How dare you!

Kooky Korky, BSN, RN · Nov 16, 2011

DO NOT QUIT YOUR JOB. DO NOT QUIT YOUR JOB. DO NOT WRITE A RANT LIKE THIS AS YOUR EXPLANATION FOR LEAVING IF YOU DO QUIT ANYWAY. DO NOT QUIT YOUR JOB.

Sorry for all caps. I just want you to calm down and not quit your job.

I know you're frustrated but don't throw away your income. Doing that will leave you without income and will not change anything and your next job, if you even can find one, could be a whole lot worse.

You made the same mistake I made once with an agency nurse. As the staff nurse, I figured I should help her by telling her what times the trays would come, whose meds to crush, etc. She was not grateful and even complained to the boss - after she made a couple of long, long calls to handle personal business on her cell phone - while passing meds.

Do not feel responsible to teach agency nurses stuff if you are going to get in trouble for missing lunch. She can call the Supervisor or her agency Supervisor or ask the other nurses - they might very well know how to check tube placement.

Just let the Sup know that you are leaving the floor for 30 minutes for your lunch and make sure the other nurses know you're going and they need to call the Sup if they need anything while you're gone. Period. Do not be Super Woman, do not be everyone's mom. Just look out for yourself.

It's just not possible to be everywhere at once. You are not responsible for agency nurses, although the fact that she was an LPN makes it a little more worrisome. But she can still contact a Sup, who I assume is an RN.

As a former agency nurse, it's hard for me to say to put yourself and your own survival over helping the agency staff, but this is real life.

DO NOT QUIT YOUR JOB, AT LEAST, NOT IN A HUFF.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Nov 16, 2011

Tonight I worked my tail off.
I had two people that I was suppose to orientating, plus I was helping out the agency LPN who graduated in September and thought taking a job with an agency would be a good idea for her FIRST job. So on top of trying to make sure that my two orientees didn't get thrown to the wolves, I was literally teaching this new nurse how to check G-tube placement, give PPDs, and insert foley's. Yes all of those things came up on my shift tonight. On top of also explaining to her that meds have two names when she said to me Pt. XYZ wants her dilaudid but the only thing I see for her is this stuff called hydromorphone.
Things slow down for a few minutes. I send the two orientees to lunch, and continue helping the agency nurse. Because it's almost 7 pm and she is still passing 4 pm meds. At the end of the night I asked for a missed punch slip because I did not take a lunch. I didn't feel comfortable leaving any of them on the floor by themselves. She asks me why I need a missed punch form and I tell her. Her response to me is well I will sign it this time but next time you have to take a lunch. They are licensed so there is no reason why they couldn't have stayed on the floor by themselves. What?!?!
What if something would have happened while I was gone, what if they had a questioned that needed answered and it couldn't wait till i came back from lunch. This supervisor is notorious for disappearing for extended periods of time and for not taking things that nurses report to her seriously. But she wants to get snippy with me over not taking a lunch! I bet if I would have taken a lunch and something would have gone wrong it would be a whole different story of why did you leave this trainees on the floor by themselves.
This is not the first time this supervisor has given me crap. I dunno what her deal is. Being responsible gets you absolutely nothing and it's not fair. These people that run this building need to take a good look at themselves and realize there are more important things to get snippy over other than me not taking a lunch. They use and abuse their staff and then wonder why people don't last there more than a few months. I would have loved to have taken a lunch, but I'm willing to sacrifice what I want to make sure that these people who are my responsibility get taken care of the way they deserve. But apparently my priorities are out of order.
Tomorrow they will be getting my two week notice. This was the icing on the cake tonight. I'm not putting license in jeopardy any longer for this facility. I hope the people who run this building get their priorities in order. Because me not taking a lunch is by far the least of their problems.

First.....DO NOT give your two weeks until you have another position. It is much easier to get a job when you already have one!!

Second....Kudos to you for bearing this responsibility with dedication to your patients, protection of yourself, knowledge, patience, elegance and grace. You did good protecting your patients but you did even better helping a fellow nurse. Hat's off to you! :yeah:

What a crummy night!:hug:

Unfortunately, I have seen this scenario one too many times and I have worked with that type of supervisor:uhoh3:. LPN grads are NOT the only new grads thrown to the wolves after school and wind up in the floor not knowing the most basic of skills. I'll bet they count the grads as on floor staff and they justify it by giving you 2. I'll also lay money they used "missed punch" forms instead of allowing you to punch out your time as some states have mandatory OT regulations these days AND they can get in trouble with the state/federal government for not supplying you federally mandated breaks AND not paying you for them. The paper trail is harder to trace. They also do it to "intimidate" you into not asking for one because a majority of people don't want the confrontation if they are questioned or have to justify why....another cost saving means.

Tell me is the facility for profit or not for profit.........sounds like a for profit I used to work for... :uhoh3:

sweetsleep28 · Nov 16, 2011

It's not even so much the fact that she was snippy about me not taking a lunch, but that she was spoke to me in a not so professional way in front of the two orientees. I do have another job lined up in my haste and frustration last night I see I didnt mention that. I've be trying to stick around at this place long enough for my DON to hire and train some new staff, because she asked me really nicely almost begged me to do so. But the fact remains that I've putting my future on hold to help out this place that doesn't appreciate it. The working conditions are not safe and the nurse/cna to patient ratio is insane. I wanted to help out the DON and be a team player, but I cant keep being a team player if all I get is crap from one this one particular supervisior. Seems as tho she has vendetta out against me and takes every insignificant thing I due as an issue.

chevyv, BSN, RN · Nov 16, 2011

Good luck in your new job! Sounds well deserved. Not that it would do any good, but please let management know exactly why you're leaving. Maybe, they will learn a little from losing a good employee.

79Tango · Nov 16, 2011

She signed the slip right? No harm no foul... I myself have people that dont take lunches (when policy states TAKE LUNCH) and it frustrates the help out of me! Especially when its people that should know better & get thier feelers hurt when I look at them all crazy. I have to answer for that at the end of the month and it may not seem like a big deal to you, but it is.

Making excuses for people so they get paid for the lunch they shouldve taken gets old!

sweetsleep28 · Nov 16, 2011

It's by no means an every day occurrence and I am in no way asking someone to make an excuse for me. I thought I was doing the right thing by not leaving 3 nurses alone on a unit that they had never worked before.

Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN · Nov 16, 2011

While There are those that milk the extra time no matter what but it is a supervisor's /managers job to know who the offenders are and not punish the genuine. If the supervisor really was on the ball she would have already known of the situation and volunteered to relieve the nurse and babysit those who needed guidence...after all it's only for 30 min.......just saying.

OP you did the right thing but I would wait until you have a position before leaving and you never know what the future holds.....never burn your bridges..:redpinkhe:redpinkhe

79Tango · Nov 16, 2011

Of course this is not an every day occurance but how many missed punch slips does your supervisor turn in on a monthly basis? 1 here, 1 there can start adding up when you are dealing with multiple employees. What would her answer be when the CFO asks specifically why someone that has worked there as long as you is not taking lunch? "She care too much about her patients" doesnt cut it these days, they will say "time management training".

allnurses Guide · Nov 16, 2011

Sorry you had such a rough shift. It is so discouraging when you go the extra mile and not only do they not appreciate it, they throw it back in your face! This is how nurses get burnt out. The nagging voice that tells you it's pointless. In an odd way it makes you grow, I guess. You learn to look within more to realize your value.

It happens everywhere though. Just the other day my son came home from his gigantic office supply store job and related how he was helping his manager reorganize some stuff, and seeing that the manager wouldn't be able to actually see it, decided to helpfully take a picture. As he was explaining this the only response he got was "so are you telling me you had your phone out on the sales floor?" :banghead:

lindarn · Nov 16, 2011

That was a first class rant!! Good going. Now go back in there and slay those dragons "for just one more day."
One day at a time. . .

After you write your resignation letter, and obtained another job, I would also follow up with a letter to the senior partner of the law firm who represents the hospital in law suits. Provide them with a run down of your shift, and remind them of the unsafe working conditions, and the potential for law suits that they will have to defend. JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Somewhere in the PACNW

rn/writer, RN · Nov 16, 2011

Of course this is not an every day occurance but how many missed punch slips does your supervisor turn in on a monthly basis? 1 here, 1 there can start adding up when you are dealing with multiple employees. What would her answer be when the CFO asks specifically why someone that has worked there as long as you is not taking lunch? "She care too much about her patients" doesnt cut it these days, they will say "time management training".

It would be nice if the CFOs or other powers that be could look at the big picture instead of focusing on one tiny piece in isolation. Paying for a skipped lunch hour might have saved them a bad outcome with one of the patients left in charge of three unfamiliar/inexperienced nurses. This penny-wise/dollar foolish reasoning could prove very costly if someone messes up and there is a wrong med given or a patient falls. Unfortunately, it's difficult to demonstrate the bad things that didn't happen, but that's the pitfall of asking people to spend money to prevent negative circumstances.

I do like the suggestion of giving the supervisor's phone number to the nurses left behind. Maybe if she gets a few calls she will see what the OP is dealing with and why she is reluctant to leave the floor.

FranEMTnurse, CNA, LPN, EMT-I · Nov 16, 2011

Here's a :hug:for you. I hope it helps.