VA Greater Los Angeles

[young&nursey, BSN]

I just started working on the float pool at the VA medical center in West LA. I came from the Seattle VA, which though it had its challenges, is far superior to the VA here in Los Angeles. Despite the supposedly better ratios of nurses: patients in California, the VA skirts around that. On a typical day I have 5-6 patients on med/surg/tele floors. I am the first RN on the newly formed float pool and don't have benefits, though I planned to work full time in this position. That would be fine if I didn't feel unsafe while working here. There is next to no support, charge nurses have a load of 5 patients, no one to cover for breaks, UCLA doctors don't give a crap about the nurses, and managers seem just as clueless as the new nurses. I am desperate for some solidarity in this hospital. I care about the Veterans and want to help because staffing is incredibly tight, but I am actually scared to go to work because of all the safety violations happening here. Please message me if you have experience in this hospital.