Published Jan 16, 2006
NURSEFLA
12 Posts
I have had a "wonderful" job in a small PACU for the past two and a half
years. The hospital is great, supportive of nurses, and has great benefits.
I only work part time but LOVE my fellow co-workers and have felt to finally
"fit in" and work in a place I can call "home"... until recently...
A new manager was hired.. at first, she was very positive and willing to
help work out some kinks in our unit. She is also the manager of our
preoperative area. Alot of experienced nurses quit when she came on board
so she has hired alot of new nurses that have little to no experience working
PACU. I have helped to cross train these new nurses and have felt very
positive about everything... until last week.
I was called by our manager on her cell phone after she had left the building.
Basically, it was put to me and another experienced RN in the PACU, that
we were to start working in the pre-op area also OR we would be subject
to being cancelled and she would let the "per diem" nurses work in the
PACU. She wants us to work like everyone else does which is to preop
the patient, then literally run to the PACU and recover a patient, then
run back to preop and get 2 more ready, then run back to the PACU to
recover more patients. This has NOT worked and I told her that I did
not want to be "miserable" like everybody else is, that I enjoy working
only in the PACU as it keeps me focused on giving good patient care and
not be scattered over two departments all day.
She was rude to me and stated that no one has complained to her about
this so "it doesn't exist".. and it was just heresay.
Needless to say, I am very upset about this and went to the DON.
Nothing has been done yet, but I am thinking about quitting this job.
It has changed, the whole department has changed, and now doing what
I love is being yanked away.
I don't want to work so scattered and pulled constantly back and forth.
She is even training one of the new nurses to be the charge nurse. This nurse
has no management experience. in fact, could not even start an IV
6 months ago!!.. We have had to spoon feed her the whole way, and now
she is going to be in charge of us!!
I just need to get out!! What do you think??
SFCardiacRN
762 Posts
Do you have a union to go to? Are similar jobs available in your area? Are you vested into retirement? Are you interested in transferring to another dept. that has better management? Nursing has too many options to be unhappy!
SmilingBluEyes
20,964 Posts
It really sounds to me as if this manager is setting up a "good old girl" network in her units---I have seen this before. Good luck.....
You will have to decide if all this is worth it. I am so sorry this is happening. Not sure there is much you can do BUT quit or stay and ride all of this out.
ChristyLS
4 Posts
i can completely emphathize c you. i worked for 2 years in a level one trauma center in the pediatric unit. after much thought, i decided to move back "home." i am a single parent c a 7 year old son. i started working at our local hospital- small, rural, and maybe 45 beds. i quickly learned that these people would eat their young. on my first day, i orientated on dayshift and learned that the adon was caught stealing lortab. they did not press charges and tried to find a position for her, but she eventually left. i then went to night shift and was on my own, which was fine. however i became aware of the fact that my coworks were "testing" me. i got every admission and no one helped including the cna. i have been there for 2 years now and it is a struggle every day i have to go to work. there was a time that i would get called into the adon's office every time i came to work for stupid crap. while other people were bolusing pt with 3 %, or inserting a suppository into the rectum of a pt with a stoma. i am always willing to come in extra, take call or switch my schedule around to help out others. we have to work the floor and as rn's, do ob and er. i have worked nights were i am the only rn in the hospital c lpn's. they had a gn who couldn't pass her boards taking pt and charting. it is crazy. i love my profession, but seriously. it is a fight between the adon and the night shift supervisor constatley. all the managers have their favorites and i don't make the list c any of them.
so what i am trying to say is....i feel your pain!
Thats the thing. Life's too short to be unhappy.
The manager just called me on the phone (I'm off today) and wants me
to work IV Therapy tomorrow. Its either work that or be cancelled.!!!
So much for working in the PACU...
And so it begins..........
That's what
IRKS me the most. She's got nurses working that have little to NO experience
in PACU, cannot or will not titrate narcotics, have no clue how to manage
an airway , yet they work while I sit at home or work another unit.
Go figure!!
All this adds up to a good ole girl situation. NEVER fun unless you are one of them.
Are there other options for you that are viable?
Oh, I could be one of them, but then I would be just as miserable as they
are. Most are young, single parents that need that job so they are too
afraid to speak up. So, they smile to her face, and mumble behind her
back, although, one or two, have even gone to the extreme of doing
her makeup, hair, etc, before a party, bake together, swim with her,
and run with her. and she has them all doing things HER
way.. I'm not doing it, so I get to sit at home.
As far as other opportunities, I work at another hospital per diem, with
their own set of problems, but I like it there ok and the people are very
nice. They have offered me a part-time position, but it is 12 hour shifts
with call (after the 12 hour shift) and I am just too old to stay awake
and work up to 24 hours!! plus it only pays straight time for call worked.
Another opportunity that has come up is to travel doing training for a
medical equipment company. It would involve flying out every week, home
on weekends, ... problem, I hate to fly!!
Any suggestions? Waiting tables is looking good right now!!
Thanks!!
ISITFRIDAYYET
Have you thought about Home Health nursing? Flexible and none of the headaches that go along with hospital politics !