unsafe staffing

[aainme]

in a 6 bed icu that usually has 4-6 patients.... we work 2 nurses most nights and can have the unit fill before morning...the manager has a new grad...just passed boards and wants to put her as a second nurse on nights...i am scared...and question the decision...i need input thanks

[BBFRN, BSN, PhD]

Say something to the manager. S/he won't know how you feel about it unless you speak up.

I agree with you that this could be very unsafe. Nothing against new grads in the ICU, but this new nurse will need more support than could be provided in a staffing situation such as the above.

[Pheebz777, BSN, RN]

that's a very thin line you're walking. Each nurse should have at most 2 patients. Having 4-6 with 1 regular and 1 new grad is dangerous.

[epipusher]

I can't believe how much has changed since I graduated (1989). As a new nurse I had to work 6 months in tele prior to even being considered as a new SICU nurse; then I had to prove myself on dayshift that I had critical thinking skills before I could transfer to nights. Today we place new grads in every specialty in nursing. The few seasoned nurses working on a shift are expected to handle their own patients, assist the agency staff on the unit and mentor the "young'ns". I wish I had an answer to this worsening issue, but with fewer resources and higher expectations it is no wonder the experienced nurses are looking outside of the bedside patient care arena.

[aainme]

thanks for the input.....that was my suggestion...to keep her on days as a second nurse for a month when the manager was there so she could see her work and be there for a bad day, as a extra pair of hands...that is something we on nights do not have..i think the thing that scared me the most is that the manager saw no problem putting her on nights alone with one experienced nurse and thought that we on the night shift were making a big deal about nothing....go figure

[nancynurse3182]

I started a job at a large MICU, and left after only 29 days because I felt that my license was on the line every time I went to work! I was oriented for 3 days, being that I was an "experienced" nurse... I had no open heart or angiogram training, yet they felt I could handle something this critical! I oriented with 4 other orientees that were new grads, and they were terrified, too...they were allowed 6 weeks orientation, and then left on their own... the nurses that were orienting the new grads had their own two pts. plus attempt to teach the orientees something during the shift... seriously! I had a particularly bad night, and when I went to ask the resource/charge nurse about something, she was just admitting her third pt of the night... policy prohibited her to leave an ICU pt in the ER, even though it meant non-compliance in ratio... I quit the next morning...I think hospitals are so desperate to make a buck anymore that a warm body would have sufficed in that unit... scary to be a patient, don't you think?

[RNforLongTime]

That's not a safe situation. I face similar staffing issues where work. We have a 6 bed ICU and never more than 2 nurses.......a lot of times they'll pull an LPN from the floor (no critical care training) to work when we are short. Should an emergency arise, this person is in general useless to me. I am currently searching for a new place to work, but unfortunately, I work in a small urban city with 6 different nursing programs so NONE of the acute care facilities in my area are hiring.

[aainme]

nurse lou good luck on the job hunt....my manager decided after all the fuss to keep our new grad on days for a month to give her a bit of experience before putting her on nights....this is a dangerous world out there for nurses...we work so hard for our license and in one moment we can be in a crazy situation and lose everything we worked for.......