work hours and days are shortened

[makidesuu]

i am a new lvn and just started working at a doctor's office for infertility 4 months ago.

at the interview, i was told i will be part-time for the first 3 months and changed to full time after that.

the manager explained to me that part-time will be 9am to 3pm or 4om m - f and also sat or sun sometimes.

for the first 1.5 months, i was working on this schedule. then, i was told to take 18 days off since the doctor would be on vacation.

since the doctor came back from the vacation, the manager said to me that they have to cut more time due to their budget. since then, i have been working different time schedule such as 10am - 1pm, 1pm - 4pm, they give me the schedule the day before while checking pt appointment for the next day. often i am told not to show up for the next day since not many pt.

so, now my salary is 1/3 and that is less than $1000 a month.

i also found that that the clinic only needs me for post-op care for pt who had egg-retrieve surgery. there is no licensed nurse at my clinic. there are 1 student and 1 medical assistant working there. also they have many pt who speaks my language.

before they hired me, they used to ask for a nurse from agent for post-op care, but it was very expensive and they did not speak my language.

if i had known that my work time would be varied like this, i would have asked more wage. i cannot make a living with this salary.

i wonder this kind of situation is normal for nursing job? this is my first job as a nurse, so i don't know if i should be patient in this situation.

any advice will be appreciated.

thank you.

maki

[kids]

In my experience it's not 'normal' for a nursing job.

I suspect what you are experiencing is a result of the crappy economy. Fertility falls under discretionary spending for most people and these days most everyone is cutting their spending for non-necessities.

[Lovely_RN, MSN]

No it's not normal but the only remedy is for you to start looking for employment someplace else.

You are working on call at their convinience and you should be compensated for that. To tell the truth they are taking advantage of you but with the economy the way it is now I wouldn't go in foaming at the mouth over it. If I were you I would set up a time to speak with the MD.

I would calmly and professionally address the fact that while I understand that business is down (and I certainly empathize) that I cannot continue to work in such an inconsistent fashion at the rate of pay that is currently being offered to me.

It is customary that per diem workers are paid more per hour than those with a consistent full/part time schedule or benefits. If they really need a nurse that speaks your language then they should be willing to work something out with you.

Next, maybe you could pick up some night shifts at a nursing home to supplement your income? That way when the MD decides to take another 18 day vacation you won't be stuck w/o a paycheck.

[makidesuu]

Thank you very much for your reply.

I will talk to the manager on Mon if they can consider to raise my wage.

I was given again 16 days holidays for Christmas and new year suddenly, so I really need some income.