Threats from Management

grace90, LPN, LVN · Jan 18, 2006

We have management that likes to threaten us at my hospital, too. I feel like we are treated like delinquent 13 year olds instead of like professionals. A few days ago a patient who is on our unit was handing out little pillows that she had made by the hundreds. I had a couple in my hand at the end of my shift when I went to get my paycheck. The nursing supervisor got all weird on me and demanded "What are those pillows for?". I told her a patient was giving them out to the nurses, but I wanted to tell her it was to smuggle my cocaine and morphine and methadone around with. (which is a complete joke, by the way)

Nurse Ratched, RN · Jan 18, 2006

The nursing supervisor got all weird on me and demanded "What are those pillows for?".

I would've advised her they were to nap during meetings (if they only specified your attendance was required, not your rapt attention .)

hipab4hands · Jan 19, 2006

Does management dock the paycheck of the smokers, who run outside for a quick smoke every hour on the hour? If I had to take medication while I was at work, and was penalized for it on my paycheck, I would call an attorney and make a complaint about discrimination under the American Disabilities Act. That is ridulous. JMHO.
Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN
Spokane, Washington

LOL-no. you can give yourself cancer and COPD by taking smoking breaks and management looks the other way.

Our management has their own little fifedom and makes up their own rules. I asked them to show me, where in the company policy and procedure manuel that states they can deduct my pay for giving myself an asthma tx. So far, they can't come up with anything in writing, but continue to say it's "policy".

I'm on medical leave right now, and am going to be laid off at the end of the month, so right now, I just don't have the time or energy to pursue this furthur with this employer.

Q. · Jan 19, 2006

I am one of those terrible management people that have mandatory meetings. THere are several reasons we do post them that way: to make sure ANYone shows up; to ensure everyone gets the info; and mainly d/t state survey or consultants giving us "very" short deadlines that ALL staff have to be inserviced and haveing the proof to show them. I for one certainly don't like trying to arrange meetings 24 hours a day to "accomdate" each individual. I usually try for 6AM & 2PM meetings hoping they can get to one of the time frames. The only time I don't give optional times is when i have scheduled a speaker. Right now I have multiple items that all nurses and CNA's need to know and be observed for before Jan 31st and several new policies written also. So, if I am putting in all those extra hours to ensure their job, they can accomodate my meetings.

I hear your pain. I'm not management but I was an educator, and we would have classes 24/7, often we us being there during the night shift, watching as the night shifters got to go home (after NOT attending the class) and me taking my tired self down to my office to report for work! It was horrible.

I have a bad taste in my mouth about "accomodations" for this nurse and that nurse because at my prior organization, there was absolutely no accountability. Administration/management would tell us we'd have to put on a "mandatory" session, of course we have to staff it and OH! don't forget we better be around during day hours too like normal. We'd be sitting there staffing these round the clock sessions and maybe ONE nurse would show up. :angryfire Finally we started suggesting consequences for staff who fail to meet their professional obligations.

askater11 · Jan 19, 2006

We have mandatory meetings. My employer is very accomadating.

My top priority to attend any class that will help the patient. I love learning. That includes unit meetings. I actually go out of my way to learn.

Even though we have an accomadating hospital that offers all different hours for meetings--I do hear a lot of nurses grip. I've always been a rare breed and just went. Sometimes the class isn't as "good" as I'd like but other times they're wonderful.

JLJ · Jan 26, 2006

I had an experience with a corporate supervisor. My immediate RN supervisor had arranged to take some time off about 1-and-one half months prior to this event. She had asked if I would work a day shift instead of my usual 2-10P. I said yes. The office manager put off finding someone to cover the 2-10 shift and then failed to show up at work herself on that particular day. The upshot of all this, is that when the corporate supervisor was contacted regarding this lack of coverage she responded by first grilliing me as to WHY I was working the day shift instead of 2-10? Had I requested it, for my convenience, or had the DON requested it? I told her that the office manager had plenty of time to arrange for agency to cover. She ultimately told me, that if I left at the end of the day shift that she would "be forced to file charges against you for abandoning your patients". When she told me this I replied that I could either leave now, about 1:00 PM, or at 6:00PM What would she prefer? Amazingly enough, one half hour later, there was coverage. FYI: This position was at a Juvenile Detention center and the evening shift consists of passing meds. I took this job knowing it was just a gap filler and to help out the DON. I understand why it is SOOO hard to get that position filled at all, much less with an RN, with attitudes like that.

Thanks! I feel better now

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Jan 26, 2006

have to share my favorite madatory meeting story... these meetings included such highlights as watching a fast-food training video about giving the cusomer an extra pickle to improve satisfaction and we were all told to give 'em the pickle--it was even posted in every hallway.

This anecdote reminds me of last year's mandatory recertification class. We were required to watch a video on The Fish Principle. You know the one... about the Seattle fish market that entertains customers by singing, dancing and throwing dead fish around... Our upper management (who is now a newly-anointed PhD nurse) decided that this Fish Principle should be applied to our high-acuity pediatric ICU. For the life of me I can't imagine how that would work. Of course, morale on our unit is getting so bad that every shift I work someone else is telling me they're looking for another job. We've had nine resignations in the last month alone. But "only one" has left because she was disgruntled. The rest have all moved on for "better opportunities". Why would someone who was happy in her job even be looking for "better opportunities"?:chair:

hipab4hands · Jan 27, 2006

This anecdote reminds me of last year's mandatory recertification class. We were required to watch a video on The Fish Principle. You know the one... about the Seattle fish market that entertains customers by singing, dancing and throwing dead fish around... Our upper management (who is now a newly-anointed PhD nurse) decided that this Fish Principle should be applied to our high-acuity pediatric ICU. For the life of me I can't imagine how that would work. Of course, morale on our unit is getting so bad that every shift I work someone else is telling me they're looking for another job. We've had nine resignations in the last month alone. But "only one" has left because she was disgruntled. The rest have all moved on for "better opportunities". Why would someone who was happy in her job even be looking for "better opportunities"?:chair:

It's a politically correct way to resign from a position. When a new employer ask why you left your former employer- you tell them "for better opportunities." It's a lot better than saying my workplace was a hellhole/my supervisor was a (fill in the blank)/ or other descriptions of what a horrible place it was to work.

If you are honest why you left,then you come across as a disgruntled employee and employers will run for the hills, when you apply.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Jan 27, 2006

It's a politically correct way to resign from a position. When a new employer ask why you left your former employer- you tell them "for better opportunities." It's a lot better than saying my workplace was a hellhole/my supervisor was a (fill in the blank)/ or other descriptions of what a horrible place it was to work.
If you are honest why you left,then you come across as a disgruntled employee and employers will run for the hills, when you apply.

I know that all too well. That's what I said when I left my last position, which is now looking like a walk in the park. I know I could go back there in a heartbeat (I've been asked enough times) but they haven't really dealt with any of the issues that caused me to leave, and it would cost me far too much on too many levels, so I persevere. When I oriented for this job a little over 3 years ago, there were 5 of us in the group; I'm the only one left. Last night three more people told me of their plans to move on... three very experienced and skilled nurses whose loss will be deeply felt. If I didn't love what I do so much, I'd be tempted to say the :devil: with it and start looking for another job. Our unit could be a great place to work, with the right people in control. We thought we might have that when they promoted one of "us" to middle management, but she seems to have forgotten the realities of bedside nursing in our unit and she can't resist the temptation to play favourites... or refrain from yelling at people in the middle of a busy unit full of consultants, parents and visitors. Sigh.

hipab4hands · Jan 27, 2006

. Our unit could be a great place to work, with the right people in control. We thought we might have that when they promoted one of "us" to middle management, but she seems to have forgotten the realities of bedside nursing in our unit and she can't resist the temptation to play favourites... or refrain from yelling at people in the middle of a busy unit full of consultants, parents and visitors. Sigh.

That's the problem with our work unit. If management would just butt out and trust that we know how to do our jobs, this job could be paradise. Instead, we have a management team, who are so focused on how our productivity stats look on paper, they don't care about how it effects patient care or staff.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Jan 27, 2006

Ditto!!!!

kitty=^..^=cat · Jan 29, 2006

Middle managers in hospitals have some of the toughest jobs out there... The responsibility is huge, but meaningful authority to actually impact and improve that area of responsibility is almost non-existent in lots of cases.

One of the big problems that I've observed through the years is that middle managers are ill-prepared to deal with the laundry list of responsibilities handed to them with the XYZ Department Manager job description. New managers often receive no specific education about how to manage.

Caregivers get promoted to "management" knowing how to manage resources, time, limitations, physiologic changes in the patient, etc. at the bedside, but translating that ability into something that works and makes sense at the unit or department level isn't easy for a lot of people. If a hospital (or any other organization for that matter) is truly committed to quality, leadership development should figure into the picture and the budget.

I believe that it's in everyone's best interest for the hospital to fork out $250 - $400 to send the newly-promoted to a seminar on management skills that covers the basic stuff you need to know - budget 101, mediation/grievance 101, selecting appropriate staff 101, dealing with a$$hole upper management 101, etc.

Too many times I've seen individuals with excellent potential fall prey to the frustrations of being totally unprepared for those "productivity stats" someone mentioned. The "numbers load" is so immense that they can't put them into the big picture. Managers, even those with experience, are sometimes pulled in so many directions from the get-go of a new position that they don't have time to consider what everything looks like together -- they aren't given an opportunity to transition into the role, get themselves organized and figure out the priorities. Ready or not, they're expected to hit the ground running.

That said...

Being ill-prepared for management is no excuse for unprofessional behavior in dealing with one's co-workers, no matter how long you've been away from the hands-on level.