Our units acuity is at an all time high.

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Title says it all. It is so damn stressful. The last time I left work it left a super bitter taste in my mouth. Now to think I have to troop through three more days of it. Sigh.

Just venting.

If I hear this from my manager (who doesn't come out of her office to help) one more time I may just punch her in the throat! Looks like this problem is country wide not just my hospital.

i keep telling myself and my coworkers, "It will get better."' But I'm not really so sure, it might be time to start looking for other options.

We literally had our director tell us once when we paged her on evenings to come in due to a dangerous unit, "oh I can't do that but I'll pray for you." Say what???:unsure:

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Yesterday our management knew there would not be an evening secretary because she called out. And the only other available secretary was on vacation. Day secretary clocked out at 3pm and low and behold we just sat there with no secretary on a very busy med/tele floor. Phones ringing, orders coming in, new admissions they were calling to send up and only three nurses working( we were short staffed too). When I called the supervisor to see what I should be telling the night shift nurses about putting their own orders in and putting new admits in the system( because not many of us know how to do EVERyThInG in regards to that) she got snippy and asked who so and so was that was listed on the night schedule? When I told her it was just a new pt tech being trained she snipped at me and said " well I have staffing under control"! OMG she said this while I was staring at an empty secretary chair... Trying to answer phones and pull orders out of fax machine. Oh and our sister unit down the hall also didn't have a secretary so we were getting all their calls and call light calls ... I guess my 6 PTs I had didn't mind... Cause they had staffing " under control"! Just venting.

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Specializes in Geriatrics.

I work home health so only have one patient but we have been super short staffed as well. I have been working 6 days a week for nearly 3 months now and that still leaves like 2 or 3 shifts NOT covered and the family is responsible for coming in and covering those hours. We just have not been having any one apply.

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Specializes in General Surgery.

Oh you guys. I just finished my days. Everyone doing OK? =)

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I did not do okay last weekend. You know it's bad when your UM calls to ask about staffing each day and immediately calls the DOC to demand either cap/diversion.

Friday I cried for 30 secs when they said I was getting my 5th pt including a weaning vent. Saturday I hyperventilated while preventing my hypovolemic pt from tanking. Sunday I actually got all my meds done in the 1 HR window.

No lunches, no breaks, plenty of bad news. Trying very hard to stay positive.

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Wow... sounds like my unit. I'm over walking such far distances and never knowing if it's my patient calling when we don't have a secretary to tell us.

And .. what are you doing to get more help?

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Specializes in General Surgery.
And .. what are you doing to get more help?

What do you mean?

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