$600 an hr to fill a shift?

I don't know what to make of this post. I have 8 years experience and make more than that as a nurse working an overtime shift.

@MSBruiser the PA is asking for $600 per hour, not per shift.

I believe you may have missed that it is $600 per HOUR.

Oh. Wow. CV surgeons doing heart transplants do not make that where I work. Take that one with a grain of salt.

That place must have been desperate and the PA must have known.

600 x 8 = 4,800

600 x 12 = 7,200

Hint: PA's are probably a lot more scarce than nurses.

Different industry, different lifetime but if we were forced to work short handed the ones that did show up split the missing persons wages. That eliminated the incentive for the employer to purposely short staff. I wish we could institute that practice to nursing. Another sore point with me is management not understanding the difference between staffing and scheduling but that is a whole different thread.

Different industry, different lifetime but if we were forced to work short handed the ones that did show up split the missing persons wages. That eliminated the incentive for the employer to purposely short staff. I wish we could institute that practice to nursing. Another sore point with me is management not understanding the difference between staffing and scheduling but that is a whole different thread.

Your point is my point. We have no way to disincentivize our employers from short staffing us. The PA I spoke with said that they try to make their employer pay dearly for not hiring another provider. The doctor echoed that sentiment.

I believe that our unions need to step up to the plate, and get creative. The union contract needs to include the provision you mention, and hit the employer in the pocketbook when units are understaffed. Not only should we split the missing employees hourly wage, but we should get an additional bonus, hazard pay if you will. We are forced to work harder because of the poor decisions of management. It adds to burn out, causes people to call in sick, puts patients at greater risk.

Instead, they just do a toothless 'assignment despite objection' form, people sign it, nothing changes.

Providers MAKE money for the man, nursing is viewed as COSTING money for the man.

Corporate health care.. at it's finest.

If everyone keeps completing the 'assignment despite objection' forms, the union can track them and keep bringing the problem up the chain of command until changes are made. These type of forms often seem toothless but I do know of nurses who banded together and used the forms every time they worked overtime or short staffed and it resulted in management hiring more nursing staff.

If everyone keeps completing the 'assignment despite objection' forms, the union can track them and keep bringing the problem up the chain of command until changes are made. These type of forms often seem toothless but I do know of nurses who banded together and used the forms every time they worked overtime or short staffed and it resulted in management hiring more nursing staff.

That may be the case but, I think the unions could be more effective if they hardwired a simple cause:effect clause into contracts. There is a staffing matrix, management must be incentivized to adhere to it, otherwise there is an immediate, contractually mandated consequence to compensate nurses. Cut and dried...

Providers MAKE money for the man, nursing is viewed as COSTING money for the man.

Corporate health care.. at it's finest.

True dat

Around here, one of my PAs is regularly offered $2,000 to work at 12 hour shift plus double time hourly PRN at a hospital. It isn't always as glorious as it seems - the hospital has a horrible reputation and her license is constantly on the line. She only does it occasionally to help ease the burden of her $1,8000/month student loan payment....