underpaidrn

i am losing a scheduler, coder/biller, two full time rns and possibly the other scheduler. that leaves one person in the office, one full time and one prn nurse. not a great way to do business.

:balloons::balloons::balloons: CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! :balloons::balloons::balloons: Way to go girl! Keep on doing that good and you'll wow them out of the park!

Okay, for those that followed my saga of being fired for letting them know that I was looking for another position - I got a new job two weeks later. They found my resume on a website and called me. They wined and dined and were the nicest people you could ever imagine. They offered me a good salary and benefits. Now that I have taken the job, I am seeing a totally different side to them. They have knee jerk reactions to the simplest thing. 90 percent of the office staff are leaving because they are tired of being screamed at and abused verbally. Most of the calls are conference calls so when you get called on the carpet, everyone in every office hears and they cuss and use very foul language. Not exactly a pleasant thing to go through. I have also found out that their company credit cards have been declined for supplies, etc. Had to wait a week to get postage. Just gives me a weird feeling. My "spidey" sense tells me that there are some deep problems here and I need to make a hasty exit. Anyone else ever been in this situation where you just can't get definite proof that something's up but you feel uneasy? Need some advice before I proceed.

You stated a very valid reason why there are a lot of angry nurses. You said we should be protected by our employers. Right there is the basic root of the anger. We are NOT protected by our employers. Most of the time, they will hang you out to dry if there is a problem, perceived or real. It's all about the money for the employers. They don't care about their staff, they can all be replaced with the latest batch of new nurses. It's not the new nurses fault, they come into this with the notion of making a difference and really loving what they do. The disillusionment comes later when they realize that they are cannon fodder and can be replaced with the next batch of newbies. Perhaps if employers took a good, long hard look at what nurses deal with on a daily basis, maybe they would change their position and truly protect their employees. You've been a nurse for a long time, like me. We've seen the changes that have occurred and not for the better. How we can make changes is unknown to me. Unless every single nurse in the entire country stood up at one time and said enough is enough, nothing will change.

I am Southern through and through and you may call me Honey any ole time! We say it so often down here that no one means any offense by it. If this is the only problem some people have, they have it quite easy. As far as Ma'am and Sir go, I was raised to say both to my elders and still do. It was a term of respect for both. Ma'am is a contraction of Madam and is meant in a respectful manner. Both of my daughters, who are in the military, say Ma'am and Sir and are the delight of older people when they meet them. Perhaps that's what's wrong with today's youth. Not enough respect for their elders. The one thing that rankles me more than anything is younger people calling me by my first name. You never did this when I was a child as it was considered a term of disrespect. Just my opinion on things.

this might work in some areas, but where i live, all of the hospitals and ninety percent of the doctor's offices are owned by one corporation. you would have to drive 60 plus miles to get to another hospital owned by this corporation and even as we speak, they are trying to buy into the outlying hospitals. their policy is if you quit, you cannot be rehired - ever. i used to work for them many years ago as a new nurse. i left on good terms but wouldn't work there for anything. does anyone see a pattern with the way nurses are treated? what can be done where all nurses unite for better working conditions? the big corporations are getting away with this, because the nursing schools continue to produce more nurses and the newbies, bless their hearts, jump at the opportunity to work at a hospital. when they realize what's happening and want to leave, more new students will take their place. it's reprehensible that we as professionals have to deal with intolerable working conditions.

Not all of us are like this unfortunate soul. Some of us actually like having a new nurse or student. I've been a nurse for a long time, but I still remember how it felt to come onto the floor for the first time and start the "real" work. My first orientation on night shift was the nurse going off handed me the keys, gave report and left. I had to sink or swim. It was a bit nerve racking but I made it. When you go back into work, speak with your NM and ask if you can be assigned to a different preceptor. Just tell her that you would like to orient with several different ones so that you get a "feel" for the different patients and units. You don't have to tell her about the other nurse's attitude if you don't want to. I wish you the best of luck and hopefully, this will be something that you remember when you have been nursing for a while and you see the newbie come onto the floor for the first time. Best of luck to you.

Emma, That really is great news. I am so glad that you are feeling better and making progress in your job concerns. I hope that everything works out for you and you are going to continue to improve. Do keep us posted on how the new job is working for you. Close to home is always good!

Thanks everyone. Underpaidrn is doing a lot better today. I went for a job interview that an employer found on monster.com and things went well. I have to come back next Wednesday for another interview with the owner of the company. It would mean I would be an administrator for six home health agencies in Virginia. Sounds like a lot of work, but I am up to the challenge. Thanks for all the votes of support. I know in my heart that there is a reason for this, but sometimes it's hard when you take it personally. I will get through this and I will survive. Thanks again everyone and I will let ya'll know how it goes next week!

Thanks honey. I just love everyone for their support.

Thanks honey. If we lived closer, we could cry on each other's shoulders. Thanks for being there.

Thank you all so much. It means so very much to hear support. I live in a small town and opportunities are not many. I don't have any savings left as I used them up this year working at a position that was half of what I used to make. It sucks so bad. I felt like a common criminal being escorted out. I haven't even told my husband yet. He's going to flip out. I can truly understand why people go over the edge. I have never felt so worthless in my entire life. I just can't stop crying.

I came into work this morning as usual and told the owner of the company that I was looking for a new position that made more money. I told him I wished him and his company well and held no hard feelings. The administrator of the home health side, which is where I worked, found out that I was looking for another position and fired me on the spot. I didn't even have a chance to talk with anyone. I was escorted out of the building as though a common criminal. I was working at a pay rate half of what I usually made. I was leaving because the administrator I worked for was incompetent and could not get the agency started without my skills and knowledge. Needless to say, I am now unemployed, I may lose my home and car and I feel as low as a whale's belly. I have never been treated like this and I don't even know where to turn. I am at a loss as to how to handle this. I'm crying so hard now I can hardly type. I did not go to the administrator and tell her that I was looking elsewhere because she was the reason I was leaving and I didn't want to leave with hard feelings. I've learned some hard lessons here. 1. Never be honest and tell someone what you are doing, even if it's to give them a heads up as to what is coming. 2. Never, ever discuss any concerns with anyone as it will do you in no matter how truthful the concerns are. 3. Scum always seems to rise to the top. Thanks for letting me vent.

It is extremely difficult to start a home health agency. There are many rules and regulations you need to follow, not to mention a $50,000 surety bond and heavy insurance. As an LPN, you could not be in charge of your agency. You would have to hire an RN to be the administrator. Also, if you are going for Medicare/Medicaid certification, you must take 7 active patients for FREE until the Medicare people show up for your initial survey. This includes paying all of your staff, medical supplies, etc. It's a very costly venture to start up. I would first start with your state's licensing agency to get a copy of the rules and regs you need to follow. Next step would be to hire competent staff, which you will have to pay out of pocket since you will have no income for a while. I wish you the best of luck. I've started three of them from scratch and it's a LOT of hard work.

You don't state what problems you had. Were you having difficulty with the curriculum at your school? Were you having problems at home? Is there a community college you can go to so you can get the general education courses out of the way? I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors, but without more information, it's hard to give you any tips.