Last may, i took a new job in my facility to open up a new unit. We were promised wonderful staffing, good nurse-patient ratio and only chf patients. We were all handpicked by the new manager who i respected deeply. Well instead of having a 26 bed unit, were forced to care for 38 patients with only minimal staffing. My manager did her best she went to bat for us consistently, but the idiots that run the damn place have no idea what safe staffing is. On night shift we could have anywhere from 10-15 patients a piece. Most are med-surg overflow,only 10% might be chf.
I was originally picked to be head charge nurse and was told i would have a small assignment of maximum four patients, but take care of the patients going bad plus take care of the charge duties, calling doctors, making the doctors lists doing all admissions and other charge paper work for the daytime charge.
Well nothing promised was given, other then i still have all my other duties plus taking care of 10-15 patients on nights. To make matters worse, i'm the only nurse with at least 1 year experience(most of the nurses are new grads from last june)
Last night we had two codes, one made it, one didn't and two people were sent to ccu, of course i ended doing it all. To top it off the day time charge nurse was ticked because i was not ready to give her report at 630am( i was dealing with the family of the patient who died) and the nurse is per diem, works only one day month with 1 year experience.
Last week my manager also resigned, she can't take it anymore and has to leave this facility, i told her i'm right behind her.
RN- Jane. Get out of there now and don't wait until things blow up in your face. Remember: It is your license and only you can lose it. And remember how difficult it was to get it.
For those nurses who wish to stay, I say: ORGANIZE! UNIONIZE!
And, if need be, pull a wildcat STRIKE. SICKOUT. FLU-OUT. CALL OUT. If cops can do it, so can they. Or, a RN does have the option of simply refusing to take the shift due to concerns for patient safety; I've done it more than a couple of times.
You sound like a great and dedicated RN. Go to where they appreciate you. I am a colleague and am on your side.
Ah yes, we will be hearing more and more of these as the shortage of nurses becomes greater and greater. The main problem is NOT being dealt with, so the "Cause and Effect" problems continue to proliferate. I am in the same position as "NIghtshift Nursing Supervisor" at my facility. I of course, have a "Job Description" which I find it impossible to address when I have patient assignments as well as being "Unit Clerk" in other words I am supposed to do three person's jobs at once. Does the term Multi-Tasking apply??? The problem is, I believe in my heart that my department head truly wants to help but she is also being held hostage to old antiquated policies and guidelines, that no longer apply. I also believe, that our Administrator, is a good person who wants to do the right thing but is once again, not being allowed to problem solve to the maximum of his potential. I of course have some ideas of how these problems could be solved, especially in the areas of "Recruitment and Retainment" Knowing how to solve the problem for us (Our Facility) will most definitely affect other facilities in our area, and most likely in a negative way. I see the distinct possibility of "Hiring Wars." Just like "Price-Wars" in other businesses. :eek: JMO. Hope you all had a great Holiday season. PS for those who are recommending you Bail-out, "what if situation is worse at the next place and worse still at the next, what is the solution then????
I work at a large teaching hospital where we have new residents every month...without exception, you can overhear comments about "you have to watch these nurses, they'll kill your patients", not to mention the temper tantrums which ensue if you're not a mind-reader and cater to every whim. One of my coworkers was yelled at, sworn at by a physician because the nurse called the doc for admission orders at 0300. There was no reprimand for the doctor, of course. What is the nurse supposed to do in a situation like that?
I handed in my resignation last week too. I'm a new grad, I have had it with the manager who refuses to work for the staff and instead chooses to burn out the staff for her own gain. This woman has said not one positive thing to me during my almost-seven months on the unit. She wants the nurses to address the physician in the proper way: "Sir".
No wonder people run from nursing. There has got to be a better way!
Ah yes, we will be hearing more and more of these as the shortage of nurses becomes greater and greater. The main problem is NOT being dealt with, so the "Cause and Effect" problems continue to proliferate. I am in the same position as "NIghtshift Nursing Supervisor" at my facility. I of course, have a "Job Description" which I find it impossible to address when I have patient assignments as well as being "Unit Clerk" in other words I am supposed to do three person's jobs at once. Does the term Multi-Tasking apply??? The problem is, I believe in my heart that my department head truly wants to help but she is also being held hostage to old antiquated policies and guidelines, that no longer apply. I also believe, that our Administrator, is a good person who wants to do the right thing but is once again, not being allowed to problem solve to the maximum of his potential. I of course have some ideas of how these problems could be solved, especially in the areas of "Recruitment and Retainment" Knowing how to solve the problem for us (Our Facility) will most definitely affect other facilities in our area, and most likely in a negative way. I see the distinct possibility of "Hiring Wars." Just like "Price-Wars" in other businesses.
:eek: JMO. Hope you all had a great Holiday season. PS for those who are recommending you Bail-out, "what if situation is worse at the next place and worse still at the next, what is the solution then????
Brita01
350 Posts
Ain't that the truth?