Nurses and Dysfunction?

[jodyangel]

I work for a hospital that is owned by a corporation "for profit". So its all about the money lol.

They can't keep a nurse manager hired, because the stress gets too bad and they leave, or they offend someone and they fire them.

Main goal of this administration is to keep patient satisfaction HIGH. So you have to be all things to all people. They can't and don't want to hire NA's..don't ask my why, but they don't. So the nurse, who has 6 patients is sometimes in the position of having to take all vital signs, fill ice pichters, make the bed and help the patient bathe. O, and do her meds, sign off her orders, call pharmacy, deal with issues and concerns, deal with critical situations............meds........treatments..you get my drift.

Corportation has hired an independant consultant to "shape us up". She has come in and had a meeting with us, stating she doesnt care if we like her or not..shes not here to make friends, but to get us to comply with the companys issues. She then said that 70% of nurses come from dysfunctional backgrounds and 30% come from abused, sexually or physically backgrounds. What her point in saying that I don't honestly know, but she has royally pissed off her staff. It was a real put down to the integrity of the staff. She has a bunch of hardworking dedicated nurses who are working beyond their limits. We're stressed!!

I'll cut it short here. We are going to form a group of nurses, LPNs and RNs to go to our CNO and complain about this. What do you all think?

[jodyangel, RN]

Well this is my situation. They are paying my way thru school at the moment. I'm an LPN and going back for my RN. They are committing me to working for them for 3 years after I graduate. LOL at them. I intend to save money so after I work thru about a year I should be able to pay back what they paid, and get the Heck outta Dodge!!! No, they don't know that..its our little secret.

But seriously. No way do I want to continue to work under the conditions they have set in front of us. I do appreciate the level of responsiblity I have on the floor..and Ive learned lots of things that will make me a better nurse.....but the 12 hr. shift that ends up being almost 14, is just sometimes, Most times too much.

Time will tell. Sometimes I think I should go ahead and take the student loan and forget about using their money. I hate being indebted to them.

The biggest jerks in this situation are the CEO and CFO that hired this woman, she is dong exactly what they want. The real question is "do I want to work for these awful people?"

[jodyangel, RN]

so thunderwolf, what would you suggest we do about this situation if not go and complain about her?

i'm open to all suggestions!!!

this type of management style invites the creation of unions. it serves them right if it happens. dysfunctional?....i sort of think it best applies to your boss, the tactic itself, and the corporate mind set he bought into. why do you think the topic "customer service" is a misnomer and sort of a meaningless term in reality?...because it does little towards serving patients( most of us know that)...but, it services the corporate purse pretty well here in your example.

i am truly sorry that this is happening at your employment. you will lose a lot of excellent staff. the best staff tend to leave with this tactic, which makes it all the more dysfunctional. often, it takes several years after the herd is culled before the hospital realizes its mistake and back peddles.

my regrets,

wolfie

[laurakoko]

wooooooooooo hoooooooooooooooooo MARIE, LPN

You SAID IT ALL.

"Customer satisfaction comes from employee satisfaction............."

And if you don't believe, test this theory. Come home, be cheerful, happy, and compliment your family, they will react in the same manner.

Be rude, condesending, angry.... they will react the same as well.

If the employees are happy, it reflects on the customer.... take a look at Disneyworld's theories....

AND "have a magical day"...............

[Thunderwolf, MSN, RN]

So Thunderwolf, what would you suggest we do about this situation if not go and complain about her?

I'm open to all suggestions!!!

Only you can answer this for yourself. Stay and bear the risk and the onslought or leave for better pastures.

[jodyangel, RN]

:angryfire

Well Thunder, the rug has been pulled out from under me.

A little background on this past thursday.

I worked until 4ish and was called into the office. Another floor manager was there, and got up and shut the door when I entered and sat.

A very bad sign.

My floor manager then went on to wave an incident report at me and stated that I gave report to the night nurse about a patient, saying that I didnt hang a Vanco because the pt. didnt have a line.

Ok, so with my head spinning and trying to tell her the REAL story, she pulls out my file and says, well it looks like you've had problems before. She brought up a 3 day suspension I had a year and a half ago (which Ive not had any problems since..) over missing a few meds, a incident report saying I didnt give someone a bath ( LOL ) . Ok, so Im still trying to tell her NO, I DIDNT TELL THE NIGHT NURSE SUCH A THING...and she says, "Well I guess what we have here is a differance of opinions." I said, Um no, Im telling you the truth. Call my Charge nurse that worked with me that day.

The real story with the vanco was the level was 19 the night before, and had been held. Then it was still high that am, so my CHARGE NURSE called the MD and he said to hold it and he would come down on the floor. He then proceeded to write orders basically saying hold the vanco til the next day and draw a vanco level in the am. But this manager refused to listen to me, and cut my story off saying...Well I am terminating you immediately.

I said Ok great, and walked out. I now have an appt. at 4pm with my DON and I have my statement ready. I dont expect to be rehired..and dont even think I want to be..but Damn, you arent going to fire me over a lie.

My other workers are all feeling very sorry about this..and theyve all been calling me. I told them, they need to stand united and call a meeting for themselves to talk to someone in charge. This woman is destroying our hospital. They said they are going to now.......I hope they don't back down.

Me, Im going to umemployment now to see what they can do for me. I will NOT drop out of school. They will NOT get me down. I will see what they can do and then I will start looking around. If I have to, I'll take out a student loan.....Im sure I can still do that for next semister?

Anyway......I was very bummed out, but Im sure it will all work out in the end. I just hate leaving friends behind..............thanks!

Only you can answer this for yourself. Stay and bear the risk and the onslought or leave for better pastures.

[SmilingBluEyes]

I think you are doing what needs to be done to protect your sanity and your self. I wish you the very best. All places are NOT like this, believe me.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

i work for a hospital that is owned by a corporation "for profit". so its all about the money lol. . .we are going to form a group of nurses, lpns and rns to go to our cno and complain about this. what do you all think?

i think that you and your group of nurses, lpns and rns will be targeted for removal and will all eventually find yourselves out of a job at this hospital. when you work in corporate america you don't bite or offend the hand that feeds you. the big bosses hold all the cards--i mean the money. money talks. one of the reasons your hospital is still "for profit" is most likely because those running it aren't afraid to cut throats to stay alive and "for profit". the view of the consultant is reflective of that--they hired her--they had to know she was a no-nonsense person. it's like being in the army. when they say "jump", you answer, "how high?" nothing that you and a group of nurses does is going to shake administration because they are making a profit. if you quit or go on strike the hospital will only hire other nurses and probably pay them more than you guys made!

many years ago i worked in a hospital that brought in a person we all started referring to as "the hatchet lady". a lot of people got fired for resisting her changes and a lot more just left. the hospital didn't seem to care and we were hearing that one of the reasons she was brought in was because she was ruthless. the hatchet lady is long gone, having done her job, and the hospital is still non-profit and has gotten a lot bigger than anyone could have envisioned. if i were you, i'd just do my job and stand back and watch the circus. don't take this lady's comments about nurses coming from dysfunctional backgrounds personally. she actually may have some research to back that claim up. so, what? it sounds to me like they're getting ready to have all the staff go through some kind of customer relations training. if so, look at it as time off the unit and ask for refreshments. it will end eventually.

addendum: i hadn't read your last post. i am very sorry for what has happened. but it sounds like there is physical evidence that exists to exonerate you in your current situation (the written order by the doctor to hold the vanco). if you are exonerated and your termination retracted i'd be very careful. they are probably not going to want you coming back in any case, especially since others on your unit know what has happened and it has been talked about among them. they cannot let themselves be seen as losing a battle because their real object is to keep everyone else in line. unfortunately, i think you are going to be sacrificed. try to take advantage of the situation. you might be able to get some sort of a deal where they pay you two weeks pay even though you're not to set foot in the place. i'd also get a clear statement that you owe them nothing for any tuition they may have paid for you. that's the cost they have to assume for wanting you gone. that's the employer side of quitting an employee. get, in writing, reassurance that they are listing you as terminating of your own volition so they don't report to prospective employers that you were fired. this is a terrible situation to have occurred.

[jodyangel, RN]

Well thanks dayonite. I did go in for my meeting with the CNO and she didnt say too much..just nodded. I had my say and I told her I want that off my record. She asked me what I wanted if indeed she found the evidence that I did nothing wrong. She said, Do you want your job back? I said to her, I didnt come for that reason. I want you to go look at the chart and clear my name. THEN you do what you feel is right. If you want me back, IF you believe I will be an asset to this hospital then yes, ask me.

You know, I think at this point Id be crazy to go back there even IF they ask me. I went to unemployment today and they told me that they will pay my tuition 100 percent next semester. I think that once I meet with them next week and they tell me what I will earn, that may be a wise way to go for a bit. Im told you can work a certain amt. of hours and still qualify for unemployment. If I work for an agency once or twice a week making 35 bucks an hour plus my check......it might be worth it.

So next week I'll meet with them, then go job hunting.

About the next job. Law in NJ states the facility can only give them the dates of your hire and the end date. Nothing good, nothing bad.

Oh, and Im seriously thinking of bringing a lawsuit with the other nurses against the hospital for wrongful firing.

[Daytonite, BSN, RN]

The situation with the Hatchet Lady got bad where I used to work. Within a couple of months at our facility 3 nursing managers were fired. One had worked at the hospital for 15 years or so and was very personable and well liked although I knew she could be a bit mouthy. Another had been employed there 7 years. These three nurses eventually filed a lawsuit and won, but it took years. The details of the settlement were kept quiet.

I think that you should push for a nice severance package. They really aren't going to want you there anymore. You're a potential problem for them if you stay because you experienced one of the management people do something wrong. If you stay I think you are going to find yourself on the chopping block again. Better to stay in control of your situation. If it looks like they want you gone, get a severance package. Suggest they give you a month's pay and they'll never hear from you again (you don't have to work those days either!). That way you will have a voluntary termination on your record. This happened with me in a job where I butted heads with the DON. And, I was right in what I was complaining about. The DON, however, made the huge mistake of losing her temper and threatening me in front of another person who became a witness. It was the personnel manager who I dealt with after that. They wanted me gone, but didn't really have a reason to fire me. So, they offered money in return for my total silence (I wasn't allowed to talk to anyone on the staff) and a letter of resignation. After I got my final check I took all my former co-workers to breakfast one morning and told them my side of the story. They had been worried because it had been as if I had just dropped off the end of the earth. Nothing was said to them except that I had quit.

I think that, like my experience, your manager made a big, big mistake in the way she approached you and didn't allow you to explain yourself. The fact that there are others to corroborate your side of the story is a big plus for you. Just so that you know, in large organizations a nursing manager does not have the authority to fire anyone unless they are given the go-ahead by the director of personnel and the director of nursing. Too many legal things to consider, so no one is just fired on the spot without some consultation with other departments. So, your manager boo-boo'd big time. Watch for her to get the boot out the door soon. She's a walking lawsuit about to happen for administration if she treats others the way she did you. Managers cannot lose their temper with subordinates--they just can't. So, use this situation to your advantage. I think what may have happened was that she got wind of what the top brass were really doing as far as scaling down the staff and she got over-zealous on her own. She misinterpreted what she had heard from administration and probably got herself in big trouble. Not very bright.

If you are still fired, I would definitely go to a lawyer who specializes in wrongful termination and do it quickly while everything is still fresh. The hospital may be more likely to settle out of court if you work fast. You probably have a real good case. However, don't talk about it to people. That will only work against you. If you followed any of the recent big trials, you see how your words can be used against you. Best to exercise your constitutional rights and say zippo.

[Thunderwolf, MSN, RN]

I, too, am very sorry about hearing what just happen....but, I am not surprised...they are in major reconstructuring mode. Others will also be sacrificed in the name of their profit. It is the way of the Corporate World. It's business at its worst. Dayonite is correct. I would not be surprised that some of your nurse managers will also be seeing the outside of the door. They are a major expense, especially if they don't tow the Corporate line or if they embarrass its Corporate name. No, you will not be alone. Many will follow in your footsteps. Seen it happen.

Again, so sorry this occurred for you. I would not recommend returning. In the eye of this Corporation, your name is tarnished, regardless if your record is cleared or not. Please, envision your release as a great opportunity to be free of this environment. You are free of the dysfunction and chaos it likes to engender. I wish you the very best in your next employ and in school.

WOLFIE

[Cute_CNA, CNA]

Like others have said, I'm sorry about what happened. I don't have any advice, but I wish the best for you. :stone

[jodyangel, RN]

Well thanks to all of you who posted. I know now, that I'm much better off out of there. The working conditions are indeed...hostile.

I'm making a few phone calls this afternoon around and am still rereading over the posts so I make the wisest decisions. They actually gave me a letter all in legalezze speech basically saying I promise not to talk of this outside of work and will not notify the corporate offices....HAHA!

This nurse wasn't born yesterday. Sad thing is...I worked my behind off for then and have never worked harder in my life. But its their loss. I hope they make out well with all travel nurses (snicker).