Urgggggggg!!!!!!!!!!!

Vito Andolini · Aug 18, 2008

Last time I checked, the BON holds a nurse responsible for the assignments she accepts. This 21 yr old 8 mo exp nurse CHOSE TO ACCEPT this assignment. I have been asked numerous times in my career to accept an assignment I thought was unsafe, AND I CHOSE TO REFUSE. She HAD TO KNOW she did not have the exp to handle the job.

She is a baby. She is a mere freaking 21 years old. As a new grad, she did not know. Now, she's starting to question it and to wise up, after being abused for a few months.

Why are you being so harsh toward her?

icyounurse, BSN, RN · Aug 18, 2008

someone who understands!!! yay i have tried sitting down with her and she just says you can handle it ( I have heard that phrase so much) it is just frustrating because i dont want to job hop my first year of nursing and i am getting married in december and have saved up my vacation time....urggghhhh.....frustrated

You know what? I just noticed you are from Alabama. Hey, me too. I worked in bama when I was right outta school in MICU. And having gone and worked other places I have since realized that alot of the assignments/ratios/responsibilities I accepted were beyond what I should have been doing. I routinely took 3 ICU patients almost daily, plus was charge nurse over 14 critical pt's with

icyounurse, BSN, RN · Aug 18, 2008

By the way when you leave most places will cash out your vacay time at 90% of base and you could have the money and use it to take a few weeks off at a new job. If you tell a new employer about your wedding during the interview/hire process, they will usually let you have the time off.

Vito Andolini · Aug 18, 2008

someone who understands!!! yay i have tried sitting down with her and she just says you can handle it ( I have heard that phrase so much) it is just frustrating because i dont want to job hop my first year of nursing and i am getting married in december and have saved up my vacation time....urggghhhh.....frustrated

Absolutely do not take a team. Assign all the patients to the staff and you do your House Sup thing. In your spare time, you can HELP with some stuff, like answering phones, doing some orders, stuff that won't tie you up all that much. You could change a small dressing for one nurse, give an IV push for another, restock a med cart for another, stuff like that. Go get blood, supplies, etc., do the staffing, but don't even think about taking a team, not even 1 single patient. I just hope you understand the danger of accepting an assignment/job that you know you can't realistically do. You do need to get tougher with your subordinates. If you are the supervisor, then supervise. Do not also Charge or take a team. You see that your DON has you wrapped around her little finger and I believe the other nurses are laughing at your naivete. Except that you are no longer naive.

If you leave, they have to pay you for unused vacation time, don't they? Is there somewhere else you can work reasonably close by? If you have to choose one position or the other, Supervisor or staff RN, which would you choose?

Tash4nvyblues, RN · Aug 18, 2008

someone who understands!!! yay i have tried sitting down with her and she just says you can handle it ( I have heard that phrase so much) it is just frustrating because i dont want to job hop my first year of nursing and i am getting married in december and have saved up my vacation time....urggghhhh.....frustrated

Bella, I posted a little earlier regarding your thread, I can understand why you would be getting a little frustrated with the thread, because it does seem to be turning into a debate, rather then constructive advice. You obviously don't have a lot of options for employment in your area, and I can totally relate to wanting the vacation time. I asked this question earlier, and I don't think anyone saw it. Have you got a nurses union in your area and are you a member?, because if they are effective, they can actually help you in this situation. I think, if I were you, I would stick this job out till your wedding, collect your holiday money owing to you and then quit the job, because you really shouldn't have to work under those conditions.

Good luck with everything, and keep us posted, because I truly feel for you

:icon_hug:

icyounurse, BSN, RN · Aug 18, 2008

Bella, I posted a little earlier regarding your thread, I can understand why you would be getting a little frustrated with the thread, because it does seem to be turning into a debate, rather then constructive advice. You obviously don't have a lot of options for employment in your area, and I can totally relate to wanting the vacation time. I asked this question earlier, and I don't think anyone saw it. Have you got a nurses union in your area and are you a member?, because if they are effective, they can actually help you in this situation. I think, if I were you, I would stick this job out till your wedding, collect your holiday money owing to you and then quit the job, because you really shouldn't have to work under those conditions.
Good luck with everything, and keep us posted, because I truly feel for you
:icon_hug:

Haha, nurses union. You must not be familiar with where rural Alabama is:chuckle

I do think its great advice don't get me wrong, its just that if you had ever worked in rural Alabama you would think its pretty funny:chuckle

Flightline, BSN, RN · Aug 18, 2008

I just don't understand how hospitals get away with what Bella has described. There needs to be federal oversight of hospitals. There needs to be a law or a union or something. That's just crazy.

Tash4nvyblues, RN · Aug 18, 2008

Haha, nurses union. You must not be familiar with where rural Alabama is:chuckle
I do think its great advice don't get me wrong, its just that if you had ever worked in rural Alabama you would think its pretty funny:chuckle

Thanks for letting me know, that is really sad, is there any nursing body that Bella can go to at all. Surely there has to be some place that you nurses can go to, to protect yourselves from these situations, because you can't expect an experienced nurse, who is just getting used to the job, to have to deal with blatant establishment issues as well. I find this incredible.

DusktilDawn · Aug 19, 2008

GOOD GRIEF!! WTH!!!

Um, Bella, you need to be alot more assertive. When they say you can "handle it" you need to tell them point blank that they're expectation of anyone being able to handle what you're expected to is unrealistic. You cannot adequately take care of a patient assignment, yet be at the beck and call of all units, a position that entails you to leave the unit for numerous and unknown lengths of times, it's unsafe for those patients you are assigned to. Obviously the position of house supervisor would normally be given to a more experienced RN, which I'm sure this facility has. Obviously the experienced know they could not do this job adequately and be charge on a unit with a full patient load. The DON obviously isn't backing you up, nor is she providing any guidance in how to handle situations that arise (ex: pulling someone from CCU).

Either your the house supervisor, and with that you have the authority that goes with it, along with administrations backing, or your a floor nurse with charge nurse responsibilities.

Originally Posted by LakesideRN
I've seen many nurses who do not have the experience or any business accepting a charge nurse or house supervisor position take it.
In my opinion, you got what you deserved by not having the integrity to turn down these positions KNOWING you were not ready to do them. And when you lose your license, you will have gotten what you deserved.

LakesideRN may sound harsh folks, but in essence he/she is right. An SBONs position will be that Bella accepted the assignment and therefore the responsibility that goes with it. SBONs do not recognize coersion by an employer as a factor, they distance themselves from anything they view as "employer/employee" issues.

I will disagree about new nurses lacking the integrity to turn down these positions, most do not know what they are getting into when they accept them. Sorry but school really ill prepares new nurses for the issues they will face.

Words of advice to any new nurse: Learn the laws, legislature, and practice acts that govern your practice. Don't forget to learn to policies and procedures at whatever facility you are employed at. Knowledge is power.

bagladyrn, RN · Aug 19, 2008

Thanks for letting me know, that is really sad, is there any nursing body that Bella can go to at all. Surely there has to be some place that you nurses can go to, to protect yourselves from these situations, because you can't expect an experienced nurse, who is just getting used to the job, to have to deal with blatant establishment issues as well. I find this incredible.

No there is no oversight for these situations in the south (or some other areas). This is why the "powers that be" fight unionization so hard - they don't want nuses to have options in these cases.

To the OP: You are definitely being taken advantage of here (as I'm sure you realize by now). Your license and your livelihood are in danger. As supervisor and charge you will be the "fall guy" for anything untoward that occurs. Those below you will be saying (and documenting) "Reported situation to Bella RN supervisor". The higher ups will be saying "She accepted the position with the responsibility it entails". "I didn't know what I was getting into" will not hold up in court.

I don't mean to be harsh to you, but you need to think beyond the moment and look at your future and career - you could lose everything you have worked for very quickly. It may mean going further for work, taking a less desirable position (I know there is a certain amount of prestige in saying "House Supervisor"), or taking less pay for a staff position, but you need to protect yourself.

Bella36RN · Aug 19, 2008

I bet they aren't even paying you anything extra to perform the "House sup" duties, in addition to taking a full assignment. I guarantee you the older, more experienced nurses are laughing and that they don't want to be bothered running to pharmacy, central supply, the linen room, the sleep center, wherever on God's creation.

they pay me one dollar extra....laughable I know:chuckle. The thing is about the older nurse is that I have been here 8 months and I am now the RN on med surg that has been here the longest :banghead:

She is a baby. She is a mere freaking 21 years old. As a new grad, she did not know. Now, she's starting to question it and to wise up, after being abused for a few months.
Why are you being so harsh toward her?

thank you!

I gotta say that all sounds very stressfull, and while its a hard thing to get another job the first year outta school, it sounds like you have already packed in a ton of experience into that first year. If you have already voiced concerns to your superiors and its falling on deaf ears, you should start looking for another job.

It is very stressful and I dont think that I should have to deal with it at all. I have learned so much, but it is getting tuff the more and more i keep myself in the situation. my complaints, as well as the complaints of my coworkers, about us being shorthanded is not being considered what so ever. I dont like to be in charge of anybody. I like to do my thing and taken care of my patients.

Good luck with everything, and keep us posted, because I truly feel for you
:icon_hug:

thanks!

Thank you guys for your support. :heartbeat

nurseshepherd · Oct 8, 2008

Thanks for letting me know, that is really sad, is there any nursing body that Bella can go to at all. Surely there has to be some place that you nurses can go to, to protect yourselves from these situations, because you can't expect an experienced nurse, who is just getting used to the job, to have to deal with blatant establishment issues as well. I find this incredible.

Our rural southern hospital has a "No Union" policy and they will (and have on several occassions) fire folks who do anything that even remotely resembles organizing under any name. We had a social group for nurses, almost a support group, to give folks an excuse for getting together and unwinding once a month. We were surprised when one of the ADONs asked if she could come until we found out she was there to make sure there wasn't a hidden agenda. Life in the south is not for sissies!

You can go to the federal labor board if it is an issue with wages and hours worked, but that wasn't the OP's problem. You can report them to Joint Commission for being negligent in patient care and they will come for a visit and make administration squirm, but if you report them for unsafe staffing they won't do a thing. I know it has been reported at several hospitals down here and to date nothing has been done and the situations continue. Our legislatures are full of 'good ole boys' who control things at the state level and they won't do a thing to help nurses because most of them have extremely powerful medical lobby that maintains control of all issues related to healthcare. Ask the folks in Georgia, the last state to give nurse practitioners the right to WRITE a prescription. My understanding is they could call it in but could not write and sign a prescription without the MD signature. My friends in GA said the only way they got prescription rights was when the legislature was about to grant additional prescriptive rights to PAs (they could write a 'script years earlier) allowing them to also write narcotic prescriptions.

There are tradeoffs for living in God's country......this is one of them.