I'm a new nurse, in my job for just a year now working on a med/surg floor. Being older than my co-workers and having previous work history, I tend to be more adamant about some of the rules and ways things should run.
My most experienced co-worker ( on this shift) has 20 months experience due to the high turnover here: 100% at 2 years is the current according to recruitment.
Anyway, I was made charge a couple nights ago and things were just insane as usual. We were running short 1 nurse and we were getting slammed with admits. 5 in the first hour plus an AMA and an irate family to deal with because day shift had neglected to tell them they could'nt leave until the pt urinated - pulled their cath @ 1900.
I had 5 patients: one with SaO2 @ 63%, one getting 2 units PRBC's with Lasix and fluid overload and one with 9/10 pain and we were out of meds as usual.
My co-workers were in a similar bind with their crazy night.
The Unit secretary calls and says I'm getting an admit. I said it was wrong and the assignment sheet was made up differently, she told me that too bad I was getting it anyway the House Supervisor wanted that room.
I called the House Sup and refused saying we were completely overwhelmed and would not accept the pt. His response was to tell ER to put the pt in the room and I would call later for report.
In other words they dumped the pt and left! Further they never even told me the pt was there. I got really pissed and I even called the NM at home. Understand, Admin is only on duty here 0730- 1530 , we have NO admin here on nights weekends or holidays.
The NM's answer was I don't have enough time management and everybody runs short and we all have to deal with it.
As to having no meds from pharmacy - a regular issue here - she said that I need to address the issue and I should also confront the Unit Secretary to tell them they don't assign duties.
It's always the answer here: Deal with it & You do something about it.
The last year has been entirely like this: 5 & 6 hours to get meds from pharmacy, no stock of different doses so we have to give 6 or 12 pills for a dose, we spent two days over memorial days with no tylenol because we were out of stock and the always standard answer from Admin that we need to deal with it.
Anyway, I'm bad, I got really mad and threw a chart at the desk and was rude to the house supervisor.
Now I'm not afraid of firing, after all they've had staffers threaten homicide and they don't get dismissed, but I am afraid for my licence and the likelihood of bad references for a new job.
Recently they gave poor reviews to two staffers to keep them here and they were very blunt to them saying that they didn't need to leave so they would not get positive evals.
I do have a foot in the door at an agency for various PRN & contract work. Should I cut and run? Give notice and go?
Is it like this everywhere? The hospitals I did clinicals at in school sure seemed better.
Are you implying that your hospital doesn't consider drpped meds waste?!
"she meant Tylenol with wrapper, or still close, well we are not liking the wrapper before we take the meds, whats wrong if we dropped a meds with wrapper, we just taking the meds anyway", besides, how high is your immunity? whats wrong with your tons of foods, are they not boasting american immune system?.
I quit without notice after dealing with similar issues--- and worse. I've never left a job without notice before, and I hope never to have to do so again. It made an impact, because I'd worked for the hospital for 17 years. HR stood up and took notice when I did this (and at all the other long term staff who had quit or transferred off the unit). I called them about my PTO time, and the guy was really concerned. Asked me why, after working there for so long, was I leaving so abruptly. My response was, "have you got about an hour to talk?". I told him everything. He was stunned. And he promised to follow up even though I told him I could not consider staying or working out a notice.
The nurse manager was gone within the month. Had I known that would happen, I WOULD have found a way to hang in there, even if it meant taking a leave, because I truly miss it (no, not the way it had become during the two years of hell this "manager" put us through, but the way it had been before and I knew it could be again).
Thanks for this post. It's comforting to know that sometimes, some one will listen and action will be taken.
.... Talk to head of the hospital, CEO, If that isnt working for you threaten legal action starting with reporting work conditions to the state.. You can leave but someone else will step into your place and it will continue... Those patients need you wether you are there or not! Do it for the patient!
Bad advice. Any nurse would be committing career suicide to do these things.
Bad advice. Any nurse would be committing career suicide to do these things.
I have to really thank you for that. Others have suggested reporting and I really think it would terminate my career.
Just last week we had a nurse apply for another job and the NM here told the prospective employer that the nurse had missed 11 days of work in the last 6 months.... she didn't get the job. What the NM neglected to mention is that it was one event for surgery. When my co-worker was in tears asking the NM why she got such a poor reference the answer was ... "because we can't afford to lose any more staff, we need you here and I didn't tell them anything that wasn't true" ... nice place huh?
Personally, I'm just trying to kind of secretly slide out the door and get a new good reference before I give notice at the old/current......
so go ahead others and give me crap why I don't report, why I've learned to shut up and why I just document in the chart and say not a thing to managment, to others period. I'm now treating this place like a crappy 13 week contract and counting the days.
Yes, you were out of line and unprofessional to respond in the manner you did.
I am a new nurse and start my job as an RN in 2 days. I have had the pleasure of working for my current employer for the past year and a half as a nursing student doing clinicals and as an employee (patient care technician). While things are not always ideal where I work, they are never as bad as you have described. The hospital I work for is a magnet hospital and I believe this makes all the difference in the world because we have higher standards. The patient:nurse ratio is 6:1(which is a little high but manageable). The pyxis sometimes has meds that are not loaded;all it takes is a call to pharmacy and they take care of it immediately. The main problem that concerns me about where you work is the lack of patient care. Patients have rights and clearly they have been violated. I, personally, would not want to work at a hospital with such a lack of management and professionalism, who clearly violates my rights and the rights of the patients. Do you have liability insurance(outside of what is offered thru your employer)? It is true that a different department may be the solution because this other department has a different director. This is not the best place for you. As for the prior suggestions regarding reporting to the JCAHO and BON; I would definitely report because if you were to just leave without taking action then the problem still exists and the consequences could mean someone's life;it is your ethical duty to report. As for reporting the incident(s) to your place of employment, I would say it's always a good idea to follow chain of command but from what I hear from you it doesn't sound like anyone can be trusted at your facility but I would still follow protocol because this looks good if you ever have to go before a board. Just know that not all places are as bad as the place that you have described. Good luck in your new career as a nurse.
Interesting... especially when you are about to report to work in two days. I really do hope it's all you say it is.
As for my place of employment the CEO had an "open forum" for staff last week and when asked about how many of our staff our leaving and the rate of turnover his reply was "if they don't like it here they can leave"
... and you wonder why staff here is unhappy.
Not me, I'm happy, but then I seem to have a new place to go soon....
sounds like a normal reaction to an overwhelmingly stressful situation. I think you should leave. If it's making you miserable, if you can't feel good about the care you are providing because you're not getting what you need to do your job, it is not worth it to stay. You have to think about what is best for you. Too risky! Your license is not theirs to jeopardise. Be strong! You work hard! Go somewhere that's gonna help you, appreciate you, and not throw you to the wolves! AND notify the State BON. I am sure this is not legal, professional, or ethical treatment of pt's or employees.
P.S.
Let me know where this is so I can avoid it like MRSA!
Interesting... especially when you are about to report to work in two days. I really do hope it's all you say it is.
As for my place of employment the CEO had an "open forum" for staff last week and when asked about how many of our staff our leaving and the rate of turnover his reply was "if they don't like it here they can leave"
... and you wonder why staff here is unhappy.
Not me, I'm happy, but then I seem to have a new place to go soon....
as long as your new employer doesn't call your present one and ask for a reference!:angryfire
I have worked in some situations that were far from prefect. Not quite that bad. But my feelings on this is, if the situation is such that you feel working there could cause you to lose your license, from being understaffed and the likelyhood of making a serious mistake etc., its not worth the risk of putting your hard work and license on the line. I always check a place out where I am considering employment, if they have a high turn over. then it generally indicates serious problems with the treatment of the employees, patients etc. Unfortunately with the shortage of Nurses and HMO's , this tends to be more a problem than it used to be.
I have been out of Nursing for awhile, I was becoming stressed out, and sometimes its good to take a break away and worked in a more relaxed environment or even perhaps reduce your hours or part-time if you are able to financially. I also find working for staffing is a nice break as well.
But I would definitely RUN as fast as you can. Good luck, and there are still good places out there to work.
This would have made a better story on the NBC nightly news the other evening.
And yes I have worked under those conditions-that's because I am perpetually an INSANE Cherry Ames. I have had staff call me at midnight to ask why someone else did something.......why a doctor ordered what he did. It's only getting more and more stressful. When our system implodes the suits are going to say...."Why I had NO idea."
Get a new job, but document and report anyway, not to upper management who are aware of what is going on already (No excuses for them, it is their job to know. If they don't know they are not doing their job.) But when you leave send a well documented report to JCAHO and the BON in your state. It is your duty as described in every Scope of Practice Act I've ever seen. It is also ethically your duty, as abandoning patients can lead to seminal events, even death. Do not threaten management, do not mention it in your exit interview, just do it.
fighter07
15 Posts
"she meant Tylenol with wrapper, or still close, well we are not liking the wrapper before we take the meds, whats wrong if we dropped a meds with wrapper, we just taking the meds anyway", besides, how high is your immunity? whats wrong with your tons of foods, are they not boasting american immune system?.