Hey, Managers! What's up with the "weeding out" of good nurses?

[UM Review RN]

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?

Or is something else afoot here?

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Doesn't happen at all where I work. I'm maxed out in my salary range, making $10.00/hour more than a new grad.

In fact it's the opposite. No one is targeted. Dead weight that needs to get written up is ignored and allowed to stay forever. I've never heard of anyone being written up that didn't deserve it.

The manager did target two new grads recently that were completely totally clueless and dangerous and they no longer work there. That's about it.

My guess is that managers who weed out the higher paid employees, based soley on salary and no other reason, are following the dictates of higher ups.

Managers that target employees "for no good reason" are deranged.

[gonzo1, ASN, RN]

new grads make less money, are usually more malleable, afraid to speak up, often have fewer health issues, what's not to love. Keep them till they start to "command" more money and then push them out and bring in some more new grads. Ever wonder why there are so many "new grads" at the bedside. And of course they burn out after a couple of years. Hopefully they won't leave nursing completely, but it seems like a lot do.

The whole new grad thing is causing a little problem on my floor now because 80 percent of them are pregnant. I don't know how we are going to staff soon.

[SmilingBluEyes]

Just a thought for the "other side":

I would not do middle management for all the tea in China. The pressure from "up on top" e.g. Admin and bean counters, and the pressure to please so many employees working for you....

Trying to bring the two ends together and buffer between them when friction arises....

HOOEY no money in the world worth all that pain and worry.

Nope, it cannot be easy to be a manager....

Nor is it to be a nurse. Times are changing...

and not necessarily for the better. It behooves one to look out for herself, any way she can.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

hmmm tried to copy and paste....didnt work....anyway... i agree, that this is prob coming from "higher up".....another thing to consider is that new managers will clean house....wether this is taught or instinct..i dont know....but they end up with staff w/o loyalty to the previous mngr..and, indeed, if "they" want you out.....you will end up .....out......better to leave ....as a friend of mine said...."been there, done that; got the Tshirt....HELL, GOT THE FACTORY.....!

[rehab nurse]

it seems to me that one of the reasons new admins clean house, is to get rid of those who knew what the unit ran like before they came along.

i know at my place, we refer to those days as the good old days, and with the new management and all the crazy things they are doing with staffing we all wish we could go back to the way it used to be.

now that they want the midmanagment to do staffing 24/7, the place will go down fast. how can a unit manager run her unit with all the stupid meetings and paperwork they have to do, then stay over or get called in to work ANY floor in the building cause a nurse didn't show up?! give me a break!!! how is that even SAFE!!?? i really feel for the pts who will be neglected. very sad. of course upper management will not have to staff the units. god knows they need their beauty sleep and dinner parties so they can come up with even more ways to make the place run terribly and kill the morale of the staff nurses.

[Jolie, BSN]

I am absolutely certain that what Angie O'Plasty describes does happen, in nursing and every other field under the sun. It sickens me.

I know of at least 2 people who have been terminated and/or denied advancement in their positions because their families "over-utilized" health care benefits. These family members weren't hypochondriacs, but needed legitimate treatment for serious health conditions. Neither case involved the actual employee, so absence from work wasn't the issue, either.

There ought to be a special place in he** for those who terminate employment because a family member utilizes the very benefits the employee has EARNED.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

Doesn't happen at all where I work. I'm maxed out in my salary range, making $10.00/hour more than a new grad.

In fact it's the opposite. No one is targeted. Dead weight that needs to get written up is ignored and allowed to stay forever.

In my experience, that is a part of what happens here. In a rural area, you really have a much harder time finding nurses and so unfortunately some stuff gets overlooked.

I have seen "targeting" though.

steph

[wooh, BSN, RN]

My last job, experienced RNs weren't necessarily written up, but I for instance would get called into the manager's office "for my side of the story" on bogus complaints. Couldn't write me up because I didn't actually do anything wrong. Just got pestered until I was sick of it. This was after I watched several coworkers go through the same thing. Strange how it was at the same time they had a bunch of new grad LPNs coming in. New grad to experienced RN pay may not be a big enough difference, but when you can chase off experienced RNs and run the place with new grad RNs and the really cheap new grad LPNs, imagine the bottom line at the end of the year. Not to mention, all those new grads, doing whatever the manager says because they don't have the experience to know the dangers. Looks very cost effective to someone with a business degree.

[PeachPie]

So... mind if I ask where these experienced nurses go? I'm always hearing about you vets getting chased out of workplaces in favor of cheap labor, but what happens afterwards. Uh... am I threadjacking? Should I be making a separate thread?

[Guest717236]

So... mind if I ask where these experienced nurses go? I'm always hearing about you vets getting chased out of workplaces in favor of cheap labor, but what happens afterwards. Uh... am I threadjacking? Should I be making a separate thread?

After many years of dedication, some leave the field.

The nursing shortage??????????????????????????

In this forum, you can read stories about experienced nurses

being pressured to leave (because of their salary)

You can also read about new grads having difficulty getting a job.

(Cost of training, no experience)

Nursing as a profession need to get their act together and unite.

What is the point of attracting bright, enthusiatic individuals to

the field if you do not allow new grads a starting position.

Of course, experienced nurses have been 'down sized'-these are

the individuals who would train them.

The real bottom line-----patients suffer because of the greedy

foolishness that has become hospital management.

[gonzo1, ASN, RN]

Where do the more experienced nurses go? Insurance companies, home health, day surgery, leave the profession, hospice care, lots of places and choices for a nurse. Some avenues provide better pay and benefits, some not so good.

[justavolunteer]

Sometimes managements' chief objective is to show who's boss. I was a volunteer (volunteer = willing to come in & help for free) at a hospital that decided to lock up the supplies. The problem was they were locked up from me, too. Kind of hard to pass out cups, straws, etc., if you can't get to them. The manager was upset because I dared to question her, so I ended up resigning.

It didn't matter that they chased away a volunteer. The only thing that mattered was having the upper hand. If the job doesn't get done or the pts. suffer, too bad! Just as long as everyone knows who's in charge!