Hello everyone! I used to post here last year when I was graduating nursing school but cant remember my screen name. You all helped me so much, I was hoping for some advice once again.
I work at a small hospital that only staffs around 10 RN's. We all bust our behinds working extra shifts due to being short staffed. Here is where my issue is. We have two as needed nurses who work to fill in holes in the schedule, but we are still short.
We have one as needed nurse however who isn't willing to work any shifts for anyone and it really irks me. I am work my three days but if I ever need a day off, she never agrees to cover, like ever. She works only a few times a month. She has 4 kids under 5 years old I think and she's always using that as an excuse not to work. It really puts all the rest of us in a bind when she refuses to cover.
I don't even know why my boss keeps her around honestly, you can tell she doesn't like being there even when she has a scheduled shift. We (all us full timers) talk about it all the time. What good is having as needed employees if they aren't pulling their weight when we're short? I do not get it. Its not fair, I want to be able not to work but unfortunately I have bills to pay. I asked her once why she doesn't pick up more shifts and she just said "because I don't have to", which is really rude in my opinion.
Another thing, she gives the boss the days SHE wants to work and the boss schedules us around that. She doesn't pick up weekends or holidays ever so I am really dreading my December schedule since the other as needed nurse is leaving in a few weeks.
I really want to bring it up with my boss. I don't think its fair at all, I just don't know how to approach the subject with her. Any thoughts? Would you tolerate this from a coworker?
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
You and your coworkers are directing your anger at the wrong target. If you can only get PTO approved when you find your own coverage by a per-diem employee then your problem is with management. I feel bad for the per-diem nurse, she is working in a toxic environment created by you and your coworkers' gossip.[/quote']
Yes, I think it's really dirty pool when employees can't use PTO unless they line up their own coverage - and there aren't available people to cover. That's management's job. They get to skate while they pit employees against one another. I take it you don't have a union. Too bad.
Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
Yes, I think it's really dirty pool when employees can't use PTO unless they line up their own coverage - and there aren't available people to cover. That's management's job. They get to skate while they pit employees against one another. I take it you don't have a union. Too bad.
She replied she wasn't denied she never asked for the day off she assumed she was off. The op clarified one has to find coverage if a request is made after the schedule is released
Your co-worker owes you nothing. PRN does not mean being available to switch hours or work when other coworkers want time off. Why and how she does it are none of your business. As many others have said, your issue is with management if they are not staffing appropriately. Put on your big girl panties and go talk to them, but leave your co-worker alone. No wonder she doesn't click with you-you come off as selfish, immature, and ignorant of real life. I'd stay far away, too. If staffing continues to be an issue it may be time to look for a new job. Just go into it with realistic expectations.
Wow, really. No staff is going to dictate what I work. It is up to me. Don't mean to sound trite. PRN means I get to choose when I work, and I make that agreement when I sign on as a nurse. I negotiate for my needs, the employer negotiates for theirs, and we come to an agreement. If the other employees don't like it they need to learn the skill of negotiating. Also, if someone has 4 children under whatever, that's a lot. I wouldn't complain too much, you may find yourself down to 9 nurses. I would suggest you ask for your days off ahead of time for your needs, and don't worry about what other people are working. It will make your life easier. Good luck!
I had a friend who was PRN while she had very young children so that she could maintain her license and keep continuous employment for her resume. When the youngest was school aged she returned to work full time. But if you and the other full timers act like this, she might not return to full time with you guys and go somewhere else.
You have said yourself that you never really worked and that this is your first real job. So, if I were to use your logic, you were lazy and had TONS of free time when in college. But I am willing to bet that your decision to not work had to do with your priority being school, right? I worked full time for my first degree and played rugby and still maintained a good GPA. But you took a different path than I did. Good for you. It doesn't mean that you or I were any less dedicated to our studies...we just did things differently. Learn this and learn this now...just because it is something that YOU wouldn't do that doesn't make it a wrong choice. She is doing what is best for her life. And guess what...she could give a crap about what you need. She isn't your mother. YOUR needs do not come first for her. Her children do.
Great post and hopefully the OP will be open to looking at the point of view you posted.
Its after the schedule comes out that we have to find our own coverage, which is near to impossible.
sounds like your best bet is to find another RN to switch days with if the PRN one can't cover
what I meant by that was I cant even fathom the amount of free time someone who works a few days a month would have. Working an extra shift once in a while is no big deal to me I guess.
no big deal for you but when you have 4 other people you are responsible for, lining up childcare is a huge deal. If you don't use family then it is a very large daycare cost.
I haven't worked before getting my RN. I graduated high school, went to college and went to work right away. Maybe I am just not used to people being able to come and go as they please in regards to work.
Employees/employers can do anything they want as long as it is in the contract. PRN status working here and there, scheduled in advance, is a very common way to go.
And I guess I DID have the wrong idea of her position. It lists her as "as needed" or casual so I assumed that meant her job included being available when she was needed to cover holes in the schedule.
I think this is the crux of your problem. As needed does not mean she's on-call (for whenever needed). Instead, it is a generic term for working 'here and there'.
"valid" reasons are subjective, and just because her reasons might not meet with your approval, it doesn't mean they aren't valid.
You sound VERY immature and based on your posts here alone, I'd never want to pick up a shift for you!
I think our requirement for the as needed people is 1 shift a month. I guess I don't see the point of having those employees if they wont work when they're actually needed (like to cover a shift for a full time employee). We have to get coverage in order to use PTO, or we have to call off. I don't think the "well I have little kids" is a good excuse in the professional world. We all have things in life that are important. And its not even that she CANT cover, she just doesn't WANT to.
I have to work the day after Thanksgiving and I asked her to cover, and she hasn't responded yet. I just know the answer will be no and no one else is able to do it. They have valid reasons, being out of town. I know she will be in town because she was getting recipes from another nurse and was talking about having a big dinner at her house.
This may sound harsh, but her schedule really is none of your business. If she is PRN, she works according to the stipulations of that agreement, not yours.
Because you have to work and 'have bills to pay,' are not her issues nor fault, either. And, the fact that you all sit around and, 'talk about,' her, is unprofessional, at best.
If your unit is short-staffed, that issue should be addressed with your manager/company, so your anger and frustration are most certainly misplaced.
This nurse has sacrificed and structured her life and time the way she wants, so she does not burn out and can be there as a mom and wife. Don't begrude her with your envy.
Newsflash: There is more to life than just nursing...especially when you have a life and young children to nurse and nurture.
And, SO WHAT? You don't know what her plans are and whatever they are, her plans are not your business.
It sounds like you spend too much time, if any at all, in this lady's business. Why don't you expend some of that energy into directing and managing your own life, so you can enjoy your life, like this nurse is enjoying her life, ON PURPOSE, not by happenstance.
If I were you, I would talk to management. Your management is not "working on it," or they would have hired someone else by now. I do see how having prns who wont work any extra can be frustrating...at my facility on my unit, we have at least 10 prns who work less than one shift a month. We are very Short staffed and i am working over 50 hours a week right now. I suggest if conditions don't improve, find another job.
I work a PRN job in addition to my FT clinic job. I do it for the "fun money", the flexibility, and because I truly enjoy my patients and my coworkers there. Me thinks I would not say the same thing if I were PRN in your facility!
I could totally understand the concept if she had another full time job! You seem like you pull your weight and then some. Maybe my gripe is just with people who seem lazy-ish, and also management for dragging their feet.
If I am completely honest however, it seems like some people just do not want to work and for the life of me I just don't understand it and I guess its a pet peeve of mine.
Any PRN nurses- Why work in the first place if you only do a few days a month? Why not just stay home? I guess if I was rich enough to afford to work here and there, I wouldn't really see the point of it. (no snark intended, genuinely curious)
TriciaJ, RN
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