too much overtime!!

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I am a new grad nurse. I got my license in Oct 2006. I work in a small rural hospital. My hospital is suffering some financial difficulties lately. We have been short staffed recently with no new prospects on the horizion. We have just enough people to cover the week, so if someone calls off, someone has to work overtime to cover. Lately I have been working 1 extra day per week for a total of 4 days (12 hr shifts). I hate working overtime due to responsibilites at home. I just have NO extra time, but I'm new to the unit & I want to look good for my unit director & I also want to do my part. We have had a rash of call-off's lately & like i said i've had 4 days the past couple of weeks. I have been feeling so tired of it lately. well I worked last night & to make a long story short boss asked if I could come in at 4pm today instead of 7 (I work 7p-7a). so 12+hours wed night 6 hrs sleep & back for a 4pm-7am (plus report time) shift. I originally said yes but when I left boss heard me grumbling to the tech & it went something like this.

boss: you know you didn't have to say yes if you didn't want to do it.

me: I don't want to be the bad guy & leave you guys hanging

boss: I could have asked jon (lpn that worked with me last night & tonight)

me: well I don't want to put it on him then he'll only get 6 hrs sleep.

boss: never mind I'll call someone else. I just start with who's here.

now here I am feeling like a big fat jerk. should I call her to apologize, should I call & say I'll just come in? I am not sure what to do.

Sorry if this is disorganized I'm just tired.

p.s. other RN's in the hospital make a bonus if they come in on their day off but our unit (psych) doesn't offer the bonus due to budget. but EVERYONE else gets it. This hasn't bothered me before but I keep thinking about it

so I thought I'd throw that in. :stone

Thanks,

spooky

Specializes in Neuro/Med-Surg/Oncology.
If they're understaffed that is THEIR problem. Don't make it yours.

Definitely! When the staff continues to work a lot of overtime out of guilt, it gives management no incentive to work out long-term staffing solutions. It's cheaper to pay OT to someone they're alredy paying a benefits package to than hire and orient someone new.

It's good to help out, but only when it suits your needs. You know if you needed the money and OT wasn't available, mgt wouldn't just offer it to you because they felt bad. Why should you operate any differently? It's just business.

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Specializes in acute medical.
I think it's very hard to make a judgement that someone, new nurse or not, is 'unprofessional' when you say you have done it yourself. Who hasn't talked to their colleagues when they are unhappy? It can actually help you to clarify your thoughts when you discuss them with someone else.

I don't think it's a hard judgment to make. I've done it myself and realized that it is unprofessional. I also realized that it didn't achieve the objective I had of not working when I don't want to work. I don't do it anymore. It's as simple as that.

A number of ppl have now said that they have "done it themselves", and then criticise the new grad. People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, and it's good to see some other ppl are honest here.

Also, why aren't ppl dealing with the issue of the senior staff member being unprofessional, by listening to another's conversation? How would that be looked upon if a non senior had done exactly the same thing, and then interrupted the conversation?

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma.

But was the senior staff member actually eavesdropping? May have been walking down the hall and heard the OP talking...I'm sure we've all walked up behind someone at one point or another and caught wind of something that wasn't meant for our ears.

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A number of ppl have now said that they have "done it themselves", and then criticise the new grad. People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, and it's good to see some other ppl are honest here.

I'm not criticising the new grad. I was pointing out that when I was a new nurse, eager to please, with the "If I don't do it the patients won't get taken care of." and nursing management that took advantage of me. Yes, I have been there and done that....then got smart...by some older nurses taking me aside and letting me know what was going on. BTW that unit is still running without me 20 years later. LOLOL

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I think they can force you to work mandatory overtime. They do at my hospital.

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Specializes in acute medical.
But was the senior staff member actually eavesdropping? May have been walking down the hall and heard the OP talking...I'm sure we've all walked up behind someone at one point or another and caught wind of something that wasn't meant for our ears.

It "wasn't meant for our ears"? My point exactly...

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Specializes in Hospice.

Just an observation... Recently, everyone where I work has put in alot of overtime. Something I've noticed myself is that when I'm really tired, I don't handle situations as well as I would ordinarily. At least where I work, our supervisors are as tired as we are and I've noticed they don't handle things as they would ordinarily either. So, at times it becomes a vicious circle. We're all only human.

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Specializes in Tele, Renal, ICU, CIU, ER, Home Health..

A number of ppl have now said that they have "done it themselves", and then criticise the new grad. People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones

Not throwing stones here, just sharing my opinion and experience as requested by the OP.

Tiwi, we don't agree on what's professional conduct. That's OK. You also seem to think I was criticising the OP, and that was not my intent. Can we agree to disagree? If not, I'll agree with you, and we can just drop this whole topic.

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Specializes in Tele, Renal, ICU, CIU, ER, Home Health..

Now will somebody please teach me how to quote other posts???

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LOL, to quote, you go inside the blue box within the original post and push the darker blue button that sez "Quote" on it. It also has a picture of a piece of paper and pencil, also located on the blue button. Just look in the bottom right-hand corner of the original post, and you will see it. Hope this helps!

And to everyone, PEACE! We are all in this together!

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Specializes in Tele, Renal, ICU, CIU, ER, Home Health..
LOL, to quote, you go inside the blue box within the original post and push the darker blue button that sez "Quote" on it. It also has a picture of a piece of paper and pencil, also located on the blue button. Just look in the bottom right-hand corner of the original post, and you will see it. Hope this helps!

And to everyone, PEACE! We are all in this together!

ahhhhh...thanks!

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Specializes in acute medical.

Yep, agree to disagree. Sounds good... :cheers:

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