Promotion...decision?

[beth.grossman]

Hello all my fellow psych nurses, I'm doing some research and just wondering if anyone has encountered my situation. I work 2nd shift (3-11:30) in a forensic inpatient hospital that is state run. I have so far loved the job and have become very proficient at getting things done after business hours - some of you probably are familiar with being cut off completely at 5pm and know how fun that is. To top it all off our two charge RNs from first shift literally do nothing. I have yet to find their names on charting etc etc. and then tell me that they couldn't do an ekg because they were "too busy" when there was 2 charges and 4 staff RNs on PLUS 2 LPNs and our shift normally runs on two RNs OR one RN and one LPN and we run circles around them. Okay, that being said it was nice on friday that i was recognized by the nurse manager and offered the position of 3-11pm charge nurse. I was ecstatic, had a great weekend thinking of the pay raise and the weekends and holidays off!! The only thing so far that i really hate about the job is that i rarely see my 3 year old son and my husband. So i came in today, we were crazy (pardon the pun) but i was again pulled aside by the nurse manager and she informed me that "only the 7-3 shift gets every weekend and holiday off".....how is that possible? Why should i take the title and not the rewards, or treated as an equal? Has anyone run into this before?

[Meriwhen, ASN, BSN, MSN, RN]

So i came in today, we were crazy (pardon the pun) but i was again pulled aside by the nurse manager and she informed me that "only the 7-3 shift gets every weekend and holiday off".....how is that possible?

When I worked 7-3 charge, I was expected to put in my weekends and holidays just like everyone else. Only when I accepted a unit manager position was I granted the weekends off...but I still had to put in my holidays.

IMO, what you've been told sounds HIGHLY suspicious to me. Be very wary.

[Feistn]

You're working at a state facility, is there a union contract of any kind? Honestly, when I worked in a union/civil service environment (not nursing), it was not uncommon for a manager to decide that the easiest solution was to not force the unwilling worker but instead shift the work/dirty jobs to the willing/hardworking employee. It's not fair, and if you are represented by a union, I would make a stink about it. It sort of sounds like your manager either got tired of fighting with those day charge nurses, or they're such long term employees that there's nothing she can do about it (per the union). Or there's a favoritism component. In any case, there is nothing you can do about any of these circumstances unless there is a union, and even that will get you labeled a trouble maker. I'd put in enough time to say that you "did" the charge nurse thing so you can put it on your resume and start looking.