Is this bizarre?

I was still on orientation with a preceptor when one night we were very short staffed and I was asked to take 5 pts on my own with my preceptor taking another 5. Normal ratio for this unit (step down/tele) was 3 or 4 depending on acuity. I took the assignment only because if I did not, the other nurses would have 7-8 pts each and there is no way that was safe.

It was a horrendus night even with everyone teaming together and helping each other (a day shift nurse stayed until 10pm to help me get my meds out). We also had the resource nurse from ICU come help. It was a great example of teamwork but also a big part of my decision to leave the hospital environment. I felt my license was at risk not to mention patient safety.

I do not think I would have been fired for refusing the assignment, but who knows. In this case, if the nurse feels unsafe taking the load and takes it anyway, he is putting his license at risk. Better to lose a job than a license, IMO.

he said he did talk with the director and HR along with his manager and they said this is very common that they will discharge him b/c of their short staffed situation. Had him take a test for competency and he didn't do well and told him that he will be fired for incompetency. isn't that sorta framing him?

Sounds like the NHS. If you're lucky, new grads get a week of supernumerary. Most only get a day or two.

I was extremely lucky as I had about 3 months.

This is a sad commentary on the state of nursing today. It is becoming the norm.

The nursing supervisor who threatened to fire him should be reported to the state board of nursing for investigation.

I would look at several things. First, is the manager's treatment indicative of a pattern? I would want to know why the preceptor abruptly quit, and if this type of threatening and aggressive behavior is typical of this floor.

I would also consider offering the manager an option. For example, would it be possible to take a smaller load of patients?

Really, it all comes down to the license and to patient safety. If at any point you feel a patient or your license is in danger due to staffing issues, it isn't worth it. This is an extremely difficult economy, but I would rather work a non-nursing job than risk losing my license or hurting someone.

So much of your practice is established in the early days of your career- the quality of assessment, your time management skills, whether you cut corners. Being in a very high pressure situation with threats of firing if you don't do something you don't feel ready to do is almost an invitation that an overwhelmed new grad will fall into bad habits (ex- not checking meds thoroughly or giving unfamiliar meds, not fully assessing) in an attempt to "stay afloat". Being a new nurse is already a stressful situation, and the last thing a new graduate who is only starting to develop professional competence and confidence needs is to find themself in a failure to rescue case.

I would seriously reconsider if this was a place I wanted to work. Also, why isn't the manager jumping in to help if things are so bad? I know I did when I managed a floor. If we were that short-staffed, I would take my own patient load until someone else could be hired before I would throw a still green graduate nurse into the mix.

He shouldn't have agreed to take that test. Of course he didn't do well on a competency test, he's a new grad with two weeks of orientation.

If it had been me, I'd have started quietly looking for another job and called their bluff. Let 'em fire me. Better to be let go before patient safety enters into the equation and my license is jeopardized - at least then, there would be the option to collect unemployment.

As an experienced nurse, I've had my orientation in new positions cut to one day (on the floor) more than once -- when I showed up the second day, someone had called in and I was expected to jump in and do the job. It's certainly not a good idea, but it happens.

I'm in that situation now. I had 3 days of facility orientation, followed by 1 day of observation on the unit. Today was my second day on my own. I'm drowning.

It probably wasn't his choice to take or not take the competency test -- that sort of thing is often a standard part of the employment/orientation process. If you don't want to take the test, ok, there's the door, sorry things didn't work out ...

Also, you're not eligible for unemployment if you're fired for cause, which he would be in this situation -- incompetence. He would be better off resigning and getting the !@#$ out of there before things get worse.

Hmm...I see.

That's pretty ****** up, then...