Sick of working short

LPN1974, LPN · Mar 2, 2006

It's hard isn't it? Working short is h***.

I don't work in a hospital but we work short, too, alot of the time, and it's hard.

I don't know about you, but I can't just walk away from my job. I've been there too long, and have too much invested towards retirement.

The only thing I can say is the patients need us, and I try to be good to new employees who come in. We've had some come and quit, before even getting started good, but I do try to be good to the new ones. I figure if I'm good to them and help them they have a better chance of staying. Tell them things that I have come across that I know makes MY job easier and might help them, too. I answer questions on top of questions, and help them in anyway that I can. We usually give at least a months orientation, and during that time we work like there's 2 nurses instead of 3 just to give that new nurse a good orientation. But it is very hard to hold up to it that long.

We are currently switching over to computer charting, on E-MARS, and when that is switched over I don't see being able to give a month's orientation.

Demands on our time are getting heavier and heavier. We are doing alot more non nursing tasks, like checking in the drugs from a local pharmacy now. They took away our onsite pharmacist, so now the nurses are doing alot of what she did. It is getting worse by the day.

So I don't know what to tell you, if you don't want to leave, except to just try to pull together with your co-workers and help each other whenever, whereever possible. I know that sounds like extra work, when you already have so much to do, but we just have to pull together.

Personally, I'm not sure that it would be any easier anywhere else.

I did a nursing home for awhile and it was bad there, too. I prefer where I'm at, even with all the demands of it.

It's just hard. I come home at night with my feet aching, my back breaking and my mind reeling, and unable to go to sleep for a long time until I get relaxed and quit hurting.

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Mar 2, 2006

I'd be looking for another job pronto! Taking more than 5-6 patients is dangerous to the patient and dangerous to your license. We are never assigned more than 6 on days. I've had 3 or 4 patients before that had high levels of acquity and I've refused to take on more patients. No problem. They know if I say I can't then I really can't. Sounds like you employer is strictly playing a numbers game. I work in a for profit hospital but thank goodness they have common sense.

meownsmile, BSN, RN · Mar 2, 2006

Its happening all over. They will work people like that until they start seeing increases in sentinal events due to lack of care. Its much cheaper to work people to their breaking point than hire more staff. Then look out cause it will be our fault in court.

I dont know about your refusal of patients. I think that is something you need to pin your administration down about. Sounds like a good subject to bring up at your next unit meeting. If they give you the "ill have to check into that" speel. Pin them down on when you can expect that information and make them stick to it. If you dont get it go back and hound the heck out of them for it.

If worse comes to worse,, move along. Its not worth your license.

OH and LPN,, i come home with the same problem. And it shouldnt be happening.

Crocuta, RN · Mar 2, 2006

I went to work this weekend. I work weekend doubles. On 7-3 we had 23 patients on a medsurg floor. 1RN and 2LPN 1CNA and 1US. We had 8 patients a piece to take care of.

Wait a second. I need a clarification here. You're saying that 1 RN and 2 LPN's had 8 patients each? Did the lone RN take responsibility for assessing all the patients? If this is a hospital, I must be missing something. LPN's can't assess, at least under Washington state law, and I would assume it's pretty similar elsewhere. If I did what I think you're saying is happening, I'd be operating WAAAY outside of scope. Someone please tell me I've misread.

Lee

meownsmile, BSN, RN · Mar 2, 2006

No the lone Rn takes responsiblity for ALL the patients. She just has LPN's to help her assess. So legally she had 23 patients and 2 assistants and CNA for ADL's. From the way i see it anyway. Hospitals are getting away with letting this happen more and more and yes its legal because the LPN's have 1 RN to practice under. Look how much money they save.

DusktilDawn · Mar 2, 2006

I remeber in nursing school my instructor said we have the right to refuse is this s*** or is the nursing supervisor that said this full of crap? Can we be held responsible for patients not getting their meds on time if I document we have to take care of to many patients per nurse?

Yes you do have the right to refuse an unsafe assignment, however, this does not mean you are protect from disciplinary action from you employer. You absolutely can be held accountable when you accept an unsafe assignment. When an assignment is refused, it is done to protect the NURSE'S LICENSE with the SBON. Protecting your license as a nurse can and does conflict with protecting your job.

jenni82104 · Mar 2, 2006

Then what is the answer? Are nurses just supposed to accept unsafe assignments all the time just to keep their job, or do you protect the license that you worked so hard for, and keep bouncing around from job to job? Talk about a no win situation! I have just applied to nursing school, and I tell you what, it's crap like this that really makes me think that becoming an rn is a mistake! Dusktildawn, is it just as bad in Canada too?

Town & Country · Mar 2, 2006

This is probably a HCA hospital.

What do you mean, you "can't" refuse an assignment?

This is the United States of America - remember?

No one is going to cover your a** but YOU. Of course this hospital is all too happy to keep loading you down with patients - next it will be 9, then 10....

hospitals like this run "help wanted" ads but they won't hire nurses.

Less profit.

You had better START refusing some assignments - either that or give notice.

When they get through with you, you won't even have a nursing license.

I would give my two-weeks' notice ASAP and START LOOKING for another job, all hospitals aren't like this.

Good Lord!

Blee O'Myacin, BSN, RN · Mar 2, 2006

When I was in nursing school, we were told that when situations arose such as this one, there were forms to fill out that state that you are not accepting an assignment due to an unsafe ratio. It is your license that is on the line here. I wonder what JCAHO would do if they showed up and saw this happening?? Nothing ever said that the nursing supervisor can't take an assignment as well (ha ha).

I agree with the others, there are plenty of jobs out there where the staffing ratios may not be wonderful, but at least they are safe.

Blee

I went to work this weekend. I work weekend doubles. On 7-3 we had 23 patients on a medsurg floor. 1RN and 2LPN 1CNA and 1US. We had 8 patients a piece to take care of. Am I just a wus or is this a bunch of crap. We have been told we cannot refuse patients. Can we get fired for rufusing to take report when we know we cannot give the care these patients need? I remeber in nursing school my instructor said we have the right to refuse is this s*** or is the nursing supervisor that said this full of crap? Can we be held responsible for patients not getting their meds on time if I document we have to take care of to many patients per nurse? The staff is sick of this tx and more and more people are quitting every day. I dont know what to do or say. I dont know if I should tell my patients they didnt get their meds on time because I have to take care of my 7 other patients and the ones that are the worst get my care first. The bosses are trying know that so many people have quit. Lpn's are getting 50cent raise and RN get 75cent raise they are trying to bring in traveling nurses but it is hard to even get them to stay. The first worked 2 days and quit she said it was the hardest patient/nurse care hospital and the worst hospital she has ever worked at. People are starting to talk about Unions. I would like to look into one but I dont know where to begin we have to do something or there is not going to be any nurses left. No RN's have put their applications in for more than 6 months so we have been told a bunch of crap because a friend of mine says many of her friends that are RN's have put in their applications and they have never been called. what the h***. I am fed up. I cannot simply find another job b/c of the shift I am working I need to stay on weekends. I work 32 and get paid for 40. I have been looking around but have found nothing yet. I am an LPN have been at this facility for 6 years I dont want to quit but am getting to the point of not caring what happens. I am doing the best that I can. Please give me some advice someone on what to do. If we can get a union to make things better or is it like this everywhere? Every shift we work at least 2-4 people short and this is getting worse every time I go to work. Thanks for listening I had to get this out. By the way I work in a hospital and we have around 120 beds. It is not just my floor working short it is everywhere in the hospital. What should we do?

nialloh, RN · Mar 2, 2006

You have to stand up for your self, no-one else will. On my floor, we were getting slamed with admits, 7 in 3 hours. We are not allowed to refuse admits from the ER, and they wanted to send number 8. I refused so hard, even to the supervisor, that the supervisor did the admit (I love this supervisor, It's not the first time she did this). It's your license, protect it.

Genista, BSN, RN · Mar 2, 2006

I don't know what state you are in, but that staffing may be in violation of law. Check your nursing practice act and call your BON. In my home state, you can refuse an assignment, but as someone else posted, it may result in job loss (but you won't lose your license at least). The catch is that you have to decline an unsafe assignment before accepting it, not after you work a few hours, or after you take report and hit the floor, etc.

I am a member of a nursing union. If we get unsafe staffing, we call the nursing supervisor and complain and ask for more staff. If they are unable to help us, we fill out assignments under protest, which are followed up on my the union with hospital management. Filing a UAP does not protect you if a patient comes to harm, but it does document the number of occurances, and offers some evidence that you tried to remedy the situation by notifying the chain of command supervisors.

I would be talking union, if I were your co-worker! I would also look into other facilities. I worked at a non union hospital as a new grad 8 years ago, and I had 6-10 patients of my own on the pm shift. This was with telemetry thrown into the mix, and active chest pain/drips! Crazy! I left that place for greener pastures at a union hospital. Staffing can be short where I work now, but I usually have only 5 patients on pm shift, though we can go up to 6 a piece. Sometimes we don't get a nurses aid, sometimes we do (depends on census/matrix). Acute care RNs are not supposed to be responsible for more than 6 patients a piece where I work (CA).

I know you don't want to lose your job, but something needs to be done. It is unsafe, and you won't be able to live with yourself if a patient comes to harm.I would start checking state laws and perhaps someone may need to make phone calls to a regulatory agency if your hospital is in violation of the law. Good luck! My heart goes out to you.