Over 20 years at the hospital, left and not even a "thank you"????????

[27YearRN]

Hello all,

I've been lurking around for quite a while, and I had a discussion with a fellow nurse yesterday that has just set my blood boiling and my blood pressure near the stroke zone.

I am employed as an RN in a Magnet Hospital and have been there for over 17 years. In the last year we have lost many of our long term fellow nurses to retirement, disability, and job changes. On my own unit, one nurse who was employed for over 25 years went back to school and now works as an APN. Another nurse left to get a job a little closer to home, she had been employed here for over 20 years.

I had lunch with "Peggy", the 20 year nurse, who told me that the only thing she was told the day she left was to "return your badge and locator, and... don't forget to do your exit survey". She told me she cried every day for 2 weeks because she didn't even feel that ANY of her years were considered valuable by any of the management. Now, she's just ANGRY.

So I called "Kerry", the 25 year APN nurse, and asked her. She basically said the same thing. No one said "thank you for all your years of service". She feels like she came from a hospital devoid of caring managers. She was a great staff nurse, nurse educator, clinical specialist, assistant head nurse, clinic nurse in her time there, and never had any discipline problems. In addition she was "Nurse of the Quarter" on our unit so its not like she was just a warm body or anything. She (as well as Peggy) were respected by their peers, physicians, and patients in our community.

Maybe I am too emotional over this, but... I feel like I have a few feathers in my cap, but just CANNOT understand why these 2 valuable, talented women were allowed to leave without some sort of tribute to their many years of service from management! We hear all about the Press Gainey Scores and now our raises are tied to our Patient Satisfaction scores. The questions that are asked on our Satisfaction surveys don't address issues like this.

I want to address this with our CEN. I am sure she isn't aware of it.

Do you think I am crazy or overly emotional about this? I am just thinking about how I would feel if I left in a month with my 17 years of service there and all they said was "dont forget to give us your badge at the end of the day". Gee even a little ice cream and cake would be nice...

Any hints on what I can say when I meet with our CEN?

And if any of you are in upper management positions, you might want to ask your managers on Monday who has left with quite a bit of time spent there, and were they recognized by the management for all their valuable contributions to your organization?

Geez... and they are a Magnet Hospital on top of it all!!!:angryfire :angryfire

[tntrn, ASN, RN]

I had hand surgery in February and knew at the time it would be a full six months before I could return to work. I've worked on this unit for 15 years, and not even my nurse manager, someone I've known for 20 years and consider a close friend, called me at any time to see if I'd survived the anesthesia. To say I was hurt, is to completely deny my feelings.

About 3 weeks after the surgery, a friend from there, who is notably lax about stuff like that, did call me and admitted she'd "been a bad friend." We met for lunch several times during my time off. Another co-worker goes to my church and so she and also connected, but not for several weeks.

Two others called at some point but they wanted me to work for them, so their concern once I told them I wasn't back to work was insincere, IMHO.

I am back to work now, but I work per diem, and will under no circumstances be busting my buns to make the place look so rosy and sweet. It just isn't. In fact, I opted to be called off instead of take call on my first day back (which by my contract I can do) and now I've heard from a very good source that next time I'll be threatened with floating if I don't take call. They've messed with the wrong cookie on that one too.

I do not feel respected and agree with those who opinions are that you are just a body, filling a space. When that space is gone, they only notice it's a space, not that you were once there and they don't wonder why you're no longer there.

[ZootRN]

I left one horrible place after 4 months, and guess what - they did not even ask their badge back. No exit interview, nothing. Sometimes I wonder, maybe they think I still work there?

[gitterbug]

I think the most we can hope for is a kind remark or two from a person or two we have worked with for a long time. I do not think anyone in management cares if we stay or go, just keep the slot filled with a warm, moving body. I think all we can do is decide what memories are good for us and throw away the rest along with our other garbage.

[Otessa, BSN, RN]

I have NEVER heard of anyone in our hospital that has left without a retirement party(I've been to many and wished them well and thanked them even if I had never met them!!). There is time limit and $$ limit depending on years of service so the housekeeper doesn't get less of a retirement party than a nurse manager(all equal)............

[Otessa, BSN, RN]

Call me pessimistic - but I think this is what happens when you think of your job as a fate or higher calling or whatever. Put less emotional emphasis on your career and you won't get upset when others don't acknowledge your work.

I agree with this. I believe what I do DOES make a difference BUT my family and friends will ALWAYS come before my job.

It is like a parent only living through their children-when they leave home they feel like they have no purpose,etc.......feel lost.

I have thought about this and volunteer in my community and know that I am more than "just a nurse".

I have an identity that transcends my job.

I have friends outside of work, I have interests outside of work, ....you get the picture....

[RNOkie]

I can think of no other profession that is as emotionally charged as nursing. Good grief, look what we deal with; the beginning and ending of life and everything in between.. Maybe it's different in the small rural areas (which is where all of my nursing experience has come from), but we're all one highly dysfunctional family, When one hurts, we all hurt and when one's happy, we're all happy. If we're not crazy when we get into nursing, we'd have to be crazy to stay. Keep your chin up, I'm sure you more than left your mark, whether it's acknowledged to you or not.

[aemt77]

You think that it is bad to quit and not get any appriciation. The small hospital in my home town did one better than that. I have a very close friend who worked there as a nurse tech, she went to work the other day to be called into the office and told that her job had been cut as of that day. They only had 3 techs and did the same to all three, one with 14 years, her with 19 years and the third with 35 years. Then had the nerve to tell them that if the census picked up and the opened the positions back up that the could apply as new hires, loosing all seniority and any accumulated benefits. Administrarion doesn't like the long term people, too high pay, too many benefits, and too much chance of declining health.

[dorimar, BSN, RN]

You have to view it from a management perspective. She is leaving. She is not leaving them anything besides a new slot to fill. If anything, they're going to be ticked off because they now have to bring in a fresh body and hope they're half the woman she was.

It is sad how she got no recognition, but the business world is a cold one, and one of the many reasons I didn't go into it. If I ever get the offer to sit behind a desk all day after running the floors for years, I would refuse it. It's not the same environment.

I beg to differ. Any one who has given that many years and was as dedicated to the job as described, left so much more than an empty postion. She trained many a nurse and was probably an excellent role model. She probably contriubted to many policies. She probably sat on committees that formed important protacals and evidence based practices. She probably gave lots o input that affected neccessary changes. And I'll just bet that her care contributed the good reputation of the hospital.

It's sickening to me. It is also stupid. It is detrimental to an employer (buisiness or not) not to treat loyal, hard working employees well. They're sending a message loud and clear. That place deserves nurses who are just there for the paycheck, and who will leave promptly for the highest bidder. Let the turnover begin! Let the reputation fall!

[weezer123]

I guess just because I am in a bad mood today, I say Also "Let the nursing Profession fall to the wayside" Just like Policemen, firefighters, teachers, we are the ones who care but the ones that get the least "RESPECT" I cared for so many yrs . It took me yrs to learn that my company did not care for me. And it was a shocking "Lesson".....

[weezer123]

Sometimes I just wonder "who will be left to take care of the "false Boobed" Tattoed People sitting in the nursing homes in the yr. 2050?????

[firstyearstudent]

Management is always looking at the bottom line, but why didn't coworkers join together to see these nurses off...

[yadda_yadda_yadda, LPN, LVN]

Wow.

I haven't been in the field as long as this, (only 13 years)--but I've seen the same thing.

My most recent similarity was @ work, but related to an injury. I'd torn my ACL & meniscus---and was out over a week. When I returned, the supervisor never so much as said, "Hey, welcome back!...How are you feeling?....or HEAVEN FORBID, a We missed you!"

It was disheartening. I can't imagine how it must have felt to have given that many years & get such treatment.

On my very first nursing job, the shift supervisor was a much older nurse that the majority of the shift staff. She'd been in the field for over 40 years.---EVERY SINGLE DAY, as we left, she'd say, "THANK YOU! See you tomorrow!"----At first, it seemed odd...I wondered why she'd 'thank us' for doing our jobs.

In actuality, she was thanking us for putting our best work forward, for being team players & simply caring---and she did the same in return by acknowledging the efforts.

I can sum it up with a qoute by Indira Ghandi- 'Be the change you wish to see in the world'

Often times, we simply must mentor to others who simply don't get it.