Staffing Issues

[UP Nurse]

I work in a community hospital in a fairly rural area. We have a local community college graduating a number of nurses each year, usually folks from the community who wish to stay in the community. Some were LPNs or ward secretaries who go back to school. We are an organized (union) hospital, via our state nurses association. Administration is saying to us already on staff, go a head and leave, we have nurses standing in line to have your job(s). There are several other hospitals and colleges in this part of the state who are in the same position...a new crop of graduates waiting in line to have the jobs. Meantime, when people leave the FTEs are not being filled, so we are working with fewer nurses.

Is this happening in your area? Or is this unique to our part of the state (Michigan's Upper Peninsula). I know I get letters fairly often attempting to recruit me to other hospitals, so I know there must be places that really need nurses. Or do they "use" them up and can't keep them?

Thanks for your input.

UP Nurse

[RN1989]

No, this situation is not unique to your area. This is a very common tactic used to try to keep the staff in line.

Some hospitals love it when you leave because then they can understaff more easily since they don't have to fire you or put you on call or overtly change the staffing grid. They simply say that they are recruiting to fill the vacancy but in reality the managers are told that they are not to hire anyone despite ads in the paper, etc.

It is also cheaper to hire a new grad since new grads are fresh and eager. They are also less likely to quibble over $ or staffing. And since they have little to nothing to base what is right or wrong on, the hospital can endanger patients and staff. The poor newbies don't have a clue that it's wrong because they come to believe that "wrong" is the norm.

All those lovely letters from other places that come to you unsolicited are not what they are cracked up to be. Ask yourself why they would send letters, brochures, etc. to people that they don't know anything about. They simply buy the mailing addresses from the BON or other organizations and send out blanket advertisements in hopes of luring some poor soul that thinks the grass will be greener at the hospital pictured in the brochure.

For the most part - it's not super fabulous anywhere. The grass is not any greener, you just have to figure out which smell of manure you can stand.

[Valerie Salva, BSN, RN]

This happens where I live, too. Sometimes when I actually call the numbers on those recruitment brochures from out-of-town hospitals, they tell me they are not hiring.

[Lexxie, LPN]

For the most part - it's not super fabulous anywhere. The grass is not any greener, you just have to figure out which smell of manure you can stand.

:yeahthat: I like that.. hadn't quite ever heard it put that way before