MADDOG70

Not sure about cancelling you. It PLEASE think about these money opportunities. Here in Chicago they want you to work 12 hour shifts for 21 straight days then only 2 days off after that only to do it again for 3 months total. ALSO it’s a 15:1 ratio. Yes 15:1. These people know that Nurses are underpaid all over the country so they are taking advantage of us by throwing big money in front of us. If you make a mistake you will be held accountable and they WILL throw u Under the bus. They don’t give a *** about us. They only care about how they look to the media and public. me and my coworkers Drs included all believe we had this back in January and February. We all had these symptoms and all flu tests negative. we have all been exposed this past 2 months yet none of us have become sick this time. We are only allowed to use surgical masks and flimsy yellow gowns and gloves. No PAPRS. Only anesthesia wears them. Be careful. Dont let the money lead you. Has anyone else been sick in early part of the year and all flu tests negative?

AbbeyR

We have a union but they’re pretty useless. I just can’t wrap my head around this.... She drug tests me for reasonable suspicion. AND doesn’t test me for the very drug she’s saying I diverted! Then allows me to return to work that day?? but I’m so distraught because I know she has it out for me so I go home crying. I return the next day and I’m able to work another week without being removed?? You would think I would be removed immediately if she “reasonably suspects” diversion and my being high? I’ve talked to multiple cops on campus and asked if the security footage can be pulled because my patients curtains were open the whole time. There’s camera all over. They keep them for a month. I have 3 days for that to happen. They will see me digging in garbage and giving the charge RN the ticket to resolve discrepancy. I consulted an atty... retainer is $4500 I just drained all my savings paying mortgage/bills this past year because I was caring for my dad who was in hospice for 8 months and drained all my PTO. I’m stunned at how some Nurses will use their powers to ruin others careers. I’ve always mentored student nurses and teach them to respect other Nurses and the differences they may have. We ALL make mistakes. I support myself and don’t know any other way of sustaining my finances. Working at the VA was my lifelong dream and now a nightmare. My dad was a Veteran. I love my vets. I believe in the power of prayer and that the truth will be revealed some day. I’d like to ask for prayers in getting through this with the truth coming out and this never happening to anyone else. Thank you for responding! ❤️??

I have never wanted to quit nursing in my 24yr ER career until now. (Brief history before I start). My interim manager was my coworker and for what ever reason she never liked me. I’ve NEVER been written up in my life. I had brought harassment charges against her within the last 4 months and lost. Nobody wins harassment at the VA. It’s very common to be harassed and not be able to do anything. I recently contacted my union rep about new charges against her. This is how crazy it is here. now to the current issues almost a month ago I had a pt in ETOH withdrawal who also was an ex heroin user. The Dr gives me a verbal order for 2mg of Ativan but outs in for 1mg. I didn’t check the order. I was so freaking busy. (Bad nursing practice yes...diversion no). I go to Pyxis and there’s been 2 discrepancies from the night before that we’re not resolved all day. I grab Ativan out of Pyxis and hit that theres 11 vials found but actually it was 10. I swear under my breath and grab the ticket and bring it to the charge RN immediately and tell her we have to resolve it before she leaves. I attempt an IV for 45 min or more with 3 unsuccessful attempts. I give up on it and accidentally throw away the vial of Ativan with all the garbage from IV attempts. I realize this and start digging in garbage but it’s too full to find. I leave the room and notice the charge leaves an elderly man In the WC in another room in my area who’s actively bleeding from his skull laceration. CT calls for this pt and of course we’re very short staffed so I have to wheel him down there (which is a far walk) I come back and see a NOC nurse who is awesome at difficult sticks. He gets the IV in the pt calf and I grab another vial if Ativan. I give the med to the pt and go to chart the IV. I guess I didn’t chart the Ativan which is very unusual for me. So now it’s time to give report to next RN which I do. It’s well past my time to leave and I leave exhausted and frustrated at yet another crappy day in ER without enough staff AND Without reconciling the Ativan. I come back the next day and tell the charge RN we need to reconcile. She says it’s been done by the interim manager already. I think to myself. oh ***! She’s gonna use this against me. I immediately go to her office and she tells me we can meet later with the pharmacist to straighten it out. I wait hours for this to happen. I wanna tell what happened. I don’t trust this manager. The Manger never comes to ask. I ask the pharmacist when we can all meet so I can tell them what happened. She says she isn’t the contact person for these types of things. I thought that strange. But nothing happens. Then another 2 weeks go by and I don’t think anything if it until this manager tells me late in the day I need to go for a drug test. I knew I would be positive for cannibals (it’s legal in the state but not federally). My thoughts are it’s better to do pot than becoming addicted to opiates which I’ve lost 3 friends to overdoses I have a herniated disc that needs surgery. I refuse opiates from Drs (yes stupid move for pot use) I drop urine. I’m distraught and leave work sick. I knew she would be relentless. I come back next day and work another week then I get pulled off the floor one day and reassigned to doing 1:1s. On the floor No patient care. I’m informed I’m under OIG investigation for drug diversion. I’m sick to my stomach. I begin to feel suicidal (I’m not now ... I have a strong church family supporting me) The thing is... I have an RX for xanax that I rarely take. I had it for several months prior to this, since my dad died. I developed anxiety during his illness and this manger harassing me and refusing to let me take FMLA. I can’t believe this is happening. I think to myself this is the perfect storm. I’m trusting in God and hoping the truth comes out. I’ll take consequences of pos drug test for pot. But I refuse to admit to diverting. I did not divert. I never would. It was bad nursing practice. I should have verified order and charted it. I also have xanax at home at my disposal if needed. I am sick to my stomach that this is ending my career. I have lots of coworkers that wrote letters to vouch for me. But I don’t think it will help. Any thoughts??

We all know that can't. But they did. AND they made me change it 3 times! They would approve each one. Then 2-3 months later say no it's wrong redo it. They tried to stop me from working because the 2ND FMLA said my dad needed continuous care and according to them I should be at home taking care of him. I explained the care was being divided between siblings and hospice but they made me change it to intermittent. Again NNU did nothing. It's sad because I just wanna give back to Veterans that gave so much to us. It's my passion to care for them.

I would happy to get a petition going to remove the NNU. They are a joke. Our contract does not have descriptive language. They do not pursue harassment grievances. i filed a whistleblower report and then the harassment began. they ALMOST killed a vet by sedating him so much he was intubated and in a coma for 2 months!!! 2 years later he came to ER with police hog tied for violent behavior and then they refused to admit him from our MH floor. They shipped him off to a private *** hospital in the worst part of Chicago after 2 days of laying there on a stretcher still in the ER Mine gave up at second step. I was told that the Director would still not admit I was harassed and my manager caused a hostile work environment even though I have the work schedules to prove she singled me out, refused to let me take approved FMLA for my dad who’s in hospice and she sent a coworker a private email from her yahoo account telling him I filed a grievance about the schedule so he can’t have his Friday’s off to work a second job. only option now is to hire a lawyer out here who has sued the VA for other Nurses and wins. It takes 2 yrs. the VA wants to make sure you spend every penny u have to fight them. They wait until you are about to go to trial before they settle. I love taking care of my vets and helping them navigate the BS. We lose so many great nurses do to these issues. We need a stronger union that will help us protect our patients.

Our chief who is not even a Nurse refuses to allow it. She said it’s only for hospitals that are understaffed They pick and choose what rules they want to follow based on their agenda we are all understaffed, they just refuse to admit it. Keeping the budget low helps with admin bonuses this time of year. NNU is no help either. They don’t do their jobs by us. They rarely help a nurse win anything. Most Nurses here end up suing the VA successfully. NNU needs to be replaced. They’re too big for themselves and offer no support at all here in Chicago.

I don't know what you mean by 8 or 12 hour charting. We have CPRS. We chart as we go. Im ER. I don't know about floors. Read the official VA handbook. Im yoked we have to still do our 80 hours and can't have an 8 hour day off for holiday cause we don't have enough staff. We get overtime but I don't want it. My dads in hospice. I want my holiday off and not work my 80 hours too. Its insane here

Give been learning alot lately about the VA and the regulations In the official VA handbook it states if nurses wanted 12 hr shifts they can have them. Google the handbook. Also i learned that the VA is forcing us to work an extra 8 hours and not pYing overtime. It says if you work 12 hours shifts. 72 per pay period its considered to be 80 hours full time. There is alot info in there the VA is not following their own rules. Our jobs are driven by policy and procedures. They don't follow them. NNU had been notified. Their useless. They won't even check it out.

Your HR are lazy!! If we can do it here in Chicago ( JESSE BROWN AND HINES) yours can do it too! They just choose not too! There is no reason why they cannot model our 72/80 along with payroll. We all use the same systems

Hi there! We have the 72/80 work schedule here in Chicago. But it seems our leadership is making us do an extra 8 hour shift to make it an 80 hour pay period instead of just 6-12 hr shifts. Per the VA handbook 5011 3 it states that 6-12 hour shifts is considered a 80 hour work week. It also states that anything above 72 hours should be overtime but that's not the current practice here. I just sent this to our NNU leaders to check it out. I don't expect anything from them since they are pretty lazy here. We also do not accrue 12 hours for our vaca or sick which is not comparable to what we work. We also do not get holidays off per se. If we work a holiday we get time and a half, if we don't work we get the straight 8 hour pay but we still have to fulfill our 80 hours (you would think we would only have to work 72 hours after getting a holiday but not here.) It seems leadership interprets this differently where ever you work. NNU is no help at all. All of this is opposite of what private facilities that work 12 hour shifts do. It makes no sense at all.

I would hand her a towel and let her clean herself. Been there done that. Bad behavior cant be tolerated. set limits.

after 15yrs in the ER I have no problem telling patients that they're behavior is not acceptable and wont be tolerated. We will do what we can to help them but they need to behave otherwise they can go somewhere else. If they are saying those things to you they are obviously not sick enough to be in the ER. Trust me..the sick ones love you and appreciate you or they cant talk at all. It will take time to get to that point. Ive been in management and know how much the administration wants the perfect patient satisfaction score...truth is...ER WILL NEVER GET GOOD scores because we are so darn busy all the time people think its an episode of ER the TV show and they're visit is over within an hour. HA! You'll get to a point where you will feel free to tell someone who is rude to you to behave. Until then ignore it and use the largest angio you can when starting an IV.You do have some control. Just sayin!

also, we dont care when the last time they ate was or what they had unless they are going for surgery. So dont ask.

those are the Drs we all team up against and ask for orders on every little thing just to **** them off and put them in their place! LOL

you obviously have crappy insurance. ER will cost more but you dont have to prepay. Thats the key!

The long waits effect the ER nurses too so this has everything to do with us. Are you an ER nurse? If not you cant understand how hard it is to tell people they will have to wait many hours and them hear them cuss you out cause you cant get them see in a timely fashion. We dont have the option like floor nurses to NOT take report or to say were full. The patients keep coming and it effects us all and we have to take everyone that comes in. so maybe you do need to go to a surgical message board where you can hide. Just sayin...

im an ER nurse and I have to say that most primary care doctors send their patients to the ER to be seen so that they dont get sued and because some are just plain lazy. They would rather the ER Dr do the assessment and work up then themselves. They can easily direct admit the patient but that would take them to make a call and call in orders instead of having the ER Dr write orders. This is just part of the problem in the ER. The other reasons are illegal immigration, no insurance, the economy etc etc. Society: A society of instant gratification, high importance and somebody do it for me: We are seeing more and more people wanting to be taken care of instantly like its a drive thru at a fast food place and thinking they are more important than the Stroking gramma or 47 yr old acute MI. They want to be taken care of now and not have to wait to see a Dr in the office tomorrow or take care of themselves at home first. The other thing about society is lawsuit crazy! ER Drs are so afraid of missing something and getting sued they order unnecessary tests and clog the ERs for many hours. Long gone is the Dr. that will go by pure instinct and education and risk being sued and not order every test under the sun. No insurance: greater number of people in this country are out of work and have no insurance therefore they go to the ER instead of a Dr office where they will have to pay up front for the bill instead of getting billed later from the ER. Illegal immigration: No health insurance, no Dr., communication barriers (waiting on translators), ignorant (lack of education)to the fact that what they are complaining of isnt really an Emergency. Unable to afford a Dr visit or dont know where to go except ER's . Fevers and vomiting babies can be managed at home for at least 2-3 days before needing a Dr. Lack of education plays a role in all scenarios Economy: again, loss of health insurance and if you are lucky enough to have insurance you cant afford the bill your still going to get (deductables, co pays) So they wait until the last minute and they are so ill they take up the room in the ER. The next time you or a loved one needs to go to the ER.... ask yourself ....what can I do for myself before I go seek the Emergency room? Call your Drs office to see if you can get in that day or the next day. Can my Dr direct admit me instead (you can insist on this too with your Dr) Am I willing to wait up to 10 hours in a waiting room or in the comfort of my home instead and see my Dr in the AM? ...because this is the reality now and its getting worse.

I went on an interview with a recently sprained ankle and was on crutches. I was completely honest in my progress and hopeful recovery period. I was asked to come back to meet the staff and was offered the job all while on a scooter and crutches during this time. The employer knew it would be a month or so before I could start and said they would wait. I found out it would be longer after an MRI showed a complete ATFL tear. Now I am looking at 6-7 month recovery in a boot cast. The employer is saying they will not wait that long for me and I am a liability to let work there while in a walking boot. Is this legal or discrimination because of my temporary disability?

I went on an interview with a recently sprained ankle and was on crutches. I was completely honest in my progress and hopeful recovery period. I was asked to come back to meet the staff and was offered the job all while on a scooter and crutches during this time. The employer knew it would be a month or so before I could start and said they would wait. I found out it would be longer after an MRI showed a complete ATFL tear. Now I am looking at 6-7 month recovery in a boot cast. The employer is saying they will not wait that long for me and I am a liability to let work there while in a walking boot. Is this legal or discrimination because of my temporary disability?

Most kids are going to be crying just from you being around. I find that explaining to the parents and calming them down does wonders for myself. If they start to freak out you have a harder time oncentrating and not feeling nervous. I also ask the parents if they want to step out in the hallway or go get a cup of coffee. I explain to them that their child sometimes does better when they cant see mom or dad for comfort and that if the child sees the parents they sometimes feel like the parents didnt protect them and just stood there. This usually works. (No parent wnats to be the reason their kid is traumatized!) Use a sheet to put around the kid along with a papoose and plenty of help from ED Tech or so. The second part of your question is, if your uncomfortable with a code, offer to document for the first few times. This will get you used to the meds and dosages you will hear being called out. Or offer to do chest compressions. You will get the hang of it the more you do them. Dont stay away from them whatever you do cause you will NEVER feel comfortabe then. Godd Luck and Welcome to the ER world.

I was told by ICU RN's ( my friends) that this is an EMTALA violation. I cant find anything on it though. What EMTALA seems to address is Emergency Room and EMS issues not inpatient hospital issues. If anyone knows where I can find this in EMTALA please let me know. Thanks for all the input

Is it an EMTALA violation to send stroke "codes" to the ER from the hospital floor and to be evaluated, treated and then kept down there for long periods of time.... sometimes days cause there are no ICU beds available?

I think it's wrong to to tell people to use caution with anyone wearing scrubs outside a hospital. We have to buy our own scrubs(hospital quit because it's too costly) we have nowhere to change except the patients bathrooms. I work in an ER. I think hospital clothing should be regulated like firemen and police officer uniforms are. They have to show an ID from their place of employment. This would greatly decrease the amount of people wearing scrubs for whatever reason besides working in the field. And at the same time increase our image so that not just anybody can dress like a medical professional.

Been there done that!!! I deal with it often. One thing i do is let the Dr. know that I am about to have mom sit out in the wait room. If she refuses I get security to help me. I have the right to throw mom out because now this is a DCFS case (Dept of family services ) neglect, child abuse. You name it. And I report mom too. Again the best thing to do is warn all team members what's about to happen and make sure I have their support. After that visitors are limited. 6 is too many. 1 is good. If it's mom fine. If not then oh well!! But I don't let all those people in the room. It's more people to report false things against you and you have to deal with their comments. Any other hassels I would let them know they will all be sitting in the wait room until the patient sobers. GOOD LUCK!! What's your hospital like. Do they kiss every butt that walks in or take it on a case to case basis?