Surprise!! Suprise!!- Yet Again another reason I'm hightailing it outta there!!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in Licensed Practical Nurse.

i've always heard people talk about the horrendous staffing levels in ltc, but never did i think it could be so bad!!!one thing that i dislike the most about where i work is that, when you do decide to call in, if you do call in, you have to endure a long process of what's wrong, a sob story about short staffing and begging on their part! for instance i was not scheduled to work last night though i got a call from the evening supervisor 15 min after start of night shift telling me that i was scheduled to work! when i was not,then she asks ''where are you right now?'' (like its any of her business) then the night supervisor begs me to come in, mind you she called me 12a in the morning once before begging me to come in and then got into a huge argument with me about guess what- staffing on another unit!! so you can guess that i'm never coming in for her again!! then i called in sick for this evening! so the morning supervisor gives me a sob story of how she's already down 2 nurses but she finally lets me actually call out sick! then the evening supervisor calls me 3 hours later asking if i felt better and if i could come in for the shift i called out of plus if i could work the night shift! mind you this job calls me almost everyday sometimes more than once a day! its so annoying! i'm just one of their 15+ perdiem nurses yet i can probably bet that they only call me and about 1 other nurse, anytime their short of staff only because they know we have a greater chance of saying yes! but enough is enough, i've turned my car around and came back to work, worked back to back doubles! worked short and yet i still cannot escape the grip of this workplace! a new company has took the facility over and since then staffing levels have gotten worse!! they cut the amount of cna's and had talks of laying off some nurses!! the dns sends out a memo of how she wants the nurses to run the units almost every week!! the work is hard enough how can anyone possibly do more??:crying2: when we're short i had to do two rounds of medpass on a busy rehab unit of 40 beds!!! trying to avoiding the occasional med error (and getting written up for it), dealing with demanding family members!! following up on pharmacy deliveries( which we're held accountable of knowing), labresults!, admissions, transfers, dressings, .gt/feedings, the co-worker who won't help out, or complains about you! isn;t easy! nurses come and go at this facility, their either fired or quit! the regular nurses are fed up and the perdiem ones dare not attempt to work there anymore. and did i mention the paycheck is always missing money! some people's paychecks are missing a whole week worth of pay! i cut down on how much i work here! but i can't call it quits officially! i don't want to loose my union benefits + this place is 15 min from where i live!! i do have a job with an agency now paying much much more but they benefits just don't compare!! i'm part of my unions tuition reimbursement program under my mother (she's part of the same union) so i wonder if i can still get all the same benefits without working at this crazy place:confused:. i'm just looking foward to finishing my rn and working at a respectable facility where the job issues i have now arent so prevalent!!! i always wonder why doesnt this place hire and agency to fill in when short of staff! this kinda stuff is dangerous to not only pt's but our licenses!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ccu cardiovascular.

RUN DON'T WALK TO THE NEAREST EXIT TODAY! Your license is on the line here and they certainly don't respect what you do for them. Back to back doubles are you kidding? I know in the state of pa we can only work 20hours or state fines the facility. Which is not a bad idea, maybe state should make a surprise appearance to see what staffing is really like. My advice get out today, you are too valuable and you have worked too hard for what you have achieved. LEAVE AND DON'T LOOK BACK!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I so agree with rn-jane. Get out now. If something should happen, nobody will have your back. You are not a nurse to them; just a quota!

Up Vote Up Vote ×

What's LTC?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in geriatrics.
What's LTC?

Long Term Care

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ED, ICU, PACU.

I do agree with everone who advised you to get away from that place. However, I would like to add a bit of advise not mentioned yet: Don't answer the phone when they call you. It would be in your best interest to make them leave messages &, if questioned, say that you didn't have time to check the messages. You are under no obligation to speak to them during hours you aren't being paid to work. Once they realize you aren't easy to get ahold of, you will see a decrease in the amount of pestering. This isn't going to solve the short staffing issue; but, it should resolve you having to spend more time in the place than you really want to.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I do agree with everone who advised you to get away from that place. However, I would like to add a bit of advise not mentioned yet: Don't answer the phone when they call you. It would be in your best interest to make them leave messages &, if questioned, say that you didn't have time to check the messages. You are under no obligation to speak to them during hours you aren't being paid to work. Once they realize you aren't easy to get ahold of, you will see a decrease in the amount of pestering. This isn't going to solve the short staffing issue; but, it should resolve you having to spend more time in the place than you really want to.

I learned this when I didn't want to be bothered. One employer won't leave a message other than to tell me to call back. I figure if it is important enough to call me about, then it is important enough to leave a message about. No message, no return call from me. I work too many noncompensated overtime hours to have them bother me when I'm supposed to be off duty. I can't sleep at home as it is. Enough is enough.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med Surg, LTC, Home Health.
for instance i was not scheduled to work last night though i got a call from the evening supervisor 15 min after start of night shift telling me that i was scheduled to work! when i was not,then she asks ''where are you right now?''

hehe. that is funny! it is so ltc! i had the same thing happen several times. even when on vacation, they would be calling leaving messages of "where are you?". it is just a bluff really to the nurses that are stuck covering extra patients so that staffing looks like they are "trying" and like it "isnt their fault", it's yours! meanwhile, every minute that goes by short of nurses is money in the bank!

as far as why they dont use agency, well, don's get bonuses for not using agency. it is that simple. :wink2:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

It sounds dreadful. Probably those supervisors also hate their jobs. It really sounds horrendous.

Good luck in your next job, I'm sure you'll do wonderfully in all your future pursuits.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

If I had employers asking me where I was, I would start giving them the name of a different bar every time. Then I would start telling them I was conversating with Guinness or Jack Daniels with plans to get down and dirty with somebody named Dan or Steve or Frank. I don't drink and I forgot what male companionship is about but I sure do appreciate my time off!:yawn:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Corrections, neurology, dialysis.

It's truly frightening how short staffed nursing homes are. Imagine how much worse it will be when the elderly population will explode. I shudder to think about it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med-Surg.

caliotter this post

[color=pink]"if i had employers asking me where i was, i would start giving them the name of a different bar every time. then i would start telling them i was conversating with guinness or jack daniels with plans to get down and dirty with somebody named dan or steve or frank. i don't drink and i forgot what male companionship is about but i sure do appreciate my time off!"

is hysterical :roll. you are exactly right...what gives any supervisor the right to say 'where are you' on your day off?! as nurses, the only person that is going to look after us is ourselves (unfortunately) and considering that nursing is a burnout job...we need to take extra special care so we can actually avoid it and take pride in taking care of people :)..

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment