BeccaRN1970

I used to work at Penrose; found them to be pretty hypocritical, touting everything they do for the community, then treating their staff poorly. They seem to cultivate unreasonable managers, (I've had one good one in 7 years, 3 different floors, 5 managers) and are more concerend about the bottom line than having happy nurses. I've heard from several people that RNs on the Ortho/Neuro floor carry 7 pts/shift on the average. It was that way when I floated. Having said that, the CNAs were awesome and really picked up my slack. I've also heard that Memorial has better pt ratios that Penrose as a whole but I haven't experienced that myself. Maybe my complaints are typical of nursing work everywhere, I don't know. Good luck to you!

Well, I recently heard an interesting perspective on the nationwide "shortage" - that there really isn't one, only nurses who have gotten out of the field b/c they're burnt. Having said that, I have heard that the "shortage" is worse here than in other states. How much more, I don't know. Some RNs do travel to Denver for the $$, but since it's an hour away, I don't know many who do it for long. Alot of the graduating students just move there. At my old hosp, the new grads were usually on the night shift, but I wouldn't say we were flooded. There was a fairly high turnover there.

Interesting to hear about the RN being fired. The NNOC has been trying to make an entrance here. I also talked to an RN who was "let go" after an on-the-job back injury left her unable to do her job (at Memorial).

Craig B, I agree with you . Of course, you can't blame a state for what you aren't getting paid. (Although, coastal states generally pay better than central/midwestern ones.) However, in my town, we have 2 large hospitals which work together to keep wages down. And if you don't like it, tough, go to the other one. Because negotiations will only take you so far - they know you have no choice, if you want hospital nursing. And that's the best paying type of nursing job. Whether you are in it for the money or not, (And if you are, you chose your career poorly - I don't know any rich nurses), you still have to be able to pay the bills, or you need to find another job. That's what the wage complaint is about. Cost of living vs. wage. Whether you had a "calling" or not, nurses should demand more respect, and therefore better pay. There shouldn't be such a big disparity, especially for professionals.

I would find it VERY difficult to leave a union hospital & move to a non-union one! I have a coworker who moved here from MN & sees such a disparity......and the idea of a union here turns many people off! I don't want to discourage anyone from moving here & strengthening the field, but it is true, our wages are comparatively low! Better in Denver than Co Springs (it will be interesting to see how we handle the "shortage" with 2 new hospitals opening in a year...pay raise, perhaps????) but you also deal with the big city. I hear Poudre Valley has a nice hospital w/better wages; it's beautiful up there but more rural. I'm taking a sabbatical after 9 years of nursing to raise my kids. $24/hr for a prn position just isn't worth it to me for all the stress & hassles. (Oh, and BTW, I've NEVER had CE's paid for...WOW!) Housing here ISN'T cheap, and it's getting worse. It is a shame, CO is a beautiful place to live, but Pikes Peak don't pay the bills!

What an a$$. So why does he not think nurses will have problems with their managers if they make them say these stupid things? He should be shot!

LOL! How many times have I wanted to say that?!

I too got roped into working M/S because I "needed the experience before going to ICU". Here I am, 8 years later, still working M/S and completely burnt out! The ratios are horrendous, and frequently even if I "only" have 6 pts, one or two of them have such a high acuity that the others inevitably get ignored (and then some pt or clueless family member has a fit...)! I usually feel like a drug pusher, running around throwing meds down people's throats, or just being totally task-oriented instead of actually using my brain! The charting starts AFTER my shift and is done in about 1 1/2 hours. Needless to say I am taking a break from nursing altogether. The ICU where I work has a ridiculous contract that you have to commit to, that in my opinion is not conducive to family life, and there are no other alternatives here in town. Meanwhile I'll just wait & see what happens...

An idea, as well, for non-patients - L-Lysine is a natural therapy that has always helped me. At the first "tingle", I take 500-1000 mg several times a day, and increase my consumption of foods with it as well (like tomatoes). This will prevent it from even erupting, even in times of stress!

I am frustrated with CO nursing as well, but come to think of it, I was also frustrated with nursing in VA. I think it's a combination of hospital politics and crummy staffing, the latter of which won't go away unless you are unionized, IMO.

I'm sorry, I don't know anything about the LTC environment. Yes, new grads are LOVED on the night shift, but depending on the floor, after your orientation you can sometimes switch to days or evenings if you like 8 hr shifts. As far as LPN's - I would check with the agencies. I have worked with several excellent LPNs in the past who came from an agency. I believe being IV certified helps but not all of them were. MUSA91C - sounds like you are prior military? Evans Army Hospital employs quite a few from what I understand (sorry, semisweetchick - forgot about that one). This is second-hand info though! The Army community is growing here as well, as we are having quite a few new families moved within the next year. So maybe some new wings added to EAH? Hope this helps!

Hi there - I see that you posted this some time ago; hopefully you are still out there! Colorado Springs' nursing climate is mixed. There are only two hospital chains - the city (county?) hospital and a private, Catholic hospital. (Read: Very little competition with pay, environment, LOTS of competition if you're trying to branch out into a specialty area). As an RN with almost 9 yrs experience I make $25.00/hr, and that includes my PRN "bonus". Our floor is almost always short RNs or CNAs, on the dayshift that means up to 7 pts (usually 6), 3-4 of which usually are high acuity. By competition in the specialty areas, I mean that there are fewer spots, and usually you have to sign a contract for night shift work, say for 2 years or so, if you are willing to work there. (Because of the turnover) Both systems are opening up another hospital in the northern part of town; one in the beginning of 2007 and one in 2008. I have no idea how this will affect pay or staffing; I'm not even sure where they'll find RNs since we're already short. But maybe they will - the staffing grid already short-staffs us ("What do you mean you're short? The grid only calls for 4 RNs for 28 pts...") Hope this helps.

As I am short on humor today, I am reading about these so-called "bonuses" with disgust! Knowing what hospital corporations gross (and "gross" is an appropriate term), I am endlessly amazed at how little we as nurses are valued by our employers, and I wonder why (again) we put up with it, when we could be such a strong force if we stood together. As a part-time RN, my holiday bonus is $25 (fully taxable), full time is $50. The doctors on our floor usually donate a fruit basket, and if you work Christmas day you get a mediocre meal from the dining facility. I suppose I should be thankful for what we DO get, but after getting another long list of everything else we need to be doing - new, additional tasks, meanwhile carrying the same (or higher) pt load for the same crappy pay, new cuts in personnel so we can "balance the budget", I am FED UP! My "calling" for being a nurse is falling on deaf ears! :angryfire

It is so disgusting! I have been an RN for 8+ years on MedSurg and it's the same wherever you go. The hospital management knows why we are leaving! Don't kid yourself that they'll "listen" to us one day! I think until we wise up and stand together to unionize, we will be taken advantage of. They will continue to staff us with skeleton crews and crummy pay until we demand better treatment! I'm so fried out on nursing but don't know wherelse to go, so here I sit, hoping other RNs in my area will open their eyes that it doesn't have to be this way! :angryfire

Kimmi - That pay does seem low for SoCal! Alot of people move here from CA for the lower housing. It is beautiful here, and if you are the outdoors type there is alot to do (if you aren't, unless you're in a metro area, there's NOTHING to do). CO has no ratio laws and, as you can read, is not union-friendly, although the CNA/NNOC and the SEIU (in Denver) are trying. I used to work on a floor with 6-7 patients on the day shift (med-surg adult). We usually had 2 CNAs per floor (30 pts) so they were little help. It was frustrating work. I suppose in your situation it depends on what you're looking for! Good luck.

This cracks me up! I was a single mom in Colorado Springs several years ago, making $22.00/hr and barely making ends meet. The townhouse I bought was a little sh*tty place at $120,000 and I couldn't afford to buy a new(er) car when mine was breaking down. The housing has since gone up, of course, especially now since it was named #1 place to live by Money Magazine (Not by a nursing journal!), but according to my friends the pay hasn't. The hospitals are spending multi-million dollars to improve their buildings, and billions of dollars to build new ones. The problem is, there are only those 2 hospitals in town, and I'm pretty sure they work together to keep the salaries down. Plus, there are alot of military wives there who have to work and don't have a choice whether the salary sucks or not!

:yeahthat: Couldn't agree with you more!!! I am biased towards the CNA/NNOC as well, especially after hearing them speak and personally experiencing their motivation and cohesion in CA. That's why I'm shocked that more interest hasn't been generated!! I know that they are trying to edge their way into Denver/CO Springs but we really need to spread the word! Holly - you'd be a great spokesperson for them!

Holly, it just seems that so few people actually know about this here! Is there a movement in Denver to raise awareness?

You don't need to apologize! I wasn't offended at all, just frustrated because it seems that most people don't see a problem, or all they want to do is complain and not do anything about it. I was afraid you were one of those people. I didn't mean to offend YOU. I just remember being a single mom and barely making ends meet, which isn't right for holding a BSN and busting my a** every shift! If nurses would pull together and unite, we could really make a difference! Best of luck being a student nurse. I hope this isn't too discouraging to you but I'm assuming you already knew the problems.

Boy, am I doing a dance :monkeydance: that you wrote and understand my feelings!! My coworkers don't feel there is anything wrong with the way things go - and all the really crappy stuff admin does, they tie to "bonus time" so of course everyone puts up with it! And if they do see a problem with the way we're treated, its, "Oh well, that's just they way it is." Like the previous post, telling me to move if I want better pay (no offense meant). I don't have that freedom, nor should I have to do that. We did have a CNA/NNOC meeting here recently and SO FEW PEOPLE came!! I even passed out the flyers at work! AARGH! I'm so burned out, I'm considering quitting the field altogether, the only reason I don't is I don't want to losse my skills for fear something better will come along... But, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for writing, NitePsykoRN!!!

1. Do you feel you have autonomy in your nursing practice? 2 2. Do yoo feel the nurse patient ratio supports a safe environment? 2 3. Did you have an adequate orientation on your unit? 3 4. Does your facility support your ongoing education needs (ie. ceu, ADN, BSN, MSN)? 1 5. Do you feel your wages are competitve and recognize outstanding performance? 1 6. Does your facitlity recognize your individual merit? 2 7. Does your facility recognize the need for nurses to balance work and non-work life? 3 OPTIONAL 8. How satisified are you overall in your current facility? 2 Hospital, MedSurg unit

BTW, you ARE a "real" RN! Stand tall and proud, girlfriend! Totally agree with CuttingEdgeRN!!! You're welcome. Good luck!

This sounds way over the top to me! I'm all for showing respect to the MD's, but that should go both ways. Helping out is one thing, but kow-towing is another. It sounds to me like the RN's you work with have done themselves and anyone new a huge disservice, by knowing "their place"! I'm curious to know how your manager feels about all this - does she support this "barefoot & pregnant" view of nursing? Having said that, I agree that rocking the boat might cause you problems, so you need to figure out just what you are willing to do. (We do have some MD's that want special treatment, but I don't treat them any differently than the others. Neither does anyone else on my floor, however.)

I actually thought I should START smoking so I could get a break!! We are supposed to get one 30 min lunch & 2 15 min breaks "according to the labor laws" but peeing once or twice is a blessing.