intimidation by nurse manager?

[TinyNurse]

I worked at this facility once before for about 7 months, quit, traveled, and then came back as staff and have been there a year next week.

The other day I sent my ER manager an email that asked her if I could go PRN. (Everyone quits/changes departments and stays prn. We do all communication by email) She sent me an email back that told me that she would NOT hire me back full time if I went prn.

IMHO, this is some sort of intimidation, I mean my dept. is really short staffed, hired 22 new grads this summer and 7 since december for our 58 bed Level I ER. I feel like she is trying to keep me in this ER because of the short staffing.

I met up with the ER manager, and told her that I'd like to do some full time agency work in order to gain the money to buy a home in the area, and then go back full time at this ER, once I buy a home. I told her that the money I make at this ER is not enough to both pay rent and save for a down payment on a home.............. for some reason she does not understand. She says she is looking out for her department, but I need to look out for my family and our future.................................

What I need is more money. I love everyone I work with in this ER. I feel that her email response to me ( i will not hire you back full time if you decide to go prn) is total intimidation. I hate being intimidated.

any thoughts?

[sonnyluv]

I have a male nurse manager. I have worked with him for many years. I am not agreeable to some of his hired staff. I think his hormones get in the way of his judgement. But many people feel intimidated by him. Many have quit and say it is because they don't feel comfortable around him. Most, probably would not have been confortable any place or with most people!

Is this really a gender issue? People have quit because they don't feel comfortable around him? Like, he'll hide behind around a corner and attack you? There are so few male nurse managers, please don't take the most obvious route and imply that he is a pervert. Its hard enough being a male nurse as it is. Same goes for male school teachers. Not all men are pervs. Some are, yes. But it sounds like this dude is just being a manager, which means to say he is trying to control you because most managers are too insecure to work with their staff, instead they work against them. BTW, I work in one of the largest ERs in California and the head nurse and nurse manager are both female. More of the nurses here have breast implants than don't. No joke.

Don't blame your male manager for unprofessional nurses, please.If your manager wants to act like a child let him. If patients get turned away, its his rear end.

[whipping girl in 07, RN]

Honestly, I think your NM sounds reasonable, especially if you are going PRN to keep your foot in the door but will be working elsewhere to really make the $$$. Could you go part-time instead and pick up agency? A friend of mine who lives in New Orleans also has a CA nursing license and will use long weekends to fly out and make a couple of thousand working agency shifts. Several nurses I work with currently work agency in a larger city that's several hours away on their weekends off (full-time nurses in my unit work every 3rd weekend, and neither hospital in my city uses agency or travel nurses anymore). I understand your frustration, but I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to hire good nurses, then have them leave and come back, leave and come back, and never know when they might leave again.

If you need to save $5K, couldn't you just work an extra shift every other week for a year? Does your hospital pay bonus for working extra if the unit is short? What about other units within your facility? We have several nurses that work in cath lab, dialysis, education, and radiology who also work extra in ICU when we need help and they need money. I have picked up shifts in CCU if I want to work extra. If you count OT plus bonus, wouldn't that be close to what you'd make agency?

Anyway, whatever you decide to do, good luck to you. I was so happy when we bought our first house!

Konni