Nursing shortage???

dazzle256 · Oct 24, 2004

How has the nursing shortage impacted your job? Three years ago it seemed like every where you looked the nursing shortage was in the media. Is it any better now or have people just stopped talking about it? I'm considering doing a big research paper on the subject. I'm just getting started with the actual statistics and other numbers. I'm interested in others opinions. Thankyou.

Maybe its just me, but 3 years ago I don't think the hospitals would have dared working us as short as they are now. Seems like they imported a lot of nurses and pushed a lot of nurses through the excellerated nursing programs and now I think they have the nurses but are working us really short. Guess if we don't like it we can leave and they have other nurses to take our place.

Like I said that what it seems like to me.

anndoodle · Oct 24, 2004

How did it affect my job? It made me have to quit a job that I thoroughly enjoyed. I was an LPN in LTC working 11-7, but the facility I worked at kept putting me in the position of being the only LPN for a few hours during the night with a census of 88 residents. I asked not to be put in this position, even turned in my resignation. Was told they wouldn't do it anymore. I even emailed the OLTC anonymously and asked about the 11-7 staffing - which is 1 lpn to 80 residents. Over 80, you gotta have 2 nurses. I came to work one night a few nights alter and found I was scheduled a "split shift" again - one nurse stays until 3 am but the next nurse doesn't come in until 5 or 6 - I called the DON at home, she basically said there's nothing she could do about it....so I walked out the next morning after reinstating my original resignation notice.:angryfire

Now, I miss the residents I had grown so fond of, but I've gained new employment that actually has benifits....all my old job offered was 2 weeks paid vacation after a year. No insurance, nothing else. Nada. New job pays me the same to work days as I had worked nights, have medical/dental/vision insurance, 401k, free life insurance policy, and even a $2500 sign on bonus for agreeing to work a year at the new job. So in the long run, it actually ended up helping me!

jbrum · Oct 25, 2004

Maybe its just me, but 3 years ago I don't think the hospitals would have dared working us as short as they are now. Seems like they imported a lot of nurses and pushed a lot of nurses through the excellerated nursing programs and now I think they have the nurses but are working us really short. Guess if we don't like it we can leave and they have other nurses to take our place.
Like I said that what it seems like to me.

Thanks a bunch for the info. Do you work at a LTC facility or acute care? Metropolitan or rural? When you say "working you short" do you mean your not getting enough hours or are you working with to little staff? Our facility seems to be really cutting back on the overtime that many people depended on. They won't let nurses schedule overtime but they don't hesitate to go down the employee list calling people who are scheduled off to see if they will come in to work because they didn't schedule enough nurses in the first place. This really ticks me off because i hate being called a 4am on my day off just so they can ask me if i want to come in and work at a momments notice. Thanks again

jbrum · Oct 25, 2004

How did it affect my job? It made me have to quit a job that I thoroughly enjoyed. I was an LPN in LTC working 11-7, but the facility I worked at kept putting me in the position of being the only LPN for a few hours during the night with a census of 88 residents. I asked not to be put in this position, even turned in my resignation. Was told they wouldn't do it anymore. I even emailed the OLTC anonymously and asked about the 11-7 staffing - which is 1 lpn to 80 residents. Over 80, you gotta have 2 nurses. I came to work one night a few nights alter and found I was scheduled a "split shift" again - one nurse stays until 3 am but the next nurse doesn't come in until 5 or 6 - I called the DON at home, she basically said there's nothing she could do about it....so I walked out the next morning after reinstating my original resignation notice.:angryfire
Now, I miss the residents I had grown so fond of, but I've gained new employment that actually has benifits....all my old job offered was 2 weeks paid vacation after a year. No insurance, nothing else. Nada. New job pays me the same to work days as I had worked nights, have medical/dental/vision insurance, 401k, free life insurance policy, and even a $2500 sign on bonus for agreeing to work a year at the new job. So in the long run, it actually ended up helping me!

Sounds like your courage to stand up for what's right payed off for you. Congratulations for sticking up for yourself. Your previous employer's loss si your new employer's gain. Thanks again.

Antikigirl, ASN, RN · Oct 25, 2004

I live in a rural area, and nurses tend to keep their jobs till they retire...so no shortage noticed here. Only complaints of shortages come from facilites that are so horrid to work for that no one will apply...even with those lovely little perks they dangle out like sign up bonuses, no weekends, medical with dental....I have yet to see a place offer that and keep it going..and not revoke it for various reasons a year later (yep..happened to me, none of the items promised were delivered, and I am still fighting it)!

We lost a nurse three months ago due to a work related injury. My company disputed it, and they settled after she got a lawyer and was "encouraged to take some time off"..in other words..quit!...ever since then no one dares work as a nurse there (not like in a small community you don't hear what has gone on!). Now we nurses are working longer hours, responsible for more things we can't even find time to do (unless we do it after work, yet we can't work overtime). Three months have passed, one nurse applied and they hired her, and she didn't even show up her first day or call (must have caught onto what happened).

I really should look into ratios...we have 1 Licensed nurse (RN or LPN) per shift, 150-160 residents. The trend lately by our administration (assisted living mind you) is to take on higher need patients so they can charge more in services...but these residents are getting more complex, as our other ones are aging and getting more and more dependant! I fear it is getting beyond what is right for the amount of nurses...and I don't feel it is safe for residents! Maybe I will check into it when I finally get an actual day off! We also can't seem to hire CNA's and now are dependant on non-licensed care givers...and yep, they pass meds! Welcome to assisted living...the very GRAY area of medical facilities!!!!!!

dazzle256 · Oct 25, 2004

Thanks a bunch for the info. Do you work at a LTC facility or acute care? Metropolitan or rural? When you say "working you short" do you mean your not getting enough hours or are you working with to little staff? Our facility seems to be really cutting back on the overtime that many people depended on. They won't let nurses schedule overtime but they don't hesitate to go down the employee list calling people who are scheduled off to see if they will come in to work because they didn't schedule enough nurses in the first place. This really ticks me off because i hate being called a 4am on my day off just so they can ask me if i want to come in and work at a momments notice. Thanks again

I work acute care at a very busy ten bed ICU in a medium size town probably 100,000 population. When I say working short I mean we used to have 5 nurses for 10 patients and now only 3 are scheduled.

rn-jane · Oct 25, 2004

i changed jobs this year to a more progressive hospital. We rarely work short, there are many incentives to do overtime. The last hospital i was at i cried before and leaving work. I was the only rn one night for 18 telemetry patients, they gave me an lpn(which i was grateful), but pulled her 2 hours later because her unit(pediatrics) only had two nurses for five kids, give me a break. That was the last straw for me there and found a place that appreciates my skills.