FMC staffing policies

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I am a new employee of FMC. I am being told that any PTO I have scheduled can and will be rescinded if the clinical manager needs to be away (meetings, personal time etc.) I certainly understand the need to keep the unit appropriately staffed. However, I recently found myself in an unsafe stafffing situation due to techs on PTO and manager needed to attend a meeting. When I inquired as to why a tech didn't have to rescend PTO to maintain adequate staffing ( as I am required to do), I was told "because you are a nurse". I was also informed that this level of staffing would occur in the future and if I didn't like it I should turn in my resignation.

Is this FMC policy or unit specific policy? I am having difficulty finding the answer to this question.

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I feel that the staff RN(s) get the short end of the stick, so to speak, especially if you are the only nurse beside the clinical mgr. The RN is required to fill in for the PCT when they are off, but if the CM can't fill in for you then you can't have off. I was once informed that I couldn't have my vacation time off, that had been approved months in advance, because of a meeting that she had to attend. Well guess what....I went on my vacation as planned. Staffing coverage is NOT my responsibility. Staffing is cut so short that it is a chronic problem with this company. I do not believe there is a written policy about this matter.

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This is the reason I left, too. We got more and more patients, added more shifts of patients to the day and they refused to hire anyone or replace those that quit. If the units were not so unsafely staffed I would have stayed. I am sure there is no written policy and if there is I bet you will never see it.

I feel that the staff RN(s) get the short end of the stick, so to speak, especially if you are the only nurse beside the clinical mgr. The RN is required to fill in for the PCT when they are off, but if the CM can't fill in for you then you can't have off. I was once informed that I couldn't have my vacation time off, that had been approved months in advance, because of a meeting that she had to attend. Well guess what....I went on my vacation as planned. Staffing coverage is NOT my responsibility. Staffing is cut so short that it is a chronic problem with this company. I do not believe there is a written policy about this matter.
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This company understaffs on purpose.They rely on a skeleton crew in order to save a buck. If anything goes wrong it will be on you. I loved working in dialysis,don't get me wrong. But I left because they give you all thee policies and procedures they want you to follow all the while knowing full well that they are not staffing properly or scheduling the patients far enough apart in order for you to actually adhere to the policies and procedures. They take the head in the sand approach, tell you all the things that are supposed to happen, then do not give you the means to do so. I have not heard of this policy you are referring to, but it does not suprise me.

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Dialysis as a business is scrapping for reimbursement $$ and scrambling to stay on top of market share and changing health care policy, i.e., the ACA, and even integrating the ACO model.

RN's are the new burger-slingers, techs are the new slop-moppers, and FA's/regional managers are there to make sure the meat is not tainted with e-choli.

As these corporations struggle to maintain long term viability, and hire some of the best minds in the business and medical world to ensure their success, it is fascinating to see a revisiting to 1980's Boeing..."will the last engineer out of Seattle please turn out the lights?"

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I am not surprised.

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