Glad they are flooding the market with New Grads...

2126 · Jan 19, 2011

agreed!

coolpeach · Jan 19, 2011

Double agreed!!!

Jules A, MSN · Jan 19, 2011

So, I am glad they are flooding the market with New Grads, at least the facilities will have nursing staff (abet inexperienced) when they burn out all the experienced staff.

Me too and the bonus for them is that they get all these new grads really cheap. 1 experienced nurse to 5 new grads now that makes for an interesting unit. :mad:

egglady, LPN · Jan 19, 2011

Couldnt have said it better

Streamline2010 · Jan 19, 2011

...
I have come to the conclusion that management is getting worse. IMO, it seems that they know there are thousands of new grads looking for work, so, they are taking the opportunity to raise the whip and demand the current staff to accept treatment that would have never been tried 5 yrs ago. We have no say in how our units are run and our input is at least disreguarded if not seen as contrary to policy. We are overworked and understaffed, made to be waittresses/waiters for patients and families, we now do housekeeping and maintanence jobs, get in trouble for staying over to complete documentation, and get in trouble if documentation is not as complete as they want (because we rushed to get out on time... like they want).
We are judged by survey results written by people who have no idea exactly what we do during a given shift, we are not supposed to use the restrooms, eat, sit down to document what we did, and heaven forbid if someone sees you on the phone (you may be talking to a DR, but you can be sure it will be reported that you were taking a personal call by a family member who's gingerale was not served fast enough). So, I am glad they are flooding the market with New Grads, at least the facilities will have nursing staff (abet inexperienced) when they burn out all the experienced staff.

As a RN student, you'd better believe that I am taking notes on all of the dissatisfaction and the weird kowtowing and non-nursing tasks that nurses are expected to do, with the full intention of graduating with some strategies for how buck it and create a more sensible and practical workplace.

Why, really, have the hospitals switched to catering to patients? I think it's past time to start implementing some standards for patient behavior and accountability, as in "This is our facility. You are a patient here, and as such, there are certain rules which you must adhere to: blah blah blah" "Anyone who hits, bites, strikes, kicks, or otherwise inappropriately assaults anyone else, including nurses, will be promptly evicted." "All patient care is prioritized according to needs and availability of staff and equipment; you may experience delays." "Stay off the call button as much as possible. You are not the only patient here. Don't bother the staff unless it's important. You're not in a hotel."

Seriously. Stop setting patients up to think that they rule the world. A hospital is not a hotel. Patients do not boss hospitals. Hospitals boss patients. Whenever I've been a patient in a hospital, I have not expected nor demanded to be waited on hand and foot. Hospitals made their own problems by not demanding that their patients show proper respect, imo.

I just sat through a training video in which some elderly female had annoyed the nurses & aides no end by leaning on her call button all the time, for trivia. She was still buzzing when a patient coded and the staff, of course, rushed to the code. After the emergency, somebody checked on Mrs. Whiner, and she's now spitting furious because she's soiled herself because nobody came fast enough to put her on the bed pan. "Hey, we're really sorry, Mrs. Whiner, but it'll wash off, and we'll get you a change of attire and bedding pronto now, and you'll be good as new. Sorry we had to bump you to a lesser priority, but a patient coded. Please use your call button more appropriately from here out, eh?" Nope, the nurse can't say that, ever, even if it needs to be said.

The waiter /waitress chit has to stop. Right now. I don't know who thought it was such a bright idea to give the patients so much power, but it can't continue unless the staffing is increased. And I really don't expect that will ever happen. The USA just doesn't have the prosperity that it used to.

So, Admin, if you are not going to increase the staffing, then YOU start telling your almighty customers/patients to reduce their expectations because the old days are gone. The nurses should not always be stuck in the middle of this mess.

allnurses Guide · Jan 19, 2011

Unfortunately, from my vantage point, the abovementioned things were the common attitude 30 years ago, and the trend is to cater to patients (or "clients") and their families as if indeed the hospital was a hotel.

If a nurse did his or her job, nobody also expected "service with a smile", fresh toast, cookies, beverage service all around, or scripting, and there were no surveys taken to alert management that the nurse's demeanor was not quite to their liking. Actually people used to expect that they would be dealing with the old grouches at least part of the time.

The idea of being pleasant to the patient and their family is fine, as is trying to convey the idea that healthcare is not a top down dynamic, but one in which both parties are participants and/or "owners" of results hasn't resulted in too much empowerment that I can see. It just means people are judging nurses based on the one thing they can observe, and not the vast majority they cannot, as they aren't trained to know it.

Mrs. Sparkle Pants · Jan 19, 2011

So I shouldn't be able to pursue my passion because it is inconveniencing those already in the field? I'm sorry you are having to deal with a poor work environment, but please don't blame the students and new grads who are simply trying to find their place, just as you were When you started out.

llltapp · Jan 19, 2011

Have to say, what you permit you promote. It is sad what nurses permit. There are some good places out there and some great managers......... but they are few and far between. I just had the best manager of my life in the ED....... she knew the deal and stood up for us to admin, patients, families, whatever . However, she would not stand up for substandard care. When you were right , she would fight to the death for you. If you slacked or did something wrong, you new about it............ BLISS

gentlegiver, ASN, LPN, RN · Jan 19, 2011

So I shouldn't be able to pursue my passion because it is inconveniencing those already in the field? I'm sorry you are having to deal with a poor work environment, but please don't blame the students and new grads who are simply trying to find their place, just as you were When you started out.

Sorry if you took that as me blaming New Grads. I assure you I was not! My point was that management is using and abusing thier staff.. because they can! My fear is that the experienced nurses are burning out at an increasing rate and all that will be left are new grads who don't know better and will be placed in a position that places thier licenses and/or health or that of thier patients in danger.

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Jan 19, 2011

I have been reading the threads & posts for the past few weeks and have seen the same complaints from LPN's and RN's. (saddly it looks like we have something in common) It doesn't seem to matter what type of facility you work in, LTC or hospital.
I have come to the conclusion that management is getting worse. IMO, it seems that they know there are thousands of new grads looking for work, so, they are taking the opportunity to raise the whip and demand the current staff to accept treatment that would have never been tried 5 yrs ago. We have no say in how our units are run and our input is at least disreguarded if not seen as contrary to policy. We are overworked and understaffed, made to be waittresses/waiters for patients and families, we now do housekeeping and maintanence jobs, get in trouble for staying over to complete documentation, and get in trouble if documentation is not as complete as they want (because we rushed to get out on time... like they want).
We are judged by survey results written by people who have no idea exactly what we do during a given shift, we are not supposed to use the restrooms, eat, sit down to document what we did, and heaven forbid if someone sees you on the phone (you may be talking to a DR, but you can be sure it will be reported that you were taking a personal call by a family member who's gingerale was not served fast enough). So, I am glad they are flooding the market with New Grads, at least the facilities will have nursing staff (abet inexperienced) when they burn out all the experienced staff.

With regards to having input on how things are done, nursing does not have a monopoly on this problem. I'm yet to have a job where this does not exist. Landscaping, retail, resterant work, factory work......I've done a lot. The next job I go to where management listens to the work force will be the first.

I wrote a very similar thread awhile back about how the recession has given a lot of admin. and management a set of kahonees that were not present before.

I must insert here though, as I have paid close attention to the new "You need us, we don't need you" approach and watched to see its results: Words are just that, words. Yes, they talk alot about not wanting OT for documentation and insist this and that (non-nursing duties) be completed by us but.......eh, no one is actually doing it. At least not at my facility.

I've noticed a lot of nurses lately who have entered cruise control with their nursing approach. Come in, do whatever must be done, do it how you like.......and leave. If someone complains........ah well, thats life, they'll live. If something is left undone....ah well, nursing is 24/7. Lots of nurses stay VERY late, frequently, to complete documentation, and they are pulled into the office every week about it to be told they are going to be fired, and......ah well, they are still there.

So, point is, demands have risen and risen, but....ah well, they are not being met. You can demand anything you please, but when your staff have ear plugs in before you even start talking.......its of no avail. Things such as people leaving the unit to smoke, texting/talking to friends while on the clock, call offs and work being left undone has increased ever since the admin. became heavy/iron fisted. Seems to me its not working, but somehow admin. doesn't get it.

And the cold hard fact of it is, hospital leadership are supposed to be making decisions to increase care quality. The quality has dropped dramatically at my facility. The feeling of apathy overcomes any threat of job loss or lack of raises admin. can make. That apathy bleeds into the daily pt. care, I've seen it. Flooding the market with new grads will not fix the problem for admin either. In addition to the poor work eithic habits I've seen increase, I've also seen a dramatic increase in GNs starting a position and quitting before their orientation is even complete. Genious management there.......abuse your work force, try to threaten them with their jobs and point out that there is a line at the door for their job........and not be able to hold onto these people from the "line at the door" when they get in. Thats not cost effective.

coolpeach · Jan 19, 2011

Its true that people do seem to be quitting quicker than they can get fired. That being said tensions are tight. Just last week it nearly came to blows because a night nurse left stuff undone for an already overburdened day nurse.

I was recently called into the office and got a talking to for a pt complaint (never mind the pt complained about the day nurse, and every nurse who took care of her). She didn't feel like we responded quick enough when she called a billion times an hour for trivial things. Sometimes I did respond quickly because there was nothing else to prioritize, and other times she was last on the list.

The answer when someone calls for whatever reason we are supposed to immediately go to that room, and acknowledge that they have been heard, and let them know we will be in. Then we prioritize. If we aren't able to go right away we have someone else go. If your in a contact precautions, and unable to reach your phone, and are doing something that becomes pretty hard to do. We are NEVER to tell the pt that we have other patients or explain that we must prioritize tasks. The other nurses we might ask are also overburdened.