I Quit!

Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · Jun 30, 2005

Congratulations!

lady_jezebel · Jun 30, 2005

I quit my LTC job today because I feel my license is at stake. do I feel bad? NO! There is no teamwork at that place, no one will help you out if you get behind, and you all know it doesn't take much to get behind! Especially if you are thrown things that the day shift did not want to complete (or stay late to get done). To me if there is an order change on your shift, you are the one who should stay to complete it, not the next shift. I was there every night at least until midnight (work 2-10:30). If something did not get completed on my shift, and I am the nurse responsible for it, they come after my license, not the care center or the supervisor. I am so relieved to be out of there. :smackingf :w00t: :Crash:

I totally disagree. Teamwork is about picking up the work where the prior shift left off. In my hospital, nursing is a 24/7 job. If one nurse cannot finish a task or do an order written late in her/his shift, it goes to the next shift. This is b/c we are busy doing LOTS of stuff for the 8 or 12 hours we are on duty -- we prioritize our time, and we CAN'T do it all. Therefore, we do our best & try to minimize the work left for the next shift b/c it's the professional thing to do, but if there is not enough time to do it all, then so be it. Nursing is about "continuity of care" -- we give report & transfer the batton to the next shift, and then that RN carries the load for her/his 8-12 hrs. And so on. Legally, it's not true that the nurse who starts a job is responsible for finishing it -- both nurses are responsible for the task if it goes over a shift change, just as both nurses are responsible for monitoring/assessing the patient.

Nurses should NEVER be expected to work overtime simply to finish a task UNLESS there is a true emergency (ex. the patient starts to code, and the next shift's nurse is still in report) or it's part of the hiring agreement. Additionally, many hospitals discourage OT b/c it's so expensive & affects the payroll budget.

*****

But regardless, best of wishes to you in whatever you do! :)

April_LPN · Jun 30, 2005

I agree with Tweety. Nursing is RTC (round-the-clock) care 24/7. At the end of eight or twelve hours, a staff member's shift may end, but the medical and nursing care of the patients we care for do not end...they are ongoing. Therefore, no nurse should be expected to stay beyond their shift to do something that needs to be done in the next shift. Every shift has to pick up something or other from the shift before them. This is part of healthcare. It's not an office business where come five o'clock you turn off the business equipment and computers, lights out, and clock out. No one else is coming in to finish the nine to five work until nine the next morning. Then come their weekends, the entire weekend goes by without getting any work done, so it is always there come Monday morning. Doctors and Nurses do NOT have this luxury when we work in hospitals...thus, the shift change must take place to ensure continued care for the patients. As nurses, we need to be patient with shift changes occurring and come to work each shift knowing there might be work for us to pick up that didn't get done before our shift begins...and then we must carry on KNOWING during the next shift the cycle may continue the same way. :)
I do NOT like overtime. My life has a specific number of days granted to me, and when they are gone, they are gone. Working overtime robs from that life that I have been graciously granted to live, thus I do not like overtime. When my shift ends, my thoughts quickly turn to my family, recreation during my off hours, winding down for sleep that night, catching a movie, taking a walk, riding a bike, watching my favorite t.v. shows, cuddling with family, volunteering at my favorite charity, reading my Bible or other favorite books, talking to family and friends on the phone, having time to take classes at a college nearby, going to church...........these are just a few things that cause us to stop and smell the roses amidst the thorns on the stems that prick us along the road of life. Do NOT live your job! Live your lives! Working is a small necessity of being able to provide the necessary things we need to survive on earth, but that's where it should end. Enjoy your job while you are on the job, and call it quits at the end of your shift. Go home to you husbands, your wives, your children, your family pets, and take some down time for yourselves. It's all in a days work...or living. :)

I could not agree more. I work LTC and I believe this is the way it should be. I don't stay much over the time I am supposed to get off because the way I feel about it, it is much easier for all of us to do a little bit if work (like a few papers out of an admit) and pass it on, than to try to take on the entire admit and be stressed, off schedule, and neglecting our priorities.

javanurse2000, BSN, RN · Jul 8, 2005

I am so glad you're out! I know there are better things out there for you. Take care of yourself!