Feeling Betrayed and Cheated

Editorial Team / Admin · Aug 27, 2005

I need to get this out. Our "hospital" just closed our floor which contains pediatrics. Most of the staff will be sent to a floor that has no feeling or caring as we do on Peds. There is about 2O of us and if someone hadn't gotten on the phone and told everyone we would all be not knowing what is going on. We feel betrayed and cheated. Just to be shoved off to a floor without discussions or caring what happened, no explaination at all. Talk about screwed we are there. Many of the girls can't quit because of the insurance. You mention Union and you get fired. Sooooooooo what can we do. They are moving Peds to a dark corner of the hospital and some of us will take care of the kids if any. Otherwise we will be put on a floor of very rude and nasty people. I gave this place 14 years of my life and several have given more.
Stuck in Western Illinois because i have to have a job:angryfire

Hi. I thought you were a newbie on the site when I saw this and now realize you have been here a while.

I am sorry about your situation. I can imagine how that must feel. Yes, truly unfair that you have no choice in the matter.

How about posting a new thread since this is an introduction thread now?

Might get more response.......IMHO :balloons:

VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN · Aug 28, 2005

I have moved your post to the General Nursing Forum where it will have better exposure. I am very sorry for your situation.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Aug 28, 2005

I'm sorry for your situation.

Perhaps it's just rumor, vicious gossip, or heresay that the floor you're going to is full of rude and nasty people that don't care as much about patients as you do.

Try to ditch the attitude that they are like that. Sure if you look for that kind of attitude and approach that unit with that attitude you're going to find it and have a rough time.

But perhaps if you open your mind, you might find there's a few good nurses there and the nasty ones are just a couple that give the entire unit a bad rep.

We combined with the neuro once and they thought of us as 2nd class nurses and it didn't go well because they arrived with preconcieved negative attitudes. It wasn't our fault their unit was closed (temporarily) and they were unhappy to start with and it rubbed off. They were the ones with the bad attitude, not us.

Anyway, I certainly understand your feelings. It doesn't sound like this was handled properly at all and that your being treated like cattle. Best of luck to you.

Trauma Columnist · Aug 28, 2005

You say you are in Western Illinois? Well, how about coming to Peoria? I work there and am very very happy. I work in the ER but have interaction with the peds nurses and they too seem happy. Our hospital is growing - it might just be worth your while to look elsewhere. I would guess that you are near the QC? Good luck - there are peds jobs in Illinois.

DusktilDawn · Aug 28, 2005

Hi Dragonfair,

A few years ago (about '95) the hospital (Hospital A) I was employed at amalgamated with another hospital that was later closed (Hospital B). Both hospitals were unionized. Employees at both facilities that had been FT 10 years or less were laid off. Alot of the employees at Hospital B had much high seniority than staff at my hospital, therefore more employees at Hospital A wound up being laid off. Big time anamosity in the atmosphere. Some employees from hospital B "bumped" onto my unit. For a time it was not a good working situation between the staffs from 2 different hospitals. It was like working in a den of pitbulls with lipstick. There was bad behavior from both sides. Within 6 months on the unit I was on, people started to get along once they started to get to know each other. In a few more months, you would have thought we had known each other for years.

What I felt was the biggest factor in all this bad behavior was the fact that people took these layoffs personally. It was like this: J "bumped" T out of a job so let's hate her, it's her fault T doesn't have a job. The fact of the matter was J had no choice (unless she chose to quit) but to "bump" someone out of a position. She had no choice about losing her former position either. J may have been an OB nurse for the last 20 years and despite loving that job, now had to take a position on a med/surg floor, an area quite different from what she was used to.

All employees at both hospitals felt betrayed and cheated. So what your feeling isn't unusual.

Certainly management could have handled your situation better than they have. They chose not too. I don't blame you for being angry about that.

"We will be sent to a floor that has no feeling or caring as we do on Peds"
"we will be put on a floor of very rude and nasty people"

Now you're making it personal. You make it personal and you're right, I don't expect you'll like it much there.

If you give these people a fair chance, they may actually give you a fair chance. If you give these people a chance you may find that you actually like them.

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Aug 28, 2005

Once again I see how an administration of a facility has not handled a situation properly. They rarely inform the affected employee's of this type of huge change. Why? The administrations do not want to deal with disgruntled employee's calling off, requesting transfers to open positions, calling for a union rep to meet with administration to make sure all pending moves are done approitately. Now that has been said, please take a few minutes to think about your post. Not every nurse on this unit that you are merging with is nasty. Not every nurse is rude or uncaring on that unit either. Have you considered that this merger will force some schedule changes on these nurses? Cut down on overtime that one or two depend on regularily? Place a heavier work load on these experienced med/surg nurses until the peds nurses get familiar and comfortable taking care of adult patients? Perhaps the HN of your unit and the HN of the med/surg unit could get together and plan an all day open house for the staff . Have coffee and cookies, get a chance to meet each other, meet the CN, explain one or two things specific to that unit. Perhaps this med/surg HN could take the time to talk to the peds nurses to find out their specific needs, fears, feelings regarding this big move. I have gone through this type of situation, not once but twice and I know the feelings you are having. In the end, I had to adjust my attitude, accept I had no choice but to move to the other unit, and attempt to learn and to be an independent, skilled nurse as quickly as possible. I wish you luck on this move and I am sure you will be settled and secure on the new unit in a short time if you maintain a positive attitude regarding a situation out of your control.