Throwing in the towel

Published

Had a general Nursing Meeting where it was again announced that there would be less floor staff and greater pt. loads. Was told that our nurse to pt. ratios were the highest in the area and they are planning on cutting this....at the floor level.

So where do these more than adaquate numbers come from?

Our facility provides R.N.'s and secretaries to visiting O.P. clinic docs....I'm finding other facilities do not as the docs bring their own.

Our LPN's are used as unit secretaries, and computer entry people for projects such as Cimro. They also fill-in as schedulers when needed.

We've hired a few aides that appear on the nursing schedule but then are pulled to work housekeeping, laundry, and as pt. guides as our facility is far-flung with confusing hallways due to multiple additions through the yrs. They meet people at admissions and guide them to their clinic setting and then back-out.

All these people count as Nursing Staff and figure into the over-all per pt. ratios which makes the numbers look tremendous on paper. However, the proportion of staff for each area/department is not counted as the requirement isn't legally there.

Consequently, the floor is chronically understaffed and an ugly, killer place to work.

The core floor staff is exhausted and disheartened. Lord knows we've tried. We've used the chain of command and asked repeatedly for staffing needs and staffing reviews. The result as stated above is that the floor is just going to get worse. Basically my interpretation is, "Can't cut the muster? Get out."

Well, that's where several of us are at. I want to go now while I have a smidgen of a sense of adventure and a tad bit of energy to go for it. Unless I do, I will literally die due to the stress and the constant run, run, run each and every shift. Working full-time that is each and every day. Not to mention the awful feeling of not having provided well for the pt.

I'm at the place of, "Trust God. Trust your gut."

I know the facility will go on with or without me. My concern is will I go on?

I have a need to hear the experiences of Nurses that have had to bail a rotten situation and then went on to bigger and better things.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Ah Sister

Trust your gut and Trust God and GO!!!!!.

Your post brings back awful flashbacks from the '80's. Reaganomics, healthcut scares Mediscares and slashed staffing. I was constantly told how lucky I was to have a job:angryfire because there was a "glut" of nurses. After 5 years of increasing acutity, decreasing staff and increasing responsiblity, I burnt out. More like flamed. I was scanning for bookstore jobs. No body dies if their book doesn't arrive on time. Anyway I left med/surg for NICU and loved it. Then I traveled for a few years and finally settled in the southeast. The best decision I ever made was leaving when I did. I have the life I have now because God gave me the courage to leave an unhealthy job situation.

You're just a number to the hospital. No one can take care of you but you. Good luck and let us know what happens

Up Vote Up Vote ×

The time is over when we should martyr ourselves for our jobs. There are too many other jobs out there, you have to much experience and knowledge to sacrifice yourself for your hospital job. Go somewhere you are appreciated. Try home health, or hospice, or some other clinicial area. Or do like I did and leave bedside nursing completely for a pharmaceutical industry job where I work 9-5 and get better benefits, more time off, and an annual bonus. I recently considered trying to go back to a hospital based job, and when I compared the pros and cons with my industry job, the industry job won hands down.

You could also look at case management or quality assurance/quality improvement jobs at your hospital if you wanted to transfer in the same system.

Remember, change is always difficult even when it is positive change. If you look at finding a new job as an adventure then it is more tolerable and not so stressful to make the leap.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in home health.

My take would be to get those who have decided to leave to all hand in written resignation on the same day, last day to work all the same time frame..

Has a bigger impact than each one separately.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thanks to all! I'm working on the departure; researching and writing the resume. But darn, that old computer printer....it died (kind of prophetic). However, the move forward continues as I look around the industry I'm more hopeful that there is a place for me.

I so appreciate the encouragement.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medic, ER, Flight, ICU, Onc.
Thanks to all! I'm working on the departure; researching and writing the resume. But darn, that old computer printer....it died (kind of prophetic). However, the move forward continues as I look around the industry I'm more hopeful that there is a place for me.

I so appreciate the encouragement.

Don't worry too much about the resume, lots of places have online applications and don't even look at resumes. You still have to fill out the app. If you're not on high speed you can fill out online apps at your local library. I've been there, left a bad situation for a better one, then decided to try traveling for a while. (5years, and counting) There's a whole other world out there and many workplaces in it are excellent. Relax, sit back, have a mental margarita, and open yourself to the adventure. As for getting everyone who is upset to leave together, if you can manage that it would be terrific, but don't wear ourself out over it. Just go. Nurses are famous for griping and not doing. If we could stick together the nursing world would be very different. After all, we are the reason patients come to the hospital. Please do write your local paper (and any others sold regularly in that area) about the working conditions for nurses in that hospital, including the fact that the numbers don't match the actual nurse to patient ratio. (do it now, while it's fresh, seal and address them now, mail them after you are secure in another job) Make sure you continually point out that these are management decisions. The patients and their families are aware and should know who to blame. Use the administrator's name, not just office to refer to him or her. And tell every patient who complains that if they will add the line "There were not enough nurses working the floor" to their Press/Ganey Survey every time they criticize something, the situation will soon enough be corrected. Good luck, keep us posted on what you find out there in the big world.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.

run!!!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg..

Kayartea,

Excellent post. The reason "Sister" is thinking about leaving her job is the "Main" reason that most of us get so frustrated with Nursing - Not enough STAFF!!!!!!

You mentioned the Press/Gainey surveys - we also use them at our hospital.

My hospital is chronically "Short-Staffed" - but the patients aren't supposed to know that.. We've been told that if a patient complains about a med/treatment, etc. being late - we are never to say - I'm sorry Mrs Jones, there's only 3 of us on the floor and we're getting to everyone as fast as possible. So, when the Press/Gainey surveys come back with mainly complaints about the "slow service" - instead of Mgmt hiring more Nurses - they put all the blame on us - tell us to work faster, harder, etc.

I consider myself to be a Very Compassionate Nurse and do everything in my power to give all my patients great care - however, I'm not the type that will take the blame for something I'm not responsible for. Now, when patients/families complain - I apologize for the wait, tell them that my floor is very short-staffed, I have 8 patients and I'm getting to everyone as fast as I can. I try to do this in the most professional manner - but let them know that if they're not happy with the "speed" of their care, they can discuss the matter with my Manager or Admin.

I work nights - lately staffing on my floor has gotten so crazy, some of the day shift (that should have left at 7pm) are still on the floor at 10/11pm trying to finish charting on the computers that they didn't have time to do during the day. We keep hearing that they're trying to hire more Nurses, but so far, nothing has changed......

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Amen Susan, I have left 2 jobs because of poor staffing!!

I went on to become a travel nurse recently and I love it!! I get to work all over the country and if an enviromment does not appeal to me, I leave!!

Good luck finding something that is better for you!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medic, ER, Flight, ICU, Onc.

California has legal limits on patient/nurse ratios. That's one of the reasons travelers love working there. Perhaps we should all be lobbying our reps to establish limits in our states. Or even a federal law requiring safe nurse/patient staffing. Obviously the hospitals are not going to regulate themselves. I have heard way, way too many times that "we staff by acuity" only to find that if there is a bed they are gonna fill it and tell the nurse "Oh, you can handle it" or "Well, you'll just have to stretch". The Texas nurses who were fired for refusing their assigned patient load may have had the right idea. At least they brought some public attention to the problem. That's it's a matter of safety, not just a matter of I don't want to work that hard. Because, of course, if the patients and the public had a better idea of what nurses do they wouldn't stand for this kind of staffing, not when it's their lives (or the quality of that life) or those of members of their families that can be so adversely affected by a nurses being overloaded. And, it's that public perception of nurses that allows us to be treated this way, rather than as the professionals we are. That's one of the reasons I support the work of The Center for Nursing Advocacy. While I sometimes think they should choose their battles, they are doing important work to improve the lives of nurses and the job we do. Check out their site. Send letters. Help all nurses by working to improve our image, thus our working conditions.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Have begun the actual "foot work." Fingers crossed it's just a matter of time...short, hopefully. Am also looking at a possible return to school.

I'm getting excited!

Going to check-out the, "The Center for Nursing Advocacy", as well. It's good to know that there are professionals out there that KNOW what's going on and have formed an alliance to improve working conditions and insure patient safety. From my position they are one and the same. Patient advocacy= Nurse advocacy. Nurse advocacy=Patient advocacy.

One thing I do know is that if you worked a horse like this day after day it would be a prosecutable offense.

Someone has a tag on their posts that reads something like this: Being a good Nurse does not necessarily mean being a good employee.

Amen, Amen, Amen.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.

Sister, I agree with the post that simply states RUN"! Do it and do it now. My experience is that bad situations only get worse. If the hospital was doing things right things wouldn't have gotten to where they are now. The hospital's next move is to start blaming the staff for lack patient satisfaction. Then comes the mandatory customer service inservices followed by endless staff meetings that consist of telling you what a crappy job you are doing. After that comes the extra name badge tags you will be recquired to wear that lists pre approved scripts for how you are to speak to patients as well as one that has RN in riduclously huge letters because patients are complaining that they "don't know who the nurses are".This will be followed by some sort of ridiculous audit such as hiring a consultant to monitor how long it takes you to answer a call light for which they will be paid thousands and thousands of dollars while at the same time the hospital is poor-mouthing as a reason to reduce cost of living raises to a measly 1%. The end result of that will be some sort of progressive counseling technique where you get a verbal if the call light bell rings once, a written if it rings twice and your toenails ripped out with pliers if God forbid it rings three times nevermind the fact that you were otherwise occupied doing CHEST COMPRESSIONS across the hall. Then the hospital will pull out the big guns and spend millions bringing the Six Sigma program into your institution where you will be surrounded by "guides" with monikers like "active listeners" and "healing directors" and other such garbage when we all know that they go to these retreats and run naked around the campfire while smoking wacky weed. How else do you think they come up with this stuff? I finally realized that I needed to move on when one of my staffmates asked me if I needed anything (ie IV start, EKG-I worked ER) and I replied to her "a small caliber handgun so I can shoot myself in the head". That was truly an "aha" moment for me and I was out of there in less than 4 weeks. My new job comes with some of the same nonsense (I daresay any nursing job will) but it's a different environment and I'm up to the challenge. So use your newfound energy and do something new. Don't let that little voice inside of you that says "maybe things will get better" mislead you into giving it one more chance. Why learn from your mistakes when you can learn fom mine!!! Fly be free! Further your education! Try a different kind of nursing! Do something non-nursing if it makes you happy. Just don't allow yourself to be stuck in a place that sucks the life out of you and makes you hate a truly worthwhile calling.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion