NFuser

You have my best wishes for long-term success and fulfillment, Fashionably L8. Be that Good Nurse, be true to your patients AND yourself. ?

Bless you. I appreciate your thoughts, garciadiego, and I still believe in those things. Had I spent one more moment in the environment we are discussing, I no longer would believe those things. There is much I still have to offer the world, but without obligation to an employer, my motivation can once again be pure and hopeful.

I worked inpatient oncology nearly the entire 12 years my hub had CLL, and he was immuno-compromised the entire time. Medical oncology is filled with the stuff you see only rarely in any other setting....all the abx resistant stuff, and oddball infections we don't know how to treat. Other than the precautions mentioned by previous posters, I did nothing....so far as requesting assignments was concerned. My better half passed of complications of his disease in an expected manner, and the only infections he suffered in that time were either treatment-related, or those he brought on himself (cellulitis, community-acquired pneumonia, etc.) It's difficult to accept that, although you know HOW to protect them, you truly can NOT protect them from everything. So relax a bit, and be the best nurse you can possibly be. In the setting your talents suit you best ❤️

The post I am quoting was well over 2 years ago. I am humbled beyond words to admit that I retired before my time (and may, at some point be faced with homelessness) because of what you faced. Perhaps it was because I'd been faced with similar moral injury and could no longer accept that. I'd rather be poor than return to LTC/Rehab. My hope is that it becomes easier for ALL of you. PRONTO!!!!

Nodding my head with enormous respect for all of you. The straws that finally broke this camel's back were: 1) having to "fix" something....the phone, the fax, the computers, the orders, incorrect meds (or none!) sent by pharmacy, the med cart, the plumbing, the food, the temperature, etc, etc, etc...every time I turned around. And: 2) the verbal abuse of families/visitors/(and yes, patients). When I wasn't turning around to fix something, it was time for another "verbal colonoscopy". Nurses in LTC are these ridiculously shaped funnels attached to huge Cuisinarts. General information, nursing duties, provider orders, meds, treatments, labs, xrays, social issues, therapies, out-of-facility visits, documentation...are all funneled into the nurse, appropriately combined, and disseminated to 40-60 patients, one by one. Gack. Got the willies just writing this.?

As few as 2 years ago, I thought I could do anything nursing-related....but LTC broke me. I feel fortunate to have retired (much earlier than planned) with my integrity (and license!) intact. LTC nurses have my unending respect and admiration. ?

Thank you all for posting on this topic! I just made the decision to retire from bedside nursing....a profession I was proud to be in when I started so many years ago. There are many fond memories of lives touched and I feel fortunate to have participated. I can no longer withstand the moral injury of being torn (more like shredded!) between the needs - and unreasonable/impossible demands - of patients, families, other staff and administration. The main reason I stayed in it this long was to support ill parents and an ill spouse. Now that I no longer have those responsibilities it is time to be responsible for ME. Like some of you, I mourn for what has happened to my profession; more so for how the chase for the Almighty Dollar has changed health care in this country to a soul-less, compassion-less quagmire for those who work in it. Sorry about the soapbox. ☺️ It will be financially tough until I hit Medicare age, but my physical and emotional well-being are more important to me than repeated soul-sucking and burnout for a nice paycheck. I have value, and will find a niche. In some ways, nursing has been "berry berry good" for me.... .....as long as I no longer have to practice it. lol All my best to everyone!

"It's The End Of The World As We Know It" by REM If not the end of the world, the end of my license.....

Bluegeegoo2....GREAT!!!! You have my respect, and best wishes for a happier, more fulfilling life. I am still stuck in the insanity of LTC/Rehab - and given the fact that the ENTIRE administration in our facility is in the process of resigning AGAIN, it's becoming an ever more insane proposition to stay. My husband passed away in January, and I took FMLA to care for him THE DAY AFTER THEY FORCED ME OVER FOR 16 HOURS ON WHAT I KNEW WOULD BE HIS LAST CHRISTMAS. When he passed, I had to reinstate a separate FMLA claim for myself (3 days off for bereavement of a spouse? ARE YOU KIDDING????), but ended up taking a month more before I felt in any way ready to going back to Crazy World...because, I need insurance. Never been closer to quitting the profession than now. We can't keep staff, let alone staff who will work and be nice to each other. Been on same merry-go-round with this place ever since we were taken over by Big Out-Of-State Corp. Our SIXTH NHA IN TWO YEARS is leaving because she developed significant health problems as a result of the stress. Mea culpa. This is your thread. I wish you all the good fortune in the world! Please keep us posted on your adventures!

Purplegal, it intrigues me that - a year into it - you continue to be concerned about the "status" of your position. Or is it your career in general? IMHO, the "status" of a nursing position - or even as a career choice - is irrelevant. Good LTC nurses do more with less than any other specialty I've ever worked in (my favorite expression is that we've been doing so much for so long with so little that we now feel qualified to do anything with nothing ), and require expert assessment and intervention skills; something learning all the procedures in the world may not necessarily teach. As another poster said, we can make chicken salad out of chicken crap - and do so, every shift. Who needs status when we make magic happen?

Having been a victim of "extenuating circumstances".... I recall allowing myself to be swallowed by the Guilt Monster once, over this. Called in a "I might be a little late" alert, four hours before the start of my noc shift, because I got caught in a white-out when a blizzard showed up earlier and more fiercely than predicted. Got 10 miles of my 50 mile rural commute out of the way in the first hour (some of it probably on a curb or in a ditch? regardless, my 4WD wasn't happy), and had to call off and turn around (could not see to get around an accident). I was insanely fortunate, because my supervisor had put the word out before the storm, knowing my commute was 10 times farther than most of the staff, so I was covered. Granted, from then on, I "over-prepared" - that was the first and LAST shift I missed due to weather. Made some friends at the nicest hotel closest to work, got a sweet discount, free breakfast, and a quiet room on the end of the hall, guaranteed, whenever I needed it. Better than a 50-mile white-knuckle commute ANY TIME.

To kbrn.... I hope clarity re: benefits has reached you by now. Our takeover actually got us better health insurance choices and other benefits (some of the Mother Ship's Right Coast facilities' staffs are unionized, I understand), and although the definition of a FT employee was changed to exclude us 12-hour shifters (raised from 36 hrs/wk to 37 - kinda blatant slam), we were at least allowed to keep our benes. After 2 rounds of "open enrollment", little has changed (except the premium increase, disguised as a 52-week/yr deduction to replace the 50-week/yr deduction....sneaky, that). BTW, hiya neighbor - Wisconsin here, too. FWIW? I'd keep your resume UTD. All the best to you!

HA! Just when I thought it couldn't get much worse....(kinda like using the Q word )...it has, with Mass Staff Defections. Our core nursing staff is down to 3 RNs and 2 LPNs (ALL part-timers), MDS and DON have put in their notices, our NHA was replaced by someone who has a history as a "closer" last month - and I can't even keep track of the CNAs. Have to keep this job until I can find another, but if I have to face another NOC with only myself and one CNA, I may have no choice but to run away faster. Difficult to surprise this curmudgeon anymore, but I've never been so close to refusing an assignment on the basis of patient safety in my entire career. Posting here simply to vent - yes, I see the handwriting on the wall. Appreciate any/all understanding and support. Who will care for the patients who have no choice in this after the last employee quits? (Frosting on the cake? We got our first raise in 3 years. I'm donating mine to charity....I'm already conflicted about accepting pay from a company that so blatantly cares nothing about people, nor safety, nor facility, nor paying bills, ad infinitum...)

The rolling tide of SNF Takeovers hit my 5-star facility well over a year ago, and we became LT and PAC. Since then, our once-happy little organization has been afflicted with several maladies: vendor service issues r/t non-payment, staff and nursing policies that change almost weekly, unfilled staff shortages r/t revolving-door-dissatisfaction (read abject terror), an entire HR department "disappearing", admin forced to become salespeople (as if they didn't have enough to do), necessary building repairs being ignored, IT and telephone issues beyond staff capability to fix, and yes, even "delays" in payroll. More than a few of our LT residents have left us for other "better" facilities. Of course, we staff members are being 'coached' (read expected) to maintain the correct attitude, and to desist from any comments remotely construed to be complaints. Too much other deterioration to mention. I know we're kinda late to be afflicted with TakeoverItis, but I need a reality check. Has this happened in other places? (Limited options for other employment, but am watching opportunities like a hawk and networking with those who've successfully found other positions. Not even a battle-hardened curmudgeon like me can nurse in this environment. Not without a better hammer for the chisel I'll need for charting in stone.....)

Thanks for the update, mtjoanna. Big Fish In A Small Pond/Small Town Mentality Nepotism Blacklist Blues here, too. Relocation isn't an option for me, but as I've reached a point eerily similar to yours in your previous position, I'll take a much longer commute for a little more sanity and less chance of finding myself afflicted with 'tire tracks'. Soooo glad to read things are happier in your world!