I've kept in contact, through texts and emails, with a some of my Ex Coworkers/Friends from Wrongway Regional Medical Center. I worked there for 17 years, was honored for being an "Extraordinary Nurse" in February, and fired in March of this year.
Rooty Payne, psych tech texted me once and said, "Dave, you got out just in time... it's horrible..." Jason Hiney RN texted me and said, "It's not the same around here Dave. I did something excellently, and nobody worthy was here to offer me external validation".
I respected, liked, and could go as far as admitting that I loved, many of my old Coworkers. I felt a connection with both them and many of the patients I serverd. I truly enjoyed working as a Nurse for over 36 years and have no regrets in my decision to enter my this profession.
But... do I miss anything about working as a Nurse?
No. Nothing. Not one teeny tiny bit.
I do not miss the drives to and from work, the schedule, my Coworkers, the Patients, duties, responsibilities, charting, or even the great pay.
I currently have a schedule where I go to bed between 9:00 and 10pm, get up between 6 and 7:00, work around my place (mainly doing art) from 9:00 to 6pm, wind down, watch a movie, and drink a couple glasses of wine. I also work out and bicycle every day.
On the days my wife Belinda is off, Monday through Thursday, we do whatever she wishes. On the days she scheduled to work (as an IMU Nurse), I keep house and make her work transitions as comfortable as possible.
I am enjoying my retirement to the Nth degree and miss absolutely nothing about working as a Nurse!
Okay- for you other retired Nurses: Do you miss anything about working as a Nurse?
I was thrilled to get out of the hospital. I am a retired working nurse. This means I pick my days and who I see. I was concerned I would loose skills. I see patients for low cash prices. NO INSURANCE.
I loved nursing at the beginning of my career but as someone else said I went on vacation for a week. They called me on my ride back from Florida and fired me while I was driving with my family. I came to hate the profession.
In fact I am terrified to age out in the United States.
I would like my next career to be phlebotomy. I was the one that was called from all over the hospital to draw blood. I have a gift for it. That said I would only do it if I did not have some psycho manager. It would be mainly to get me out of the house and keep in the medical field. Not sure this would be allowed with me having a NP. Although, I can see myself doing this into my 70's.
Just like you DaveyDo I stayed in touch with a few coworkers who said the same thing to me...you got out just in time, it is horrible, it is worse now etc. I have now officially retired and let my license expire. I had mixed feelings but overall am glad to be retired. I don't miss much except the occasional feeling of being able to actually help someone (in spite of admin doing their best to stop you).
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
On 10/5/2020 at 12:42 AM, TriciaJ said:
Miscount my knitting stitches? Annoying, but I don't have to monitor anyone and fill out an incident report.
I can identify, TriciaJ.
Just the other day, I was working on some project and made a mistake. After flagellating myself for a moment, I heard the little wise voice inside me say, "At least it wasn't a med error!"
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
On 10/5/2020 at 9:44 AM, gettingbsn2msn said:
They called me on my ride back from Florida and fired me while I was driving with my family.
Oh boy oh boy oh boy! Again, I can identify, gettingbsn2msn.
Back in '02, while working at Mixed Nuts Health Systems, I started and ran a Good Morning Group with Clients in Crisis Stabilization because there was so much negativity there. I was called out of the group one morning and fired on the spot.
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
On 10/20/2020 at 3:42 PM, Daisy4RN said:
Just like you DaveyDo I stayed in touch with a few coworkers who said the same thing to me...you got out just in time, it is horrible, it is worse now etc.
I've heard things through the grapevine, mainly from Belinda who works with a Nurse at Anomaly Memorial. This Nurse has a family member who works at Wrongway.
At first, I found some comfort in hearing negative stuff about Wrongway, but then my attitude changed. I thought of the positive things I got from working there and what a pleasure it is being able to be retired.
A Wise Man once said something like, "If a town won't have you, shake the dust from your sandals and move on".
But I do not miss the long hours, the impossible expectations, the meetings, the cliques, the backbreaking physical labor, and worst of all, managers who would issue cryptic remarks like “we have some concerns”. I always knew I was in for a skewering when they used that term.
To your list I add the following things I don't miss:
Being 5 min into a shift and having a pt already yelling at me even before I have received report
Having a pt throw their dinner tray at me because they don’t want chicken again
Having admin dump more and more work onto you every day and then tell you it is your fault for not being able to finish because you have "poor time management skills"
Accumulating PTO but never having time off requests OK’d
Being responsible for other staff not doing their job
Having other nurse’s tattletale on you for what they perceive as infractions
Trying to grab a computer at start of shift
Trying to get a short, sweet, and to the point report
Getting a constant stream of phone calls that are completely unnecessary from other staff
Getting a constant stream of phone calls from multiple family members
Dealing with completely unrealistic expectations of everyone with zero autonomny
Attending 2 different skills day every year plus multiple in-services (in person and computer) throughout the year, plus BLS/ACLS etc
Having to fight pharmacy to obtain pt medications and/or having to go to pharmacy to sign for meds
Spending half the day trying to find working equipment/supplies
And Like you, the "concerns" from admin either verbal or the little notes left for you
Yep, the more I think about this the more I am definitely doing the happy dance!
There are a few things I miss, like using my IV skills to get a line in a “hard stick” or an IVDU. I also enjoyed most of my assisted living residents and solving problems. But I do not miss the long hours, the impossible expectations, the meetings, the cliques, the backbreaking physical labor, and worst of all, managers who would issue cryptic remarks like “we have some concerns”. I always knew I was in for a skewering when they used that term.
We had a power mad mgr that liked to bully employees for daring to speak up about unsafe staffing and lack of critical supplies like oxygen flow meters, suction and tele monitors.
She was brazen and stupid enough to actually tell multiple new grads in the job interview her plan was to get rid of the older nurses! Then she started texting the older nurses with her vague concerns on their days off, even on their vacations to try to blindside them, yell and write them up over petty and even BS things. She came up to a nurse to ask how things were, the nurse said good, but you should have seen it yesterday and for that was pulled in the office and threatened with a write up if she ever complained again! Unreal!
She would send emails talking about Jesus, Mother Teresa, love and end it with I will write you up over this and that petty things! Incredible, unbelievable, made all the more so that we were front line staff in the middle of a life threatening pandemic where thankfully no staff died at our hospital, but several got corona and a couple were even hospitalized with it!
We already had low morale and record turnover and this only exacerbated the crisis to the point where they no longer had enough PCA's to even staff a wing! Had to pull PT/OT some with MA degrees to work as glorified PCA's since the layoffs and unsafe working conditions caused almost all the PCA's to flee for other jobs! As I left they were pulling helpers from surgery, techs, cath lab, even a pharmacist to fill roles of sitters, PCA's and HUCs after they had no one left! Yet still fired a PCA on light duty from workers comp injury rather than let her finish her time out before medicare as a sitter. When we could have used her and needed her. But 40 years loyalty meant nothing to getting rid of one of the older workers to this mgr!
Now they can't even keep the new nurses who are fleeing with less than a year in, plus the older ones are leaving too in record numbers; so the place is now being staffed by travelers getting crisis pay. Some nights I was the only regular staff on the floor! The layoffs have caused them record losses and huge expenses between pulling all these "helpers" and critical pay travelers
Ironically while looking at glassdoor, I saw this mgr's job posted up for auction while she is still there. I guess one day she will be the one blindsided and let go without notice! I heard she was reported to corp compliance and is now in the hot seat! So maybe there is justice in the world!
Anyway she did get her wish as her actions motivated me to quit and retire early, as well as corona. But I look at it as she did me a favor and got me out of another Wrongway Hospital system! Before her harassment I had planned to keep trudging along, grit my teeth and work to 62, but now I'm free, free as a bird, and so happy to be free of that place and wipe the dust off my feet as Davey Do said!
I get to have a normal life, spend time with family and friends, walk the dog, enjoy my hobbies, flowers, gardening and for the first time in almost 30 years have both Christmas Eve and Day off! So I'm the real winner and have the rest of my life to start a new chapter free of Wrongway Hospital!
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
Wow! You had to deal with a whole manure wagon of stuff there, Brandy!
Congratulations on your retirement!
On 12/19/2020 at 7:30 AM, brandy1017 said:
I look at it as she did me a favor and got me out of another Wrongway Hospital system! Before her harassment I had planned to keep trudging along, grit my teeth and work to 62, but now I'm free, free as a bird, and so happy to be free of that place and wipe the dust off my feet as Davey Do said!
Speaking of wiping the dust off my feet:
My termination letter stated that I would get all of my accrued vacation pay. I had no vacation time working weekend option for 16 1/2 years, but did have 40 hours frozen from back in 2003 before working WO.
I received pay only for the last hours I had worked and last Summer telephoned HR Rita who assured me that I had received all of my pay. I contested that and she Ramma Lamma Ding Donged me. So I left a voicemail for the Director, who never got back to me.
I contacted the Dept. of Labor and filed an online complaint. They emailed me stating they needed all sorts of forms like a contract, tax forms, etc within 10 days or the matter would be dropped. I thought, "This ain't worth it" and let the matter drop.
Then a few days ago, I received a registered letter from the Dept. of Labor stating "Company Wrongway Regional Medical Center has reviewed its records and provided this amount" and a $2500 check was attached!
get to have a normal life, spend time with family and friends, walk the dog, enjoy my hobbies, flowers, gardening and for the first time in almost 30 years have both Christmas Eve and Day off! So I'm the real winner and have the rest of my life to start a new chapter freeof Wrongway Hospital!
Congratulations on the retirement, I am also enjoying mine and don't miss nursing at all (well, maybe a little, that is until I read posts like yours and all the BS floods back into memory)
On 12/24/2020 at 9:34 AM, Davey Do said:
Then a few days ago, I received a registered letter from the Dept. of Labor stating "Company Wrongway Regional Medical Center has reviewed its records and provided this amount" and a $2500 check was attached!
Yes, Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus!
Yeah, you got to be another thorn in their side and got paid for it too. Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus!
gettingbsn2msn, MSN, RN
610 Posts
I was thrilled to get out of the hospital. I am a retired working nurse. This means I pick my days and who I see. I was concerned I would loose skills. I see patients for low cash prices. NO INSURANCE.
I loved nursing at the beginning of my career but as someone else said I went on vacation for a week. They called me on my ride back from Florida and fired me while I was driving with my family. I came to hate the profession.
In fact I am terrified to age out in the United States.
I would like my next career to be phlebotomy. I was the one that was called from all over the hospital to draw blood. I have a gift for it. That said I would only do it if I did not have some psycho manager. It would be mainly to get me out of the house and keep in the medical field. Not sure this would be allowed with me having a NP. Although, I can see myself doing this into my 70's.