Seems Patient Safety not a consideration

[RyRy10-8]

This may sound so outlandish to some, but this is really happening in my hospital. For many of us, it's mind boggling the things going on openly at our workplace daily.

My formerly amazing workplace that had very high standards of care, extremely high patient satisfaction scores (high 90's) recently went through a complete leadership overhaul, which inadvertently ended up now causing a culture of patient neglect and unsafe conditions for patients. Throughout our hospital, many refer to it as the generation of the Benchwarmers.

About a year and a half ago, our parent company seemed to have had a change in leadership. Then the best and brightest leadership in our hospital were let go in very unethical ways. When I say unethical, things like creating derogatory lies about super high performing, ethical managers just to be able to fire them. Asking unethical staff to write derogatory things about leaders, with implications that if they did this they themselves would be promoted to those positions. Just overall a very shady, ruthless new corporate culture that coveted similarly unethical staff.

To make a long story short, many unqualified and newer to the field benchwarmers, and people who openly slept with other staff or important people, etc, were placed into the most vital leadership positions while experienced, solid clinicians were pushed out using very shady tactics.

To try to condense everything, basically the leaders and their clique of nurses and aids sit all shift long, delegate the workload to the two or three staff who don't belong to their cliques, and none of the clique participants will help. The clique socializes, flirts, plans parties and all matter of socializing while the ethical nurses carry the workload. This has been going on for 16 months since the majority of experienced, ethical staff were pushed out. Managers who are clueless and unqualified are oblivious. Patient complaints are at an all time high and satisfaction scores are in the dumpster. The new leaders are also poor or inexperienced clinicians and patient danger happens constantly and unchecked. Anyone who has brought up the safety issues has experienced retaliation and bullying until they quit. So the few solid nurses just stay quiet so they don't lose their jobs.

The kicker to all of this is the administration and corporate say the hospital is "better". Yes better for the benchwarmers.

[RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN]

I know I offer no sound advice other than find another job. Sounds like you enamorous work to employee relationship has expired.

Welcome to the new healthcare way. The business way.

[RyRy10-8]

Jessy_RN I hear it's everywhere now.

[RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN]

Unless you have worked everywhere, you can't really be sure. Some places are way better than others. I can tell you that from experience. Nothing would make me stay in such an unsafe or miserable situation. Life is too short but this is about your happiness, not mine. Good luck to you!

[cardiacfreak, ADN]

I agree with Jessy, I stayed at my last job for 18 years, hoping things would get better. They didn't and I left. I am so much happier now and wish I hadn't stayed for 18 years.

[SafetyNurse1968, BSN, MSN, PhD]

This sounds like a terrible situation, and an accident waiting to happen. Have you contacted the board of nursing in the state where you work? Sometimes they can be of great help. I hope you are eventually able to leave or to make positive changes. Vote with your feet!