Recently there's been a spate of write-ups I've heard about that are basically bogus. Minor infractions that no one else would get written up over. I'm furious.
On the surface, it doesn't seem to be a big deal. But anyone who's been in health care can tell you--our nursing culture teaches us that bogus write-ups are a warning to get outta Dodge; it's useless to fight; easier to just change units.
So these nurses have all left for greener pastures.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the nurses were targeted because they earned more than new grads. Because coincidentally, there are a few new grads on each of these units, and the basic "numbers" of the nurses has not changed. In years.
So 'fess up, Managers, what's the deal? Is this what really is happening out there? Is your budget such that it looks better for you to keep the new grads rather than the experienced nurses? Do you use bogus writeups to "encourage" certain nurses to leave?
Specializes in OB, ER, M/S, Supervision - Acute care.
How can things go from being the "best" to being the "worst".
My experience with "weeding out good nurses" occured about 10 yrs ago in a small community hosp.
In our hosp. I was the first RN to be hired for a 24/40 weekend position. Soon the entire weekend staff positions became 24/40. For four years in a row, this crew worked all of the Christmas & New Year's holidays. This made the rest of the nursing staff particularly happy. There were 2 LPNs & 3 RNs covering M/S, OB, ICU, & ER night shifts. There was never any absenteeism. It was a
popular & successful program. The same people were always scheduled together & became better & more efficient than a well oiled machine. In my position as Night Supervisor I was able to have our LPNs trained & certified in IV therapy. This was a great asset when our ER would be especially busy or we needed to float someone to help in another busy unit. They were cross-trained to all depts. & had run simultaneous code blues in 2 depts. @ the same time which proved their high level of skills. There were other things that I was able to do that were useful to the hosp. ie as the ER EMS Coordinator, I was able to work with the state EMS Services & the 7 area ambulance services that served our hosp. to teach & certify their basic EMTs as EMT Es.
Then, along came a new Nursing Supervisor.
There immediately followed a systematic regular series of "Incident Reports" aimed directly at my co-workers. At the time we didn't understand why this was being done. But these reports were so blatantly a form of harrassment, that we formed a plan of self protection.
1. Every report would be responded to in writing & we would keep copies of everything.
2. We would never go into a meeting without a co-worker as a witness.
3. We organized a Nurse Support Group that met regularly outside of the hosp. This was purely to bolster the staff & it was clearly stated that this group would not be involved in unionizing discussions or activities. This was not kept a secret & anyone who wished to attend was welcome. Actually, a Nurse Mgr. attended a mtg. to see what we were doing & we explained the situation to her.
It became very suspicious when we found that similar "Incident Reports" were happening to employees in Medical Records & in the Office.
The employees who wished arbitration were given the Assist. Admin. as their Arbitor. The Admin. heard their cases & listened to their Arbitor who, in fact, ripped them to shreds.
Within 6 months, about 5 office staff were out of a job all on the same day. They were allowed to come to work in the morning. They were greeted by their office mgr. & told that they no longer had jobs @ the hosp., that they should remove all of their personal items from their desks, that they would be observed the whole time to be sure that they didn't steal anything & that they would be escourted out of the building.
The Administrator was observed leaving the building before 8 AM that day & didn't return until the next day.
The Nurse Mgrs. called a mandatory staff mtg for 1 PM to announce that budget cuts made it necessary to eliminate all of the 24/40 positions. They would allow the 24/40 employees to apply for part time work with no guaranteed # of hrs. & with no benefits.
To my surprise, not one voice was raised in opposition to these announcements. I immediately announced my outrage at the insensitivity of the management for the way these announcements were handled & told the mgrs. that they had my resignation immediately.
Significantly, there were only 4 other nurses who even bothered to speak to me after I left. They were too fearful of loosing their jobs. Over the next 2 yrs. , there was a turnover of more than 20 nurses & the Nursing Supervisor was fired.
What has been said in many replies on this topic proved to be true. If the management wants an employee gone, they will be gone.
The nursing position that I had held in this hosp. was the most enjoyable position that I ever hoped to have. It was a delight & a joy to be able to do the work I had always dreamed of doing. It was the way nursing ought to be until the budget became the ruling principle on which the hosp. ran.
It still is run with the budget first in mind.
I remember a day when the hosp. Admin. had given his "state of the state" message to the entire staff. His message was about how the hosp. was like a long train. He was the engineer. He made the decisions. If anyone didn't agree or didn't like all of the decisions, they should get off the train.
After the mtg, I spoke to him & to the Assist. Admin. @ the same time & asked him if he realized what he had just said. I told him it was too bad that he had just told his whole medical/nursing team who were highly skilled & knowledgable; which knowledge he was paying a good price for; that he didn't want to hear anything that they had to say. His response came the day he left town & had his mgrs. do his dirty work.
No, I didn't quit nursing. I am more determined than ever to work within the profession to make it more supportive. Sharing your stories is a help.
Nursing associations and groups are EXCELLENT and we really do need them, BUT they are not going to be able to be there with you in these types of meetings,(our facility would NOT allow any other person to be in a disciplinary or "counseling" meeting ) especially the type of meeting with the "management" regarding these types of trumped up charges.A union stewert will be next to you in that room when you are facing 4 or more of "them". IF the union stewert sucked and did not do his job well, you go to the head of the union and *****! Bad unions can be gotton rid of! I guess I would rather put my trust in a union,even if unions have the reputation of being innefectual or corrupt.Unions have the NLRA to back them and YOU up. We have put our trust in the our employers to act fairly, we depend on the HR department to council the management ( Coroporate Compliance type policies, that are used to make the employee think that the corporation will act ethically) for such a long time and what have we seen happening ? IF your union is no good , dont give up, ther IS a way to get rid of BAD unions.Bottom line, who would you rather trust to do the right thing?
Angieoplasty.....girl...you are preaching to the choir! I have seen excellent nurses...who brought tons of experience to the unit they work on....once they near that top-out salary...poof....those managers (some- the bad ones) become more budget minded and "opt" to get rid of them. I can think of a couple of reasons. First...more experienced nurses are more likely to be vocal about working conditions/staffing ratios or assignment appropriateness, Secondly,...new grads are cheaper.Alot of the write ups are for bogus things....sometimes.....if you are too vocal about conditions they will fire you with no warning at all. It is all about cheap/silent workers....thats whats "in" right now. It is never about experience, or patient safety. It is kinda disheartening really.With experience- comes increased safety and increased resources for the new grads to draw from.Just IMO:monkeydance:
Alot of the write ups are for bogus things....sometimes.....if you are too vocal about conditions they will fire you with no warning at all. It is all about cheap/silent workers....thats whats "in" right now. It is never about experience, or patient safety. It is kinda disheartening really.With experience- comes increased safety and increased resources for the new grads to draw from.Just IMO:monkeydance:
PLEASE someone teach me to keep my mouth shut! I get so head-banging irritated at some things - unfair, unsafe, whatever, and it's SO hard to not say something, but I've already been that route (not fired, just blown off) and know that it gets you nowhere.
How do I learn to keep my mouth shut regardless of how stupid things are - when common sense would dictate another approach - and keep my sanity?
Thank God for Allnurses - at least I can vent here.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
When I read (right here at allnurses.com) of the ridiculously inept, insufficient, disorganized and short orientations new nurses get, before they are expected to take on 7 to 10 acutely-ill and complicated m/s patients or scarier, charge the unit, I see why "oldies" are run off. THEY KNOW BETTER!
Also, the point system.... the nurse had not missed a day since last April. Now she did have some tardies, but was always there. The patients, MDs and other staff loved her. She was a good nurse. Never had a complaint or write up. There were some other nurses on that same unit that had more points than she did, and they are still working there. One of which has had numerous complaints against her from MDs. Whats wrong with that picture?
It is a sad time in nursing when the good ones are being gotten rid of and the ones who arent are kept.
PLEASE someone teach me to keep my mouth shut! I get so head-banging irritated at some things - unfair, unsafe, whatever, and it's SO hard to not say something, but I've already been that route (not fired, just blown off) and know that it gets you nowhere.
How do I learn to keep my mouth shut regardless of how stupid things are - when common sense would dictate another approach - and keep my sanity?
Thank God for Allnurses - at least I can vent here.
i feel your pain - i am the same way - if it weren't for the fact they have no nurses and the ones they get dont stay i would have had the guillotine dropped on me already- i am VERY vocal because thier BS staffing is hurting the residents - they are bringing in anythingandeverything that even the psyc wards wont take - they are bringing in more and more and dont have the staff - i soooo wish state would walk in some night shift or pm shift and see what we are staffed with - one nurse has near 50 resident of the 94 we have - my dementia unit has turned to a psych unit with 6 one on ones that literally need to be run out after cause they get out of the building - they give me 2 aides for these and me - and i am supposed to do anything i am like meds - yeah -ok - and the other nurse is stuck with 2 trachs 5 tube feedings and numerous other skilled things needing done with only 2 aides. night shift is even worse - told the noc nurse tonight id never do it - one nurse 4 aides for 93 or so residents ( ok one is about dead so we wont count that one as he has lots of family there )
i have emailed my state board asking who's license is on the line when something happens and we are not staffed accordingly - my DON says its hers - HA i dont think so - i am sure my butt is on the line too. i also found we cant not accept unsafe assignments according to our states website or we can be charged with abandonment - so either i call in 2 hours before work thier protocol - or i take the assignment -
they are now saying they offer a bonus - 5 bucks if over 4 hours picked up extra- if that dont work they will mandate OT for them ( id like to see them try it with me as I'm casual call - ill be out the door ) but the full timers are livid - there is only a few full timers on PMs gonna get stuck with all this mandated OT as the majority of us are casual - as it is most of us casuals are working at least half to 3/4 time as it is - and hell - when i wanted casual it was just for that - casual - sheesh. i gave them a bunch of agency numbers they refuse to use. they dont wanna be working the shift work but they dont wanna get us staff either.
back to your question - i dont know how to keep your mouth shut cause i am not one that can lol. i watch the ones who can and dont get it how they can be so nicey nicey and then complain - i just go right along my path to the office and ream them - they offering a sign on for any nurse who stays so long - HA - 1000.00 that isn't enough for ANY nurse to put up with what is going on there. we can pray though. :) i will pray for you to have the patience you need. I'm beyond help lol.
Simplepleasures
1,355 Posts
Yup, somethings rotton in the state of Denmark, oops I mean the USA.:trout: