keward01

I work m-f.......I stay in bed at least 40 hours on my 2 days off!

This doesn't sound like you would get the structure you need for learning. Float nurses are supposed to be ready to adapt and jump in with little orientation. Do they not have a GN program?

How very brave of you take action and address your needs. I hope you find your peace. Everyone has their own ideas about what legacy they want to leave and we shouldn't judge each other for it. We are sisters and brothers, right?

I have been blessed. We have been supported as much as we possibly can with the resources that are available inside and outside of our organization. We have received numerous bonuses during this time: 2 retention bonuses, extra shift bonuses, free PTO days. There have been times during the pandemic when all the non-clinical employees (even corporate) were assigned to units and provided whatever help they could instead of working from home (transport, crowd control, runners, etc.). I have personally seen my CNO pushing patients. We have been hiring agency staff for months on end (without any red tape) to ensure that we get as many nurses in as possible. We have 15k sign-on and retention bonuses for all of our positions posted. I feel proud to work in a place that isn't afraid to aggressively invest in the workforce in normal times and double down during hard times. Unfortunately, for many of us, even financial incentives can't repair the mental and physical exhaustion that we are all suffering from. Even with open access to bring in extra help, there still aren't enough available resources out there. People are fleeing from healthcare, not running toward it. Each surge I know we all think....can I do this again? Can my family handle this again? Can I put off my own healthcare needs a little longer? Can I find a better way to cope? I've heard some stories from others that have had it much worse than me based on the environment in which they are working. I have spoken to agency nurses that have come from emergency departments where there are no permanent staff, no department leadership, no presence of senior leadership where the beds are full of boarders and patient just wait in the waiting room until they finally leave. OK, enough running on and on. I have done emergency room nursing for 20 years and there are some things that stay the same, pandemic or not. Front-line leaders have to be able to paint the picture for those that are in charge and not in the trenches (executives). If the leaders aren't listening and advocating for you then you'll never get what you need. Rephrasing what you need is important. Everything that you are asking for is essentially to be able to take better care of patients. Make sure you phrase it like that. Sometimes using phrases like "we need" or "I wish we had" are easy to dismiss. Change your language "the safest way to care for our patients is" or "our patients deserve". Since we are all in it for patients, it is hard for leaders to rationalize that it's not best for patients to have the resources you need. Nurses already give so much and giving more, and more, and more with every surge will definitely leave us with an empty tank. My hope is for each and every one of us to get through this with our minds, health, and families intact. PS you don't have to stay in an organization were you feel hopeless. You may have heard that "the grass isn't greener"...... that's simply not true. The grass is watered by the culture of the organization you choose to share your loyalty with.

I don't know how this is now a issue of racism, but I respect your opinion.

Speaking of New York...I haven't been following those edicts, but let me tell you how scary it is in Texas...... No one can mandate masks or ask for proof of vaccination...oh and now hospitals are going to be required to allow visitation with COVID patients. Our children will probably not have many teachers, as the schools are no longer going to be able to afford virtual education as it is not supported by our governor.

I work in the ED for the first hospital system to mandate the vaccine for employees. In the emergency department we are not dehumanizing, rather running out of compassion for those unvaccinated patients that are now overwhelming the healthcare system. The nurses have now been running on empty for almost 1.5 years and we are all exhausted and frustrated. It takes a lot for nurses to get to this point as we are probably one of the most compassionate sectors in the world. From a Tired ED Director

Culture....bottom line. You should go to the hospital as a visitor. See if people look happy, say hello, ask if you need help. These are all signs that there is a true value system being followed.