I did this so in trouble

[Flossy73]

I have always been very proactive in supporting the people I work with, if i could get an extra nurse or if the ward acuity was high ask for a new admission to be transferred somewhere else. But this has changed everything and whether it's worth sticking your neck out to improve our working environment. However we have two wards, I was booked to be a floater however one of the regular staff did not turn up for work. As a floater we were told the role was to help out not take a load. So I declined to fill in and take a patient load but another nurse wanted to extend her hours so they were covered. The hospital manager called me and I was asked why I didn't take a patient load, I said my job was to float, also it was the managers job to find staff if wards were short. The ward I was on was fill of post op patient high acuity versus the other ward that was short and which had loads of empty beds. I kind of said the ward with the high acuity need me the most. So next morning a complaint went through to my boss that I was telling the manager what to do, that I was unprofessional, rude and refused to be deployed. My manager believed the complaint and warned me about my attitude and being rude. I wasn't. Don't managers believe in their staff anymore. Is it wrong to say it's the hospital managers job to find staff and was I wrong to refused to be deployed . Was I wrong to stick up for the ward who need me most. So now I'm seen as a rude unprofessional nurse who disobeyed manager orders. I feel these days we are supposed to be meak quiet nurses who just accept what the bosses tell us. That trying to support your colleagues that are drowning under high acuity workloads is futile. Anyway my manager believed the hospital manager even when thoughout my history of working for the organisation I've never had one person patient, visitor or colleague say I was unprofessional or rude. But I did disobey the hospital manager and refused deployment. Probably I should have saved myself grief and went to the other ward. I feel like leaving and starting again.

[EDNURSE20, BSN]

I found this really hard to read. Very confusing structure. But what I can gather from this is you were in the wrong.

If they want you to work somewhere else you can’t just say no this ward needs me. And you can’t refuse to take pt load either

The shift coordinator on the ward and the manager are the ones in charge. If you were truely more needed where you were they wouldn’t of tried to move you.

Advocating is one thing, but out right refusing and this level of complaining is not acceptable.

This post sounds rude and unprofessional to me.

[TriciaJ, RN]

I, too had trouble following this rambling post. Paragraphs certainly would have helped.

It does sound as though you committed insubordination under the guise of "sticking your neck out to improve the work environment". I don't think they needed a crusader; they just needed an extra pair of hands. It is certainly the manager's perogative to deploy staff where they will; it doesn't sound like they appreciated you trying to run your own program.

I don't know what kind of a disciplinary process they use. If they don't outright fire you it might be better to take your lumps, toe the line for awhile and change jobs on better terms.

[Flossy73]

Post wasn't rambling nor did I use a guise. And I wasn't certainly not trying to run my own programme. I was the shift coordinator. I'm am not rude.

[Coffee Nurse, BSN, RN]

Nope, still confused. Were you meant to be the shift coordinator or a floater? I don't know the exact setup of your hospital but I would imagine those are very different roles. In any case, if you are a nurse and there are patients who do not have a nurse and your manager tells you you have to take a patient load, I don't see how you can justify saying no to that. The need for these patients to be taken care of really supersedes everything else. You say it was the manager's job "to find staff if wards were short." They did -- it was you.

[kp2016]

I’m sorry but I think you were in the wrong here. I understand the concept of having a floater nurse, smaller hospitals I’ve worked at used them to cover meal breaks and the OR/ ER transfers. But I don’t know anywhere that would allow a unit to have a “floater” essentially an extra nurse while a unit was working a whole nurse short due to a call out. As a nurse you can and should refuse an assignment you are not trained or skilled to safely do, you can’t refuse an assignment because you think you would be better utilized doing something else, that is for the nursing manager to decide.

Your next move is entirely up to you. If you can accept that you made an error in judgment and put this behind you there is no reason to look for a new job. If you honestly believe that you weren’t in the wrong here you should be looking for a new job ASAP as you are likely to encounter more problems and a growing HR file which doesn’t normally end well.

[JKL33]

If you don't use a hefty dose of discretion in deciding what to protest, you will be seen as a trouble-maker - - because that's what that actually amounts to.

Zip it, and lock it - remember?

You've been saying you're having difficulty with finding a new position based on the reference this place is giving your potential future employers. How does your valiant assignment protest meet your goals?

It seems as though you have some issues with perceptions, communication, and judgment. If I were you I really, truly would zip it and lock it for now. Why keep digging your hole even deeper?

?

[Cowboyardee]

In general, you're much safer debating and explaining your own job responsibilities and boundaries than telling a hospital manager (or any medical professional you're not directly responsible for overseeing, really) what their job is. Them's fighting words. If you told her how to do her job, it's not surprising she'd complain.

Aside from that, I don't have much insight for you. It's not clear to me what you should have done or what your responsibilities were. It's common enough for nurses to be thrown under the bus in short staffing situations, and if you feel that is happening to you, it's often best to communicate in writing with management when possible to leave a clearer and less debatable record of your side of the story.

[Forest2]

6 hours ago, Flossy73 said:

Post wasn't rambling nor did I use a guise. And I wasn't certainly not trying to run my own programme. I was the shift coordinator. I'm am not rude.

Don't sweat it. Sometimes nurses get a little snippy me included. My take on it is that you sorta, in a way, yeah, kinda, told your manager she was wrong and you weren't going to do what they asked. In this world of nursing, we speak our peace, "They have higher acuity over there, shouldn't I go there instead?" You then get a yes or no and follow command. We can't make the decision for them, only give our input. You aren't responsible for decisions that are made by someone over you. That should be a relief I would think.

[Forest2]

6 hours ago, Flossy73 said:

Post wasn't rambling nor did I use a guise. And I wasn't certainly not trying to run my own programme. I was the shift coordinator. I'm am not rude.

Don't sweat it. Sometimes nurses get a little snippy me included. My take on it is that you sorta, in a way, yeah, kinda, told your manager she was wrong and you weren't going to do what they asked. In this world of nursing, we speak our peace, "They have higher acuity over there, shouldn't I go there instead?" You then get a yes or no and follow command. We can't make the decision for them, only give our input. You aren't responsible for decisions that are made by someone over you. That should be a relief I would think.

[TriciaJ, RN]

10 hours ago, Flossy73 said:

Post wasn't rambling nor did I use a guise. And I wasn't certainly not trying to run my own programme. I was the shift coordinator. I'm am not rude.

Okay then. Carry on.

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

What's a shift coordinator? Was it your job to make assignments?

If it was your job to make assignments and they questioned your decision making without good cause, I can understand why you stood up for yourself. Especially if they weren't on the unit and couldn't see how badly a float/resource nurse was needed.

When I was charge on the weekend, my manager was not present. She would sometimes call me from home and ask why I made this or that decision and I would explain myself. If I felt that she wasn't listening to me I would have been upset. But we had fairly clear rules to follow about when a person got floated, call offs, etc. Sometimes folks would disagree about which rule applied, and then my nurse manager had the final say.

You may have been justified in advocating for your unit to have you as a float.

You were not justified in saying "it's management's job to find staff." It would have been better had you said "Due to acuity, I think I should keep my role as float nurse today. Can you bring in per diem staff for me instead?" You should ask for what you want before complaining that you didn't get it.

No matter the details, I think you did communicate poorly with the manager and it would be a good idea to apologize for that. In general, it looks like you need to improve your communication skills. If there is a bigger issue here with constant inadequate staffing, then ask for a meeting to express your concerns.