:angryfireI would like to know what rights I have to refuse visits.
Our office covers 2 counties and we have been short staffed practically all year. There is only 1 full time nurse and 1 part time (works half days 5xwk) making visits in our office. The 2 of us have rotated call every other week since March in seven day stretches. The part time nurse doesn't get full benefits, so that is REALLY piling a lot on her.
We are stressed out and burned out and management keeps taking referrals. I had 37 hours overtime in one week! We are behind on paperwork and the part time nurse may need surgery for a breast biopsy and she is pressured as to when to schedule it to accomodate our work schedules. (To heck with the employees! Our managers are all nurses too. I wonder where the compassion went).
There are several nurses who have desk jobs but they refrain from helping out--yet they are the ones who keep taking the referrals!
I worked my rear off to get some time off and my manager called me at home and tried to revoke my scheduled time off so that I would come in and cover 1 lousy visit. I did not go in, had I gone I would have turned in a resignation along with it!
I attribute the woes to poor management. What are my rights? Must I do all the after hour charting even when I'm not on-call or is it not managements job to decline referrals for lack of staff?
Would like to hear back from anyone on this. I enjoy reading this board of sympathetic eyes & ears.
