LDrounette

But she wasn't an applicant. She had 13 years in that position, and has a bachelor's in leadership. So what would the upper level management courses of a BSN program do to increase her knowledge of her job, or of being a nurse in general?

You know, it's hard to deal with doctors like that. Just always try to take the high road, and stand up for yourself when you need to. Someday, they might have to be one of your patients! lol I was actually at my doctor's office a few weeks ago (as a patient), and heard the P.A. yell out the door of another exam room...."NURSE! NURSE! NURSES!!!" When one came around, he yelled....."I NEED A PEN!" I was in shock. When the nurse came back in my room, I told her they should try to teach him that's unacceptable behavior for professionals. Without saying anything negative about him, and trying to maintain her own professionalism, she basically said he treats them that way all the time. Shameful.

There are so many variables involved in this question. I think it depends on the type of position you're looking for, somewhat. If you want a management position, it probably won't look too great to them. Also, more importantly, I think it depends on the reasons you give for why you left each job. Will the prospective employer see you as someone who decides to jump ship when it gets rough? And, how desparate are they for nurses? I know it sounds bad, but sometimes, employers are in such dire need for a warm body, they'll hire everyone who walks in the door that can legally work at the job.

I agree. It could be "it hurts" or "ouch" is the only sentiment she can recall to express, depending on her degree of dementia.

As for the worry about her saying "they hurt me"...........document, document, document. And care plan it. That should keep you out of trouble with the State for any complaints about that. As for it hurting, I would investigate why. Has she historically had a low pain tolerance? I think the cuff hurts too, especially once they get around 180, I almost can't stand it. Maybe it's just that now all she can say is it hurts and doesn't understand any longer that it's normal to hurt a little.

Some states don't have set defined staffing ratios for nursing facilities. However, I would assume you are protected by your nurse practice act. Abandonment means you took on the responsibility of the patients, then walked out, leaving them with no nurse to care for them. You, as a nurse, also have the responsibility to NOT take an assignment you believe is inappropriate or you are not prepared for, and they really have no legal right to retaliate against you for doing the right thing. I would definitely look up your state's BON rules and arm yourself with knowledge.

There are probably some health systems that give bonuses for that, but generally, staffing cuts are related to budgets. People don't realize there is a lot more to staffing budgets other than just numbers of people on the floor. There's the pay, of course, but then also the cost of any benefits (like federally mandated health insurance), the cost of the employer's share of your taxes, etc. Being in that position is very difficult because you're always seen as selfish or uncaring because you don't want "enough" staff on the floor. Many times when I've heard people complain they are "understaffed", but when you look at the acuity and the patient load, they really aren't. It's a tough job to care for patients, and most of us wish we could have more people in direct patient care positions rather than working in offices fulfilling all the paperwork requirements of the federal/state governments and insurance companies.

Having never worked in the ER, as a nurse, this certainly gives me a new perspective on what you guys go through. It also sheds a little light on a couple experiences I've had as a patient, and a patient's family. The fakers can really make you jaded, I know. I remember getting some of the eye rolling and doubtful looks when I had my husband in the ER several years ago. He thought it was his appendix. Apparently the triage staff thought differently. After they got tired of listening to him holler for an hour in the waiting room, we got to an exam room. After the CT, there was a sudden change in their demeanor and everyone was in a really big rush to get him to the OR before his appendix ruptured. I also had similar attitudes toward me in the ER when I went in with what turned out to be a bowel obstruction. It's certainly easy to get frustrated with those who are just seeking drugs, but sometimes we have to make sure we remember that pain is definitely subjective, and be careful not to blow someone off because we don't believe they are exhibiting an "appropriate" pain response.

Yeah, like starting their nursing careers

I fully believe your children and their safety must come first. I don't know about there, but here abandonment only applies once you've taken report and taken the responsibility for patients and then leave your duty with no nurse to take over. As for the comment about making contingency plans for your kids in advance of the situation, I can only imagine that everyone else in the area is facing taking care of their own. If you don't have a safe place for your kids to go, I think you have to tend to them first. I wonder what kind of job you would do worrying about not only your husband but also your children in someone else's care. God bless you in your decision, and I hope that you and yours were able to weather the initial onslaught of the storm.

One thing that struck me is that there seems to be a complaint that the hospital doesn't have enough staff or doesn't try hard enough to get someone to cover a shift, but on the other hand, there's the complaint that the hospital hires a bunch of new grads to save money. Didn't we all have to start out as new nurses at some point? We have a shortage of nurses, but then we complain about having to work with new nurses. As for how overtime is calculated and at what point, I don't know about Ohio or California, but in Texas that is determined by state law. Here we get paid for over 40 in a week. I just wonder if those states pay on overtime according to state law or is that determined by unions? At your old job in California, you said "they" were required to cover the shift. Who? Who was required to work the extra hours so the nurse on the floor didn't have to? Just curious. Here there are a lot of times when the director or assistant director has to pull the shift because they can't get anyone to come in. So, they're not out there working a 12 hour shift on the floor, and I know the appearance is they have the "easy" job. But, what people sometimes don't take into account is the fact that those 8-9 hour shifts are also 5 days a week, not 3 days at a time. Also, they are on call 24 hours. And when they cover one of those shifts that someone called in for, they still have to do their regular job. Sometimes you just can't magically pull a nurse out of thin air.