Keeping experienced nurses at the bedside

[sassyrn333]

I'm curious: What incentive, if any, does your facility provide for mature/experienced nurses to stay at the bedside?

[pennyaline]

I'm curious: What incentive, if any, does your facility provide for mature/experienced nurses to stay at the bedside?

They tell us every day how lucky we are to have jobs.

[llg, PhD, RN]

Seniority brings:

1. Higher base pay

2. More vacation/sick time (though you get that increase even if you leave the bedside)

3. Some preferences in scheduling -- such as holiday hours, shift rotation (or lack thereof), etc.

4. Preference for getting conference money, good committee assignments, etc. -- assuming you are a good employee

It may not be much, but the scheduling preferences mean a lot to people.

[SoundofMusic]

I'm not sure. Where I work it seems they're doing all they can to discourage us from staying at the bedside: increased workloads, crappy managment, increased paperwork, impossible patient loads and assignments, increased responsibility, increased blame for everything that goes wrong w/ very little extra compensation for it. And, yes, now we get the line that we're just lucky to have work. I guess there's some truth in that -- but how about telling us how lucky they are to have us?

I think it could just be my floor, but I'm not so sure.

I for one am tired of all of the above, am getting my msn, and planning to be done w/ bedside in less than 5 years. There is absolutely no incentive for me to stay. It seems the longer I'm on the unit, the worse I and others -- really GOOD nurses, get treated by our mgmt team.

There's a big problem in bedside nursing -- and I think most of it stems from administration and/or management working in tandem. I honestly don't know how they get away with it in terms of the bottom line and their accountability to it.

We have truly smart and talented RN's on our floor. Some from top tier and even Ivy league schools, and many RN's w/ years of experience. But we are managed by a bunch of RN's w/o even BSN's who just stuck it out in nursing for 7 or more years and worked their way up through the good old girl network. They are rude, nasty, vindictive, retaliatory, and uninspirational in their approach to leading and managing people. There are also way too many of them and they constantly are into your business.

I just can't stay. I'm uninspired, un-lead. It's stifling, degrading, and soul destroying. I am not a monkey, not a donkey -- I believe in myself way too much to remain in that environment. I just have way too much to give.

[pennyaline]

They tell us every day how lucky we are to have jobs.

Oh, I forgot to mention the part where they ask us: "Who else do you think is going to hire you?"

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

seems as though there are more disincentives than incentives to stay at the bedside. yes, we get more money as we get more experience, but really i'm not making much more than a new grad. and the vacation time/preference in scheduling benefits go away when you change jobs. as you are sort of forced to do when your husbands decides to move to the opposite coast.

if hospitals want to retain senior nurses at the bedside, the clinical ladder would be more than a joke. experience would matter, even when you change jobs. you could be hired into a slot up the clinical ladder from the new grads when in addition to making more money, you also have some additional vacation time by virtue of your experience and have seniority in the profession if not in the unit.

oh, and chairs for the nurses to sit in while they chart. we have them; management expects us to offer them to the visitors. i don't -- i figure i need to be in the room, when the visitors get tired of standing they can go sit in the waiting room. besides -- i'm older than some of the visitors. most of the visitors!

[RNperdiem, RN]

Back in the day, there were some very generous weekend pay plans offered. The pay plans have long since gone, but the nurses were allowed to keep the pay plans.

The nurses who originally took the pay plan offers have held on to them for years and years.

One nurse told me that if she gave up her pay plan, the position would vanish and she would have a hard time finding another job that paid so well.

My hospital also has longevity bonuses for bedside nurses.

If nurses are satisfied with the working condition, there will be enough experienced nurses at the bedside.

[SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN]

Beats me. I got off the floor the minute I got the chance.

[Argo]

Not saying I'm old but they like me for some reason and pay me more than anyone else in town is willing to touch. Thrashes why I stick around. LOL.

[PostOpPrincess, BSN, RN]

$$$

and increased scheduling flexibility.

I have to be honest; I cannot complain.

[mustlovepoodles, RN]

I don't know. Before I left to be a school nurse, I was doing telephone triage for a large Children's hospital, something I was particularly good at. We had to complete 7 calls per hour, which is a difficult standard to maintain over a long shift. Parents call, they're upset, can't give you good information. You can't see the child and have only the non-medical caretaker to give you info. Parents focus on the wrong symptoms, so you really have to have great listening skills, assessment skills, and decision-making skills. I was one of their most experienced nurses and it was very difficult for me to maintain that high level of production.I dropped below the limit. I made 6.9 calls/hour so they put me on probation. Took away my remote computer and made me drive in to work(I had been working from home for several years) Treated me like a 5 year old.

So I quit. But first I got my stats up to 7.2 for a month. They begged me to stay but I walked. I do not need to be treated like a kindergartener at my age. I took my extensive knowledge of pediatrics and 25 years experience on the road. Had a new job in 1 week and have been happily putting bandaids on boo-boos and giving little kids insulin ever since.

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

they tell us every day how lucky we are to have jobs.

according to the ones i work with admin also tells them that they do not have to become managers! most of the experienced nurses i know i burned out from working in management and prefer bedside in comparison.