How would you feel?

[stashiaj]

Hello :)

Opinions please. I have been an ob nurse for 4 years now. I don't officially have an ob position though, so I still have to go work medical floor if they are busy. I never used to mind, but its getting so few and far between that I don't feel like I am as good as I should be when working medical, its hard to keep up on the skills. A few months ago there were ob positions posted as 12 hour shifts, I can not do 12 hour shifts because I do not have daycare for overnights so several nurses with less seniority received the positions. I blew it off, but the other day more positions were posted. I applied and was called back. Since I am not available for night shifts they would not offer me the position. Instead a young cocky nurse with 1.5 years experience received the position. She refuses to work dayshifts, pm shifts and also refuses to attend c-sections because she is "not comfortable" with them. I have much more seniority and experience, but now she has an actual position just because I am not available for night shift. They knew I wasn't available when they originally hired me. I'm really upset. This position means she can work charge nurse and I still can't. This means I still have to work medical.....which probably isnt fair to the patients (don't get me wrong, I try my hardest!!). One of our doctors even told me that she was upset that I didn't get the position and asked if I minded if she talk to someone about this. How should I handle the situation without making things worse?

[SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS]

Short version- if the unit did not follow policy and procedure with hiring, then you have grounds for a formal complaint. If your feelings are just hurt, then you do not. See above.

That said, I am sorry that happened. I think we have all lost out on jobs we applied for, really wanted, and then saw someone else got it and felt "it should have been me." It hurts. We get over it, and the next cool thing comes and you're prepared for it because you saw what they were looking for and moved toward that.

[BostonTerrierLover, BSN, RN]

Me and my wife work different shifts, . . . It sucks, but we did it because we both got the positions we wanted.

IT ALL BOILs DOWN TO WHAT YOUR WILLING TO LIVE WITH, TRADE OFF, COMPROMISE, and SACRAFICE.

[msn10]

so youre basically saying u cant see my point what so ever because you did overnights for awhile. ive done overnights. i didnt find it neccesary to post that i was doing overnight when my husband left me and my two small children......excuse me for not "figuring out my child care issue". maybe you can find me an overnight daycare.

I am not bashing you, wow! All I am saying is that many of us have had to find other alternatives (and there are noc childcares in some areas) and I have had to pass on a couple of dream jobs because I am a mother first. No big deal, my choice and that's life. I guess you didn't read the rest of my post in agreeing with you that it can be frustrating....I was sharing your sentiment and we all have our crosses to bear. If you have a union steward - great utilize that resource, but if you are looking for sympathy because some cocky nurse got a position you wanted, well it stinks, but that is the way things work out some time. Sorry for your situation.

[silverbat]

I do understand what you are saying.... I worked nights for many years while my kids were little. Only positions available and I grew to love love love nights!!

You have not said, but I am guessing there is no hubby or significan other or Mom to babysit while you work??? My hubby, bless his little heart stepped up and did the dad thing for years alone when I worked eves or overnights!!!!

I would guess you did not get the position becuase it was for nights and you can't/won't do nights.

Oh.. hey... had a thought.... if babysitting is hard to obtain..... are the shifts 5 nights in a row, or like 2 on, 2off, etc? might be easier to find someone to babysit 2-3 nights per week??????

[NicuGal, MSN, RN]

Did you go to the manager and ask why? You have to be proactive. Did you put in for the shift, but did you also go and ask what the hours were going to be? I am assuming that you would know what shifts are short and if it is nights, they are going to fill it. Are you saying now that you can work 8 hour nights? I am really confused on what you actually want and what the needs of your unit are.

As for the other employee, obviously they don't have a problem, but if it is true then people should write her up for her constant refusal to do things.

On the won't work days thing...there are a lot of people who do nights for the exact reason you do days...because of circumstances in their lives.

As a former manager, I would preferred you would have come to me for clarification of all the above. If there isn't a shift posted on something, then you need to ask, I'm not going to come to you and say, hey by the way. You are an adult, take charge of what is going on. Most managers welcome people to come and ask them things. And you have such a hatred for this person it seems, it is a waste of time and energy.

And yes, I have worked every shift known to man, I have been passed up for shifts and jobs because I couldn't do the hours or shifts, but that is the way it is. Sometimes we have to pull our panties out of that wad and move on.

As for the floating, that is your job for now, so do the best job you can do. You just have to stick it out until something comes your way in a shift you can work.

[Purple_Scrubs, BSN, RN]

Even if the position did not specifically state nights, the person they hired only works nights, and the person they did not hire refuses to work nights. It seems obvious to everyone but you that they needed someone for nights!!! So someone made a mistake and forgot to put nights only on the posting, mistakes happen. If you want a permanant position you're going to have to wait until one opens for days or find childcare so you can work nights (which is your responsibility as a parent, not the responsibility of the other poster to find for you).

I am really not understanding why this is being made to be so complicated?

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

so you're basically saying u cant see my point what so ever because you did overnights for awhile. Ive done overnights. i didn't find it necessary to post that i was doing overnight when my husband left me and my two small children......excuse me for not "figuring out my child care issue". maybe you can find me an overnight daycare. i'm not the only nurse at my hospital that doesn't do nights and i didn't know that not working nights gives all of you the right to bash on me. if the hospital was looking for someone for just nights then they should have posted it that way. we are contracted and in our contracts it states that when applying to specialize the position will be given based on seniority. there are no interviews. when the 12 hour positions were posted i didn't apply even though i was next in line because i couldn't do them, but this position was for 8 hour shifts, no other specifications. i was asked to do straight evenings on ob, i am doing what they asked me to do, the only difference is i don't have an actual position. so you're telling me this wouldn't upset u in the least? if you gave up your day shifts and filled their pm shifts and then watched them hand a position to a nurse with much less qualifications you wouldn't mind?

wow.....im the bad guy and you were the one judging me cause you thought Ive never done overnights.....

It is very clear how upset you are and I feel for you, I really do. You have mentioned "contract" again. If you are union and they have failed to follow the contract, contact your union rep and file a grievance. I would check with HR or the manager about the position posting and the failure to comply/adhere to the contract.

If you are already doing evenings on OB I would go to the manager ad ask to be given an evening position. But like I said before, budgets are funny things. The manager may have a casual/float position but not a benefited one. The benefited one is on nights. You are given a specific set of FTEs per shift with a few left overs. The rest is filled in by casual/per diem employees or floats.

It's not whether or not you have worked nights before it's that it appears that the 8 hour position available is on nights. You don't work nights, the manager knows that and offered the position to the seniority person on nights. It was probably an over sight that the position wasn't posted as an 8 hour night position and not a personal attack/snub to you.

What I wouldn't do is discuss this at work or share how upset and unhappy you are ....it won't help you.

I am sorry you are feeling so upset and remember this is a public forum. expect the public to tell you how you feel. Don't look in a public forum to give you what you need. I mean you never know who is really posting, it could be Charles Manson having fun.

:hug:You sound maxed out and too through. Take a deep breath, let it out. watch your favourite movie and veg out....it will be oK. This too shall pass.:loveya:

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

Let's look at all the facts:

You have presented that you desire a job in a department, but have certain obligations and some limitations on work hours.You communicate to the PTB that you would like one of the open positions. And they decide on someone other than you. Someone you say refuses many things.

Issues:Perhaps you did not communicate your desire for the position well. Given some of the back and forth on this thread, that could be a good possibility.

Perhaps, despite your seniority, the other applicant has more desirable attributes. Such as an ability to adapt to changes in schedule, extend shifts, work more needed shifts, use personal time to increase skill level or mentor others.... More accessibility. Or the other applicant has offered to undergo some orientation to skills such as csections so that she will be comfortable with taking them.

Or you are seen as more difficult to work with d/t various issues than the person that received the job. For whatever reason.

You need to approach your manager to ask what skills that you need. To develop to obtain a position in the the future. Only they can tell you what is lacking. Then correct those issues.... NOT ARGUE ABOUT THEM OR SHOW DISSENT.The PTB don't pick one person with less experience than another without a reason. And if the other individual is so picky about certain issues and you are not (as YOU say), there is a reason and you need to find it out and correct it. Management does not pick difficult players over easier ones, without weighing the options and yours came up lacking.