Hiring freezes, cut backs?

Nurses General Nursing

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I work in Florida and several hospitals including the one I work for have institued hiring freezes and are initiating cut backs due to the low census we are having in Florida. Are other areas of the country having this issue? Are you having overcensus issues in your area for this time of year? Thanks for responding.

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Out of curiosity.... where are you located in Florida? I have heard similar stories from one of our local hospitals. Their reason for a hiring freeze/cut backs is that they over-extended themselves with construction costs.

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I'm in Tampa Bay and the snow birds are out in force in these parts. The traffic is a real bear this time of year. I can't imagine that census would be down around here, though I don't actually know that for sure.

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Here in West Virginia, we are being called off. In a two week period, almost every nurse is called off for 1 shift. Census is low but the facility keeps spending money for improvments.

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In upstate NY there are cutbacks, layoffs, and closings of facilities.

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Specializes in Oncology/Haemetology/HIV.

The census this year in parts of Florida is slightly lower than usual. Very slightly lower.

The snowbird season, also tended to start later, due to many factors, ranging from the price of gas to Hurricane season. For one the hurricane season, went on until....a couple of weeks ago?, when it used to effectively end around late September, early October (despite the 11/30 official end) . Some Winter residents lost homes or have had repeated damage, and could not come any more or gave up their homes here. Plus some longtime residents have taken repeated hits from Hurricanes and have moved elsewhere. Not as many people are driving on vacation, something that definitely affects Florida tourism. There is also less disposable income.

Many facilities budget for the snowbird season, and if it is delayed or slower than usual, there will be shortfalls. And as many Florida hospitals have a narrow margin (forprofit facilities, lots of lowpaying/no paying/medicare/medicaid patients), this has a major effect.

Which begs the question, the state needs to depend less on seasonal revenues and more on regular industry. Which it won't.

The hospital I was in, had patients in "hall" beds routinely due to high census. This year, we are still full, but no hall beds.

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Specializes in currently, hospice.

I'm in Ohio. One of our city's hospital's is laying off. Our hospital has a freeze on hiring and educational spending. Construction and CEO bonuses are going full tilt, though.

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I work at a hospital in West-central Alabama. We are begging for nursing help, because we are overwhelmed. We are experiencing an above average census for this time of the year and on 'bed alert' many times a week. In fact, alot of the units have changed almost all their rooms to semi-private to accomodate the patients. We just need to hire into the nursing staff to take care of the patients now.

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I work at a hospital in West-central Alabama. We are begging for nursing help, because we are overwhelmed. We are experiencing an above average census for this time of the year and on 'bed alert' many times a week. In fact, alot of the units have changed almost all their rooms to semi-private to accomodate the patients. We just need to hire into the nursing staff to take care of the patients now.

I guess everybody came to Alabama and Georgia - we are getting our a--'s kicked here in Georgia - however, we did have a hiring freeze but despirately need help at the hospital I work for (I am now prn at this particular hospital) :balloons: The hiring freeze is r/t as the other person said they are over extending themselves with construction - We opened a new hospital here last year and they have yet to staff all of the beds but they just put in a CON for another 100 beds for a cancer center - I told the hospital on a recent survey that we should staff our current 100 beds before we add another 100 beds so that the emergency department does not get double killed. :nono: :angryfire We have an observation clinical decision unit and still hold patients in the ER - especially ICU patients.

A charge nurse I work with at another facility recently after days and days of being on diversion r/t NO BEDS to admit patient's to and HOLDS in the ER did a little math that truly shocked me. In that county in Metro Atlanta there are approximately 800,000 people living in that county and there are 200 ER beds - 1 bed for 4000 people - I knew it was bad but that is crazy - do a little math for your community - Our system is broken and needs to have a major overhaul.

I don't think we have ever had a decreased census since I got out of nursing school in 2003 and I was a tech before that since 1998 and it was not slow then either??? It seems like it just keeps getting busier and busier here.

Just my 2 cents :lol2: :balloons:

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Specializes in hospice.
I'm in Tampa Bay and the snow birds are out in force in these parts. The traffic is a real bear this time of year. I can't imagine that census would be down around here, though I don't actually know that for sure.

I concur. No lack of pts here. Lack of staffing is more like it.

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Specializes in med/surg;ortho/HD/OB;NICU/Hospice/ER.

I currently work in TX in Dallas area. It is a smaller hospital and I work currently in nursery. They have typically called off nurses 1-2 shifts per week. These are 12 hr. shifts! This means less than part time. So several of the nurses have had to get second jobs. The hospital has treated everyone horribly when they find out they are working 2nd jobs. I am not sure what they expect! I know that they can not have us work when there is a low census, but do not be so offended when we are trying to make ends meet! If we work on call at any of the other sister hospitals, some of the staff feel they are cancelled more often. It is crazy because there is no staffing rules they follow. Prn will work when full time is called off. That is when a nursing organization (union) with a contract of some kind would be benificial. There is always a way to get around various rules but at least it would be a start.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.

I was told by a PICU nurse there that Sutter Health has a hiring freeze in effect.

The hospice nurse caring for my dad said that they are all facing multiple mandatory days off each month.

Why do we keep hearing this drivel about the "nursing shortage?"

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