bayoulady

It is a requirement that we be within 20 minutes of the hospital. And, we live in a VERY rural area. Less than 12,000 people in a county bigger than the state of Deleware. They have offered on-call housing for surgical staff for years. The house is in disrepair and they have other options for housing, they are just not using them.

Very same situation with our OR. Same number of circulators. Same OB RN's. Blah, blah, blah. Maybe time to go to some other area of nursing for me. The problem for the CEO and Managers will be that we are in a VERY rural area and there are JUST NO trained, or capable of training, RNs. Good luck to them on burning out their very capable staff.

Our call is very similar. It is ridiculous that they let surgeons put on a "scheduled" case late on a Friday or a Saturday with the on-call team. We have already worked our 40+ hour week and are coming back for emergencies AND the scheduled crap. We also usually have to come in and work the next day. If we are not busy we can stay in and sleep but that is unusual. I am looking for other jobs now. I have my CNOR and my CPAN but my boss does not cover for us or stand up for us with surgeons. There have been 3 resignations in the last 5 months (with no one to fill their positions - just a few travelers here and there). We are overworked, tired, and discouraged. Time for me to leave this life-sucking job behind. I have been doing this 5 years.

We have one older nurse that wears her hat occasionally. Only the hat, regular scrubs otherwise. She is very crusty!!

I need some advice. The hospital where I work is in a small, rural area. They provide a call house for on-call staff (i.e, surgery and other staff) to stay in due to the distance most people live from the facility. The house is in an unsafe area (high crime) and has no security measures in place (poor lighting, no security system, very poor cell service). The house is also in disrepair (roof leaks, floor around toilet is soft, and there is a hole to the outside in the basement downstairs (where there are also bedrooms for personnel to stay). I was also in the house by myself last year when someone tried to break in - I had to crawl around on my hands and knees to keep cell service with 911 until the cops showed up at 2:50 am. The hospital has now put in place a new protocol for us to sign if we stay there. It includes, among many other things, that we must hold the hospital harmless and not liable if something happens to us while we are there (whether from the faulty house or from outside criminals/persons harming us). It also precludes us from bringing a firearm into the house when we stay there. Since the attempted break-in last year, I have kept a gun in the bedroom where I stay when I am there. Do not do this at home, but feel very unsecure in this home and area. I am thinking of refusing to sign this agreement (or at the least marking through the ones that deal with liability and security). What are your thoughts? (and for the record I am required to be within 20 minutes of the hospital and I live 23 minutes away from the facility).