Oh my gosh the "dime a dozen" thing is happening again.

angel337, MSN, RN · Jun 24, 2009

my employer recently reminded us that "there is a waiting list of nurses who want your jobs". its sad that nurses are so devalued by administration. its not that i am not grateful, but i still expect to be respected and have good working conditions.

Schmoo1022 · Jun 24, 2009

I hear this all the time at my facility. If anyone disagrees with the administrator, we hear " Nurses are a Dime a Dozen, we have stacks of applications" I have been hearing this for years about CNA's and my reply has always been, "yes, but good ones are priceless" I give respect where respect is due.

soulofme · Jun 25, 2009

Yea and they have apps for their positions also... so they are covering their butts......

JB2007, ASN, RN · Jun 25, 2009

Yes they think that we are a dime a dozen, but they hesitate to get rid of the nurses that call in all the time, cause trouble, or just do not do their job. Sad really how they treat the nurses that work hard and have a good work ethic like a dog turd.

Pierrette · Jun 25, 2009

... have a good work ethic like a dog turd.

Dog turds have good work ethics? :rolleyes:

nebrgirl · Jun 25, 2009

Dog turds have good work ethics?

Oh you English majors:lol2:

rednalg · Jun 25, 2009

I can offer up the same thoughts--we have a nurse who is chronically late, constantly complains, does what she's not supposed to do, and generally causes a disruption everyday. What is the answer from the director? "Don't pay attention to when she gets to work."

Right. Like this is going to cause me to have more respect for the new director. I'm already past my patience threshold with this nurse (I'm in charge) and simply don't know what to do.

Be_Moore · Jun 25, 2009

Well, nurses may be a dime a dozen presently. But my nurse educator (during my orientation) gave me the figure of $22,000 to orient a new person to the facility. 3 months of paying 2 nurses to do the the job of 1 nurse, paying the preceptor extra, paying the orientee to attend classes and not care for patients, paying people to host the classes for the orientees. It adds up. So admin can say that all they want..but to replace 50 nurses would cost over a million dollars up front. That's why hospitals are (and should be) becoming more focused on rentention of staff...because turnover is unacceptable from a budget standpoint.

oramar · Jun 25, 2009

Well, nurses may be a dime a dozen presently. But my nurse educator (during my orientation) gave me the figure of $22,000 to orient a new person to the facility. 3 months of paying 2 nurses to do the the job of 1 nurse, paying the preceptor extra, paying the orientee to attend classes and not care for patients, paying people to host the classes for the orientees. It adds up. So admin can say that all they want..but to replace 50 nurses would cost over a million dollars up front. That's why hospitals are (and should be) becoming more focused on rentention of staff...because turnover is unacceptable from a budget standpoint.

You make a good point. I will make another point. The money managers pay to orient a person does not come out of their unit budget. It comes from a separate institutional budget which cost the hospital or LTC facility money but not the unit. So the manager can turn over a lot of newbies and come under budget and still looks good. They are working the system, doesn't everyone? So what they do is go through a lot of good nurses till they find one who is a TEAM PLAYER. What does a team player do? The work off the clock, the chart off the clock, the take double assignments and never speak up, the don't complain when there is lack of support personal and they never complain when they do not get lunches and breaks, they never ask to get paid for it either. They will also work double after and double because the manager is running a skeleton crew to keep benefit cost down. It is the most blatant example of penny wise and pound foolish behavior I have ever seen and health care institutions encourage it with that policy of paying for orientation cost from a separate budget. Give the managers more money and tell them to use it can use it orienting people or they can use it to keep good staff, they will soon find that good staff save money. PS Perhaps you work some where that they have discovered this already, well good for them. PPS I am repeating myself . I said this ten years ago here, and five years ago here, not much has changed.

DolceVita, ADN, BSN, RN · Jun 25, 2009

My friend who has a supervisory position at a local health care institution just spent an hour pacing around my kitchen and ranting about something that happened to him today. He brought a safety issue to the attention of ADON and was blown off. He continued to press this management person and this is what they said to him, "there are two nurses with supervisory experience in my neighborhood on MY street who recently lost their positions and who are looking for employment". My friend is livid, was not looking for another job up until this point but he is doing it now. I told him, "this sounds familiar, it is a variation on the old 'nurses are a dime a dozen' thing that was happening during the last nursing glut". Just makes me shake my head, it has been my experience that every nursing glut was followed but an increasingly sever shortage. I haven't worked in two years but I still have a lot of friends in the business and they tell me stories. The most interesting ones I carry back here.

That is so hostile I cannot believe it!

ShayRN · Jun 25, 2009

I am afraid my reply would be: Yes, so are nursing jobs. They are still abundent in my area and for that I am greatful.