So FRUSTRATED!!!!!!!!!

Nurses General Nursing

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I am so frustrated! I love my job, I love the floor that I work on (Cardiovascular Unit), but I think I will go insane!!

We are so short handed on the night shift and have been for months. My boss (she is a very nice person, butt....) keeps letting people leave night shift and go to days. Making night shift worse, I recently came back to nights (yes I was one of them, for school). In the last 3 weeks we have lost 5 RN's, two transfered to other hospitals, one was a cluster nurse and her rotation was up, and the other was only doing a short stent to help out and went back to days. We were shorthanded even with these RN's, I don't even want to know what is going to happen in the next few weeks.

Everyone has been working overtime like crazy (pulling 4-5 12 hour shifts per week). I have been called at least once a day everyday, sometimes they call 4 times in day to beg me to work.

It's crazy! I checked out the job postings for our floor. 2. She has 2 positions posted, that's it. And one is only a part-time position? And those were only recently posted, a college checked a week or so ago and there were none posted.

We keep telling here how bad it is, is she waiting for the unthinkable to happen or what?

Sorry, I just needed to vent. I just got done working a shift where every nurse had an extra patient in thier load. We finally got a nurse to come in, whose son had been in the ER with pneumonia. Does that seem right that she should have to come in? RRRRRRrrrrrrrr.

Thanks all for letting me vent.

I hate to remind you of this and do sympathize with you, but as long as the hospital is getting through the night (with this small overhead) they will keep it that way as long as they can.

As much as you like it there (and I HATE the idea of searching and orienting for a new job-I tend to drag my feet in that area), maybe if you just have a converstation with your manager that you intend to leave if things don't improve by such and such a date. Give them a reasonable time frame and stick to it. Then you will have to follow through. I have a feeling this would be for your own good though. It does sound like a place waiting for a disaster to happen and I know you wouldn't want to be involved. Also, if you had to leave, don't burn any bridges, go gracefully and if things do improve you can always return!

Get some rest, and DON"T answer the phone, you need your time off.

I tend to agree with RyanRN, as long as the hospital gets away with this activity, they will continue. Don't answer the phone and don't do the extra shifts. The hospital does not exist to solve your problems. And as long as you make it your problem it will remain unresolved.

However, the hospital is designed to manage its problems. When the hospital identifies this as their problem more likely defined as, when they can't get a nurse to come in extra, they will fix it.

Until then, I suspect it will remain your problem.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Long Term Care.

Andylane, I feel for you and agree with what the previous posters have said; I just wondered whether it would do any good to go above your boss to someone in administration with a few of your co-workers and discuss the dangerous situation there and your plans to leave. Before I left my previous job, I talked to some "higher-ups" and although it didn't do any good, I felt better when I eventually left that I'd at least tried to change things as best I could.

In our 65 bed med-surg unit, the night shift is having a terrible time with staffing, too. Nurses keep baling out to other units or leave the hospital. The staff are all on the verge of burn-out, and the cycle of new people coming on and long-term nurses leaving just creates this viscous self-perpetuating cycle.

Management has offered month-long bonuses of $2,000 to nurses from other shifts to help out, and they occassionally have an Agency nurse on. When I've read the job postings, they all require that a new hire for nights be willing to do both peds and chemo, which, IMHO, is asking a lot in this time of nursing shortage (Don't know if they expect certification.) What's needed are nurses at this point, forget specialty! :o

I agree with you all. Stop making it easy for them when they are so srtip to the bone in staffing they will have no choice but to do something. I really sympathize but again why is it that the nurse has this burden when all she or he is merely there to give the best care possible. I don't care if my unit is short I will not work if I am tired. If something happens to you they will simply replace you.

Thanks all!

I know this is no different than any where else. I do plan on moving home to AZ in two months. She knows that, but I have a feeling no hires will be made. They also just got rid of one of our incentives to work extra shifts (gift certificates). I will just start telling them NO. The money is nice but not that nice

Thanks for listening.

I think a lot of hospitals under staff the night shift. But until nurses stop working over time and continue to over come and adapt it will always be that way. Even day nurses are short handed these dyas it seems, not as bad as night shift though. Vicki RN

Specializes in CV-ICU.

Andylane78, NO EVRYPLACE ISN'T like that! Your head nurse is playing Russian Roulette with the PATIENTS' lives! My advice is run, don't walk and get out of there as fast as possible! :eek: :eek:

I just was on a panel for a CE presentation about patient abandonment, and there are several State Boards of Nursing that differentiate between "patient abandonment" and "employment abandonment." Your head nurse and administration are responsible for safe patient care. Somehow, it doesn't sound as if you are capable of giving this any more. The Pennsylvania Nursing Assoc. and Board of Nursing have several research articles about what fatigue does to one's ability to function and how errors increase with overtime and fatigue. Guess whose license is at risk then?? YOURS!!!

To me, it isn't worth ANY amount of $$$$ or incentives to work in a situation such as you describe. I LIKE my license-- and my ability to work as a nurse!

andylane: I agree with previous posts. Do not go in when they call you under any circumstances! Look for another job. And tell them exactly why you can't stay. They will continue this as long as they can get away with it. It's not your responsibility to make their business work.

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