In the recent months our hospital appears to have trouble hiring new nurses, and/or keeping nurses in the hospital. This seems most prvalent on the evening and night shifts. A few thoughts enter my mind right from the start.
#1 - Are there a lack of new grads entering into hospitals?
#2 - Are experienced nurses getting out of the hospital to work with corporate companies, legal nursing, insurance companies, etc?
#3 - Is it d/t pay scales, and shift differentials. I know that in the past shift differentials have decreased. They have decreased to the point, where many nurses working nightshift had their yearly raises (let's say .43 cents an hour), but then the differential was reduced by .50 cents a year for 4-5 years. So they lost .07 cents a year. Currently there is no differential between the evening shift and night shift.
So what is it like at your hospitals? Do they have problems hiring, or keeping the positions filled there? Is there a shortage in your area or part of the country? Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
It continues to amaze me that hospitals and nurses are thinking there is a NURSING shortage, at least here in Florida. Lakeland Ledger had a front page article today apparently with info from local hospital and the nurses there still don't get it. They may be short of staff but it was probably because they backstabbed some poor nurse who was trying very hard to do the job and the result was termination for that nurse, or the continued harassment from that same staff until she/he gave up and left benefits etc.
And they wonder where everyone is going. Hospital nurses complain about agency nurses - but if they had not run off all the dedicated RNS/LPNs by their petty ways, they wouldn't need temporary staff. The bottom line is the so called nursing shortage is secondary to being treated like ##&& by many managers and fellow nurses because of their personality and the most of the efficient intelligent nurses that could afford it - left for agency higher pay jobs and protection against the political hassel that is SOOOOOO prevalent in all hospital settings. I think that is secondary to the uninformed inexperienced in people management nurses whoget a foot up due WHO THEY KNOW ......The following are some of the "management techniques" I have observed in hospitals from those power hungry managers. 1. We really need new people and new ideas, but please act dumb so you won't tick off our staff here otherwise they will not like you. 2. Your evaluation is based on our team members vote if they like you or not after three months. 3. You want to help with the preference cards? thanks but we are giving that job to the traveler (without much experience). 4. Go ahead and ignore the fact you have worked 20 hours straight - if you complain we will write you up and I'll cause the manager to have it in for you. 5. It's ok to do a laser procedure even though we don't have a policy and procedure and the rep didn't bring safety glasses for all. (yag laser I might add)6. The doctor doesn't like you because you won't allow the pct to inject a joint under his supervision. if the doctor doesn't like you keeping the hospital policy, we will have to let you go. Has anyone else heard these stories or better?
Currently I'm a nursing student working as a CNA at one of the leading teaching hospitals located in Illinois. I'm due to graduate May 2001. I work the pm shift 3-11. This shift and the evening shift is the most uder staffed shifts and the RN's are complaining that they can't get any help from other floors... now I see that patient care and safety is compromised due to the shortage,,, the patient/nurse ratio is 7-8 to one and the CNA patient ration is sometimes 11-18 to one... and during down time the RN's that are staffed refuse to pitch in and help with patient care... my question is as a student I see the shortage... where does that place me upon graduation in a population of nursing shortage? New grads will be over work as well as the experienced nurses... what can we as student do in such a crisis?
I bet there are a number of reasons for lack of interest in your facility, probably the same as the one I work in, here is my two cents, l. inadequate salaries, poor raises, or no raises. 2. inadequate staffing ratios, 3. lack of supplies, running from room to room looking for needed equipment that should be at every bedside. 4. punishment or point system for call offs, 5. decrease in benefits while raising the cost of the benefits. 6. lack of support from dwindling ancillary staff, eliminating ancillary staff such as lab techs, phlebotobmists, EKG tech, respiratory therapists and nursing must pick up all those extra duties, 7. Ridiclious duplicate and triplicate paperwork just to satisfy JCAHO (what a joke) 8. Pharmacy, where are my meds!!!!
Okay, just some of my frustrations. Hang in there it will get worse.
I bet there are a number of reasons for lack of interest in your facility, probably the same as the one I work in, here is my two cents, l. inadequate salaries, poor raises, or no raises. 2. inadequate staffing ratios, 3. lack of supplies, running from room to room looking for needed equipment that should be at every bedside. 4. punishment or point system for call offs, 5. decrease in benefits while raising the cost of the benefits. 6. lack of support from dwindling ancillary staff, eliminating ancillary staff such as lab techs, phlebotobmists, EKG tech, respiratory therapists and nursing must pick up all those extra duties, 7. Ridiclious duplicate and triplicate paperwork just to satisfy JCAHO (what a joke) 8. Pharmacy, where are my meds!!!!
Okay, just some of my frustrations. Hang in there it will get worse.
Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, Rehab, ACU-Telemetry.
This is yet another reply to a very tiring subject: NURSING SHORTAGES. I live in Ohio and have been a Registered nurse for 8 1/2 yrs. The hospital that I worked at was a "small" hospital, which I liked (more personable). There wasn't a day that went by that "someone" (meaning the nursing staff) wasn't complaining about one thing or another.Towards the end of '99', the hospital thought that it would get "smart" and change the way nursing, per se, was done. Excellent administrators were "let go", people (mainly women) that were there for quite a few years. They decided to hire more nursing assts, so that the RN could spend more time with paperwork, teaching, etc. They couldn't KEEP nursing assts there. They stayed a week or so, then left..Reason: pay and treated badly/overworked. Even housekeeping was quiting. The place was going to the dogs...Nurses that were there for 20+ yrs were quiting. The morale on our unit was as low as it could get. Our nurse manager took the position because nobody else wanted it. (WE) didn't want (HER) to have it either. She is manic-depressive (need I say more)and had everyone walking on eggshells, to say the least. She was unprofessional, even most of the doctor's didn't like her. I worked 7p-7a. There were occassions between 7p-11p where I didn't even have the time to VISUALIZE AT LEAST ONE OF MY PATIENTS.. I hated that. My good nursing skills were being compromised...Everyone that is a nurse knows that in situations that we are faced with today, that meds are definately not given "ON TIME"--, etc....
Basically what I did one day was just not go back. I didn't like the unprofessionalism that I portrayed. I just couldn't face another shift the way it was.If you can't go to work to have some laughs or at least alittle fun, then why work there? Laughing, etc is a part of everyday life and without it, one dies. Such is the case with nursing. The profession is dying because for the those of us that are dedicated to giving good care and treating our patients with dignity and respect, etc..then we are all feeling....like we, as well as our profession..has died...
An extra added note: LPN's are constantly being treated badly. They are often treated as though they can't function, or even have a brain. On our unit the LPN wasn't even ALLOWED to give report. She had to relay the report to the RN (covering IV's), just so the RN can turn right around and give the same darn report. This was mainly due to Sister Jane (an RN on our unit who had as much power as GOD) and basically, even though she was charge nurse on the evening shift, the other shifts had to do what she said, etc. The funny part: The last I heard, she has been demoted.
I work in So. Cal. and we too, have a supposed nursing shortage. All i know is that i don't get called off anymore! The pay is like everywhere else- 15-18.00 an hour. I know our facility offers sign on bonus's for specialty areas, and new grads are now doing preceptorships in those areas, as well. Gone are the days of 3-5 years in med-surg. before moving to ICU, CCU, ER. etc. All the bitterness i hear in the postings makes me sad, as i really feel that nursing is my vocation- i didn't chose it, it chose me. As bad as it gets, there is nothing else i would do. I also must laugh when the nurses on the floor complain and complain about how bad it is- pt ratio, pay, etc. They say they don't have enough time to do everything. My comment on that is: then why do you have time to stand around and complain about it? Obviously it cannot be so bad, if there is time enough in the shift to talk about how there isn't enough time! I do what i can do in my shift, try not to pass off anything to the next shift, make sure my patients are clean and pain free, and that i have served them to the best of my ability. THAT IS ALL I CAN DO. I don't involve myself in the politics. I am there for the patient and the patient only. If the politics involve patient care, and i can advocate for them, then I do otherwise i leave it alone. It's too frustrating, and doesn't make any difference to my job, anyway. Besides, just as one policy and procedure change is hot off the press, they come up with another one even before the ink is dry. So- bottom line- do what you love, and the rest will come. I love my job. I ignore the stuff that would cause me to dislike it. I don't do it for the money, i do it for personal satisfaction, and to try to uphold the nobility of our profession. If we could only form a cohesive unit, and demand better care for our patients, and ourselves, i think the burnout would be less. Until we can unit as ONE (nurses eat their young, i think i have commented on that before. ) that will not happen, and nurses will continue to be bitter and complain. I will gladly jump on that bandwagon, should our profession decide to put aside petty differences and join as one. One reason we feel 'screwed' is because our profession sometimes lacks, shall we say, professionalism. Squabbles from within, back-stabbing, high emotions; of course administration doesn't take us seriously- we cannot even stand together! Until as a unit, we can BE professional- we will not be given the pay, work conditions, and respect we deserve. Nursing has a long and colorful tradition of low pay and high stress, what makes it new, now? Let's be proactive, and DO something rather than whine about it. Maintaining a victim status does nothing to improve work conditions. Poop or get off the pot, i say! Good luck to all of you that are unhappy with your jobs, I hope you find yourselves rejuvinated somehow, and/or you find work that you love.
Nursing shortage? In North Texas where I live there seems to be a shortage of nurses willing to sign on full time at the hospitals but the hospitals are able to staff with all the travel / agency nurses that they can afford to pay! Where are all the nurses? They're going where the money is, and it isn't working for a hospital. It's working for an agency, corp., etc.
Nursing shortage? In my opinion there is NO nursing shortage. What we have is a shortage of nurses who are willing to work in the conditions found on most nursing units. Constant short staffing with no replacement pool to fill in when a nurse calls out sick, increased acuity and poor staffing ratios have caused many nurses to leave bedside nursing. And what scares me even more is that I'm afraid that the government will allow the hospitals to solve the problem by importing foreign nurses who are willing to work in these conditions. No other profession or union would allow foreign workers to come in and take their jobs. If working conditions improve, the hospitals will attract more nurses.
Right now my hospital is paying $4000 sign-on bonuses & also helping w/ moving expenses!
Why?
The city is growing faster than we can hire nurses;
Nurses keep leaving hospital nursing at high rates: for higher salaries, M-F jobs, 8hr shifts (vs 12 hr in hospital), more autonomy, less dealings w/ doctors, home healthcare expansion, et al.
Our university & community college programs can't even begin to keep up with the need for nurses here.
Come join us! I've lived in Illinois, NJ, Va, Tx, Mn, Utah & here....all have + things about them...but here, job security+ & only two seasons: warm & warmer! (& lotsa airconditioning) We are 4 hours from LA..5 hours from SanDiego, 6 hours from Phoenix & SLC...We are 1 hour to Lake Mead & 1 hour to Mt.Charleston & a ski resort. (And NO, I am NOT a recruiter!!! just a lowly staff nurse who loves bedside care!)
I would love to fly down to Florida and scoop these nurses up and bring them all to Phoenix!! We would love to have you--as far as those so-called "Managers" who defile and deface nurses--SHAME ON YOU!! I am the Manager of a Department and I would NEVER humiliate a fellow nurse or ask her to do anything without a policy. Please note that there are reporting agencies for exactly this purpose (anonymous of course!) Here in Phoenix we are having a drought--no rain or nurses!! I am reading about all of these horror stories (mostly based out of Florida) and I have to ask, "WHY" Why would anyone want to stay and be abused when you could move to a climate of sunshine, decent salaries and hopefully a respected position? Nurses are scare here at this point--would love to hear from anyone willing to relocate! Good luck to the rest who feel compelled to stay in that environment! My thoughts and prayers are with you!
Here in Pittsburgh Pa. There is no shortage. The pay for professional nurses here has been capped for about 5 years. I left bedside nursing because of the fact that I could no longer stay in the profession and pay my bills and because of the poor working conditions. Initially I left nursing and did the telephone triage thing and then I did case management and now I am leaving the profession all-together. I am currently working for a software company that has a product that handles medical claims. It's truly a shame here where I live. Hospitals are closing and health care jobs are disapearing despite the increase of our aging population here.
The above link is a nice story about the latest hospital closing here. Here is a quote from that lovely article:
"Dynamis Healthcare Advisors, a Cleveland consulting firm, issued a report yesterday saying there have been 20 hospital closings nationwide so far this year -- with institutions citing payment curbs, too many hospital beds and low occupancy rates among the chief reasons."
And another quote from that article:
"Health-care analysts have been saying for years that the Pittsburgh market is on of the nation's most over-bedded, with perhaps 50 percent more hospital beds than it needs."
There is no shortage here. As far as recuitment and retention go well, they haven't started paying nurses to quit yet but they have cut our pay and benefits to the point where many good nurses can't afford to be a nurse any longer.
If youre looking for nurses, advertise in Pittsburgh...
I do what i can do in my shift, try not to pass off anything to the next shift, make sure my patients are clean and pain free, and that i have served them to the best of my ability. THAT IS ALL I CAN DO. I don't involve myself in the politics. I am there for the patient and the patient only. If the politics involve patient care, and i can advocate for them, then I do otherwise i leave it alone. It's too frustrating, and doesn't make any difference to my job, anyway. Besides, just as one policy and procedure change is hot off the press, they come up with another one even before the ink is dry. So- bottom line- do what you love, and the rest will come. I love my job. I ignore the stuff that would cause me to dislike it. I don't do it for the money, i do it for personal satisfaction, and to try to uphold the nobility of our profession. If we could only form a cohesive unit, and demand better care for our patients, and ourselves, i think the burnout would be less. Until we can unit as ONE (nurses eat their young, i think i have commented on that before. ) that will not happen, and nurses will continue to be bitter and complain. I will gladly jump on that bandwagon, should our profession decide to put aside petty differences and join as one. One reason we feel 'screwed' is because our profession sometimes lacks, shall we say, professionalism. Squabbles from within, back-stabbing, high emotions; of course administration doesn't take us seriously- we cannot even stand together! Until as a unit, we can BE professional- we will not be given the pay, work conditions, and respect we deserve. Nursing has a long and colorful tradition of low pay and high stress, what makes it new, now? Let's be proactive, and DO something rather than whine about it. Maintaining a victim status does nothing to improve work conditions. Poop or get off the pot, i say! Good luck to all of you that are unhappy with your jobs, I hope you find yourselves rejuvinated somehow, and/or you find work that you love.
normarae
39 Posts
It continues to amaze me that hospitals and nurses are thinking there is a NURSING shortage, at least here in Florida. Lakeland Ledger had a front page article today apparently with info from local hospital and the nurses there still don't get it. They may be short of staff but it was probably because they backstabbed some poor nurse who was trying very hard to do the job and the result was termination for that nurse, or the continued harassment from that same staff until she/he gave up and left benefits etc.
And they wonder where everyone is going. Hospital nurses complain about agency nurses - but if they had not run off all the dedicated RNS/LPNs by their petty ways, they wouldn't need temporary staff. The bottom line is the so called nursing shortage is secondary to being treated like ##&& by many managers and fellow nurses because of their personality and the most of the efficient intelligent nurses that could afford it - left for agency higher pay jobs and protection against the political hassel that is SOOOOOO prevalent in all hospital settings. I think that is secondary to the uninformed inexperienced in people management nurses whoget a foot up due WHO THEY KNOW ......The following are some of the "management techniques" I have observed in hospitals from those power hungry managers. 1. We really need new people and new ideas, but please act dumb so you won't tick off our staff here otherwise they will not like you. 2. Your evaluation is based on our team members vote if they like you or not after three months. 3. You want to help with the preference cards? thanks but we are giving that job to the traveler (without much experience). 4. Go ahead and ignore the fact you have worked 20 hours straight - if you complain we will write you up and I'll cause the manager to have it in for you. 5. It's ok to do a laser procedure even though we don't have a policy and procedure and the rep didn't bring safety glasses for all. (yag laser I might add)6. The doctor doesn't like you because you won't allow the pct to inject a joint under his supervision. if the doctor doesn't like you keeping the hospital policy, we will have to let you go. Has anyone else heard these stories or better?
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