I'm giving my notice tomorrow

Nurse GOODNIGHT · Aug 22, 2004

So sorry. Will be praying for you. I would write down these things in your notice letter. Also I would talk about enjoying the things you did as in this post, people, etc. Give her a copy and one to HR for a file copy, so it's on record.

RN92 · Aug 22, 2004

You probably cant tell her anything she doesnt already know. Thats why she's so defensive. She's probably heard that argument many many times. Sometimes, you just have move on and accept the fact that some things will never change. I hung around my last job a year waiting on changes that never came. They will make promises and say things are going to get better. They'll say what ever you want to hear to try and keep you from leaving. Good luck on your new job.

SmilingBluEyes · Aug 23, 2004

Sometimes action is all you can take when words would be wasted. I wish you the best in your future pursuits. You deserve better than this, and I am glad you realize that.

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Aug 23, 2004

If you think your licsense is in jeopardy, and I agree, then I think you have made the decision that is right for you. I am coming close to the same decision myself. Our assignment is never more than 6, with no LPN, and I am lucky in a 12 hour shift to get all the meds dispensed. We used to have 4 or 5 patients max. Now all we hear from administration is "the numbers, the numbers". Concern for the patient seems to be at the bottom of their list! How terribly sad

KacyLynnRN · Aug 23, 2004

I'm right there with you...we had layoffs at our hospital last year, got a new, difficult & uncaring boss who has made the work environment less than friendly, to say the least...we have lost more than 50% of our regular staff since last year...assignments have gotten more and more dangerous...we are a medical/surgical unit, we get most of the ICU stepdowns as well, and the other day when I worked I had 6 patients, the RN I was with had 5, so between us we had 11 patients. It was awful. I really felt like leaving before I clocked in when I saw the assignment, but I was too scared I'd get fired. I am actively looking for another job, but I'm in a tough spot because I am also a full-time student and my schedule changes frequently. It sounds like you are doing the right thing by leaving and I think you will be much happier in the end. Good luck to you.

LuciGirl · Aug 23, 2004

The bottom line is your nursing license and I agree that you have to protect it. I have been so frustrated, because I continue to run into difficult nursing jobs - not because of the actual patient care, but because of bullying and unprofessional behaviors of co-workers and unsafe staffing patterns, therefore, I leave after 1 to 2 years, and then I have an overall poor looking resume....thinking I should just do travel nursing - 13 weeks at a time and then scoot to greener pastures..................

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QUOTE=Sadie04]Hi all. I need advice. I'm giving my notice tomorrow and transferring to another dept. within the hospital. I love the patients, most of the staff, and even my current schedule, but the staffing for the last year has been horrendous. They recently closed 4 beds because we don't have enough staff. The straw that broke the camel's back was last Wednesday; I was working 7-3:30. I sat down to listen to report and saw that I had 9 patients. I was working with an LPN. I went to the charge nurse and asked why I had 9 patients, how many call-outs were there? She said there weren't any call-outs :angryfire I told her the assignment was unsafe. She gave me a CNA along with the LPN. Then PACU called an hour later; they wanted to send me a 10th patient!!! The charge nurse refused the patient, explaining that there were 31 patients on the floor with only 4 RNs.

Somehow I made it through the shift, but I refuse to continue to put my license in jeopardy. I've gone to the HN and AHN with my concerns and things just continue to get worse, so I'm leaving. I'll be giving 3 weeks notice to the HN, but I really want to explain my reasons to her. The problem is, she gets very defensive and doesn't allow people to discuss their concerns. She just says things like "we're working on fixing the problem, we're hiring new staff, and closed 4 beds, etc" How can I relay my reasons for leaving and have her hear me out? She can be kind of intimidating.

dragonfly954 · Aug 23, 2004

I understand 100%.Last night for the first time I stood up for myself at the beginning of the shift(for an unsafe staffing ratio).One nurse was never scheduled(this seems to be the new norm the last 2 weeks).The attitude seems to be well it's sunday afternoon no administration around to hear the complaints.so what else will the nurses do but work and just deal with it today.yesterday was one time too many in the last 3 weeks.i sat down in a chair and announced to the off going shift that i would not be getting report until at we were staffed with at least bare minimums.further stating no facility was worth my license and it was not abandonment unless i accepted the assignment ,then left.(not to mention that i was orienting a brand new nurse on the 3rd day).the administator(who has not done floor nursing for at least 3 years and into her 60's)told me i had to take report.i refused and sat there.she asked me what i suggest she do on such short notice(no one volunteered to stay!)i suggested she come in and work the shift herself as she asssumed that responsibility with that position or sit there and call around for the next 2 hours to find agency.i wanted more than a warm body.she showed up an hour later-busiest shift in months.she thought i had the easy assignment and hijacked my patients-already settled for the shift.2 of them went bad on her time.she had to run her cheeks off .she threatened my job and refuses to speak to me.the walmart greeter position or 7-11 store clerk sounds better and better.last night made me sad to be a nurse

armyrn · Aug 23, 2004

How can I relay my reasons for leaving and have her hear me out? She can be kind of intimidating.

If you have already decided to leave, why do you care? If she won't listen politely and wish you luck, just walk away.

oramar · Aug 23, 2004

I am positive these short staffing situations are money saving devices for managment. We have had one and a half positions open on my unit for 6 months. I think it is the reason we came in under budget and I think they are going to remain unfilled. Nurse shortage is not the reason, NM has had several RNs from other floors ask for the positions and they were turned down.

rollingstone · Aug 23, 2004

Forget it. She already knows there's a problem. Move on to a place where you can work and not be overwhelmed. Good luck.

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 23, 2004

Moving on might be the right thing to do for you at this moment. However, please don't do anything to inflame an already stressful situation. Simply say in your resignation letter that the staffing levels have gotten too low for you to feel safe working on that unit under the current conditions and wish them well in solving their problems.

There is no need for you to get yourself a bad reputation about this. They already know they have a problem and are taking significant steps to correct it. They have closed beds ... you received additional help when you requested it ... and an additional patient was turned away. That is strong evidence that steps are being taken to try to improve the situation. Your problem is that those steps are not are not working fast enough to allow you to feel safe. Simply say that politely and respectfully and move on without shooting yourself in the foot on the way out the door.

llg