Things You Wish You Could Tell Managers that Love to Short Staff

[Martinette]

Just imagine that you could have a few minutes or hours or however long you need inside a room with hospital administrators/managers.

Imagine that you could say anything you wanted to them and educate them about Nurse/Patient ratios and the reality of life as a bedside nurse without any consequences to yourself and career.

What would you say?

What would you say to managers that allow a 35 bed medical/surgical ward to be staffed with only 2 RN's and 2 health care assistants during the day. Keep in mind that these guys have been refusing to hire staff, have tried to get rid of nurses and are defending these horrendous ratios by saying that if the care is bad than the nurses are at fault. They accuse the nurses of having a bad attitude.

Multiple staff nurses have written letter after letter to these same managers and are told that there are no staffing problems. The staff nurses have told the managers and head nurses that the staff are working their tails off and the patient care is horrendous.

When patients complain to management about the care they are told that the staff nurses will discuss the complaint at a meeting. They will not admit that they are staffing the ward dangerously because they will not admit liability. Patients on this ward are suffering all kinds of bed sores and necrotic heals, the staff are exhausted and in constant pain. The managers are still refusing to allow anything more than one or two more new hire members of staff and are refusing to meet with the staff and answering their letters.

What would you say to these guys if you could talk to them? Keep in mind that even though this ward is over 35 beds and acute med /surg many many of the patients are total care of the elderly/palliative care and stroke patients. The suffering is horrendous.

They are often left with 2 or 3 nurses and 1 or 2 assistants in the day time on this ward. There have been times when there was only 1 RN and no assistant to 24 patients (multiple fresh post ops). They still get slammed with acute and chronic admits at these times.

Fire Away and don't hold back.

[Martinette]

Oh and these same managers deny that we are short staffed and deny that there is a problem.

[EmmaG, RN]

What would you say?

"I quit."

[Martinette]

Yeah lots of people are quitting but there is a nationwide recruitment freeze and no where for them to go and work as nurses. Management know this and want to see them go. Quitting doesn't stop the patients from suffering unfortunately.

[EmmaG, RN]

As you tell it, management is more than aware of the problem. So your question of what to say to them, while it might be good for getting this off your chest, isn't likely to change the way they do things.

What you describe is abuse and neglect, and I refuse to be a part of that; I'll go to work flipping burgers first.

Therefore, "I quit."

[oramar]

The guilt for this situation goes much higher than just the managment of this particular hospital. Since this is a NHS, the responibility ultimately lies with the goverment. The patients are being murdered by their own representatives and Prime Minister.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Here's what I'd say to the administrator:

"Short-staffing doesn't hurt me, because I can easily walk to the restroom when I get the urge. Understaffing hurts the immobile patients who feel tormented and embarassed after they've urinated and defecated on themselves because they couldn't hold it any longer. They use their call lights, but nobody can get to them on time. I'd love to see you spend 24 hours in a bedfast state on the other side of the call light when we're understaffed!"

[jessiern, BSN, RN]

Very short and to the point:

"Here's my half of the patient load, and there is yours. Have fun and don't bother my tech."

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

My first statement to these administrators would violate the Terms of Service.

My second would be less colorful and more to the point: "Good-bye".

[SteveNNP, MSN, NP]

I would also walk into the manager's office and say (with as much drama and flourish as possible) "I QUIT!!!!"

Who cares if you have to work hard to find another job? You are putting your license and health on the line by continuing to work there. This is just another example of why national healthcare is not the answer to the United States problems. Pack your bags and head across the pond. You'll have 500,000 jobs at your fingertips, along with minimum staffing requirements.

[pagandeva2000, LPN]

I would tell them that I can't wait until they themselves, their mother or children have to be treated here under the same, if not worse circumstances.

[KLKRN, RN]

One job I had where the managers were particularly obnoxious, I lined up a new job, walked into their office unannounced, uninvited, and said:

"There's been a change of plans. I'm leaving." And handed each of them a copy of my resignation.