. I thought maybe state BON? would they do anything? Board of Health? any ideas?

I worked 5 days out of the last 6, (12 hours) and got a lunch break only on my last day. I was told to send a nurse home if we could. I didn't. I sent our only tech home instead. Jerks. I'm pretty sure management gets lunch breaks every day.

burning out.............

[weirdRN, RN]

NO ONE SHOULD BE LEAVING THEIR SHIFT COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED WITHOUT HAVING HAD A BREAK/LUNCH.

I can guarantee that every other employee in the facilities we work in ARE GETTING THEIR BREAKS/LUNCHS AND LEAVING ON TIME WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE NURSES. No one is critical of them. We are the rare breed where there will always be one that allows managment to make us feel inadequate for wanting a break/lunch or for c/o unreasonable workloads. Working 8 or 12hrs without a break/lunch or unable to even relieve one's bladder IS A SIGN OF A POOR WORK ENVIRONMENT.

OUR EMPLOYERS NEED TO BE MADE ACCOUNTABLE IN PROVIDING NURSES A WORKING ENVIRONMENT THAT ENABLES US TO DO OUR JOB.

I just left a long Term Care Facility and THEY blamed my lack of breaks and lunches on my POOR time management... never mind my patient case load.

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

I am complaining about having 4 patients......and being in charge.....and "watching over" the entire ER, knowing what's going on with everyone else's patients.....and answering questions from doc's and all RN's....and dealing with traffic control of incoming EMS.....and dealing with managers calling me FROM HOME! telling me to send someone home "the numbers don't justify the amt of staff".

Why aren't you complaining about taking care of 6 - 10 pts?

Don't get me wrong, most days I LIKE my job...it just gets overwhelming @ times, and I NEED to vent. This seems like a good place to do that!

If I don't get lunch, I write "No lunch" and I get paid for it. We are all writing "No lunch" so often that our manager has now made it mandatory that the charge nurse "sign off" on anyone who writes up their no lunch. we've also been informed by our beloved little snitch that she gets mad when we write up our "no lunches". tough sh*&&%t.

what I'm saying is that this is no way to treat an employee, whether it be a nurse or a widget maker. It just seems that nurses are treated like this more that the widget makers.

Been there done that, worked 14 yrs charge in fair sized ER, dealt with increasing census, lack of breaks, too many meetings on my off days, too much additional paperwork, and computer work chores associated with being in charge. Too many calls about sending people home, too much time dealing with house supervisors over getting beds for admits. After all we cant stress out the floor nurses. Working on schedling, keeping staff happy, keeping MDs happy, leeping pts happy, and no one worries about keeping me happy. If I made one group more happy than the others I got "talked to", If I didnt keep everyone happy, I got "talked too". If I stressed out house supervisors and floor nurses I got "talked too", If I didnt ensure patients got dispoed quickly, I got "talked too". Too many phone calls from way too many people, the majority of whom, truly I have to admit, I couldnt even find justification for their existence, other than to try to get to me.

But I finally beat them all, I won, I won, I won, I really did Win.

I stepped down from charge, I went back to being a staff nurse. I have my assignment. I do my assignment very well. I take care of patients,and I do that very well. I support my charge nurse, I attend far fewer meetings, Have no superfluous paperwork,computerwork,quality assurance work, none of all that BS work that gets given to charge nurses.

I leave work and it is left there at the door.

BEEN THERE

DONE THAT

NO MORE

I HAVE MY LIFE BACK

AND MY JOY OF WORK BACK

[anne74]

What's up with charge nurses have a patient load? In my hospital NONE of our charge nurses have pts - except perhaps floor nurses working the night shift, and even then they have half a load.

Charge nurses have much too much responsibility as it is - aside from administrative crap, traffic control, dealing with docs, etc. - their job is to make sure the unit runs smoothly and provide back-up and support to the staff nurses who have pts.

Shame on any hospital who abuses this position. That's ridiculous. I feel for all of you.

[chip193]

What's up with charge nurses have a patient load? In my hospital NONE of our charge nurses have pts - except perhaps floor nurses working the night shift, and even then they have half a load.

Charge nurses have much too much responsibility as it is - aside from administrative crap, traffic control, dealing with docs, etc. - their job is to make sure the unit runs smoothly and provide back-up and support to the staff nurses who have pts.

Shame on any hospital who abuses this position. That's ridiculous. I feel for all of you.

I do Charge in a 55K visit Level 2 Trauma ER at night. None of our Charge Nurses have an assignment. I do task-oriented stuff during the night (perhaps an IV here, an assessment there, etc.) but spend most of my time managing flow and mentoring the rest of the staff. There's no way that I could take an assignment and get everything else done that's expected of me!

[sonnyluv]

Go elsewhere to work

Quitting is not the answer, and neither is teeing-it-up. Stop telling people to quit and just be happy. Nurses need to fight for their rights. Man, I can't believe you just told a fellow nurse to quit instead of addressing the problem. Heck yeah she should just say no. Now lets find a legal resource for her to back it up, and hopefully not damage her reputation in the process.

Trudy- your logic is awesome. Fight the fight sister!

Erdiane: How dare they demand you sacrifice your health so they can make some bucks and continue TO NOT DO THEIR JOB AND ADDRESS STAFFING PROBLEMS. Erdiane, everytime you don't take a lunch break they get away with it and plan to do it again. Look at their faces, you can watch those wheels turn...

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

People don't wait in ERs for hours because the triage nurse don't believe them, they wait for HOURS because the ER is busy!!! How would you have felt knowing that the reason you sat in the waiting room for hours with a broken ankle in severe pain was that the nurses were taking their lunch break? My point is, we can not always take a break when there are still patients to be seen! We are allowed to take a break when the flow of the ER is not going to be interupted! We should not make waits longer for patients just so we can have our 30 minute lunch break!! AND YES, I AM A WORKAHOLIC!! I am proud to call myself a nurse. My needs may not always be met, but it is my job to make sure my patients needs are!

And why is the ER sooo busy?

Well for one thing, that broken ankle doesn't belong there. It belongs at an emergent care clinic. Or at the PCP office, where s/he orders tests and ortho consult, and gets a pain med script. Unless it is the weekend, there are plenty of cheaper, quicker options than the ER.

If the PCP can't handle it , then they go to the ER.

Second, most of the time a broken ankle is NOT AN EMERGENCY. I have repeatedly broken or sprained mine. Yes, it hurts terribly, but it still does not require emergent care. Pain is bad, but one not going to die from it. Occasionally there is an emergency case - massive trauma, compound, bones protruding - but those usually are attached to other emergent issues and come by ambulance and need major care. They are generally not "sitting in the waiting area".

One cannot ditch a code to eat, but an ankle (barring the trauma case) can WAIT.

If I come in after breaking an ankle, I do not have a problem with waiting 20-30 minutes so that my nurse can eat.

If you do not meet your own demands, you will eventually fail to meet the needs of others.

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

THEY blamed my lack of breaks and lunches on my POOR time management... never mind my patient case load.

Same here.

Of course those three mandatory inservices on proper scripting, customer service, and the brand new feeding pump that I had to schedule in also were my fault.

[DusktilDawn]

I just left a long Term Care Facility and THEY blamed my lack of breaks and lunches on my POOR time management... never mind my patient case load.

Of course the blame was placed on you. To admit otherwise would mean that the LTC you worked for would have had to take ownership for staffing inadequately.

[sonnyluv]

Working conditions are what you make of them. If you truly enjoy your job, then you will continue to do it despite the unpleasant conditions. I work short staffed most shifts, but I go to work with one goal in mind.....to provide quality care to my patients. It doesn't matter to me whether we are 1 nurse or 3 nurses short, I know that I have to do the best that I can with what I've got, and at the end of the day, I leave it all behind! I knew what I was getting into before I became a nurse.

Give me a break...literally. And you've been a nurse for all of how long?

Have you ever had another fulltime job before you became a nurse?

No offense, but "workaholic" are ALWAYS the first to burn out. Pace yourself and stop being so naive. You're not a hero responsible for the welfare of all who have to wait in the waiting room.

[NicoleRN07, RN]

Give me a break...literally. And you've been a nurse for all of how long?

Have you ever had another fulltime job before you became a nurse?

No offense, but "workaholic" are ALWAYS the first to burn out. Pace yourself and stop being so naive. You're not a hero responsible for the welfare of all who have to wait in the waiting room.

Let's see.....I began working when I was 16 years old. I started working a full time job after high school so I could pay my way through nursing school, and halfway support myself, so yes, I have quite a bit of work experience other than nursing! I guess I was just raised differently than all of you. Whining and complaining gets you no where in life! I am a happy person, and I do not dwell on the negatives in life or my job!!! If I did, I would probably be a psych patient! I love nursing, and I am thankful that I have a job that I don't dread going to everyday!! Not many people can say that! I may have only had 7 years nursing experience thus far, but I am not naive!! I know my limits, and I do not need anyone to tell me what they are or judge me for my personal opinions.

When one person complains, it starts a chain reaction. All of your peers begin to complain about working conditions, management, staffing, breaks, etc, etc, etc, thus decreasing the morale of everyone around you. That's what's wrong with nursing! Unhappy nurses make even more unhappy nurses, and I am not willing to sacrifice my happiness in my career for anyone!!

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

Let's see.....I began working when I was 16 years old. I started working a full time job after high school so I could pay my way through nursing school, and halfway support myself, so yes, I have quite a bit of work experience other than nursing! I guess I was just raised differently than all of you. Whining and complaining gets you no where in life! I am a happy person, and I do not dwell on the negatives in life or my job!!! If I did, I would probably be a psych patient! I love nursing, and I am thankful that I have a job that I don't dread going to everyday!! Not many people can say that! I may have only had 7 years nursing experience thus far, but I am not naive!! I know my limits, and I do not need anyone to tell me what they are or judge me for my personal opinions.

When one person complains, it starts a chain reaction. All of your peers begin to complain about working conditions, management, staffing, breaks, etc, etc, etc, thus decreasing the morale of everyone around you. That's what's wrong with nursing! Unhappy nurses make even more unhappy nurses, and I am not willing to sacrifice my happiness in my career for anyone!!

Really thats very nicely put.

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

DUDE!

Quitting is not the answer, and neither is teeing-it-up. Stop telling people to quit and just be happy. Nurses need to fight for their rights. Man, I can't believe you just told a fellow nurse to quit instead of addressing the problem. Heck yeah she should just say no. Now lets find a legal resource for her to back it up, and hopefully not damage her reputation in the process.

Trudy- your logic is awesome. Fight the fight sister!

Erdiane: How dare they demand you sacrifice your health so they can make some bucks and continue TO NOT DO THEIR JOB AND ADDRESS STAFFING PROBLEMS. Erdiane, everytime you don't take a lunch break they get away with it and plan to do it again. Look at their faces, you can watch those wheels turn...

One Im not a dude, Im Bubba

two, quitting can be very effective

three Teeing it up is highly effective, cant even imagine why you wouldnt be able to understand that.

Remember " Live to fight another day"