Calling all nurses - 12 hour shifts and no help is killing me!

[Antonia]

Anyone else experiencing this? I work three 12-hour shifts per week even though I am PRN - not full-time. It is a telemetry/med-surg floor with 30 beds. We usually have ONE tech to do vitals, fill water pitchers, pick up food trays, assist with diapers. We've been having on average 8 patients each. I'm an RN and of course, when some of the others are LPN's I get to do their IV pushes, etc. Some days I have 6-8 patients while doing charge. It is a very hectic floor with lots of discharegs and admissions. We have no transporter so every time a patient has to go to x-ray, CT, etc. we have to drop everything and take them. There's no end in sight. The hospital will not hire a transporter to replace the one who quit nearly a year ago and they are not hiring more nurses. They will not even add help in the way of more techs to help with baths, etc. The administration went so far as to put an article in the monthly employee newsletter that "patient care is hard and can be overwhelming" in response to employee complaints about no help. It said to practice teamwork. We think our team is short a few players if you know what I mean. Sometimes it is downright embarrassing the small amount of time I get to spend with my patients instead of giving meds and doing paperwork and dealing with physicians. I have had two job interviews and today I have a third - all nursing jobs OUT of the hospital. Two I am most interested in are a job as an infusion nurse at an outpatient infusion center and the other is a job working at a college campus clinic. Both would increase my commute from 7 miles to about 20 miles one way. But right now I am so exhausted when I get off work. Is this happening to anyone else in hospital nursing?

 

[pw2pp]

Sounds awful. I remember those days of Med/Surg Hospital Nursing.
I work in an Outpatient Hemodialysis Unit (onsite at a hospital) and the most patients I have at one time is 9 (and I have 2 techs with me).
You have got to get out of there.
I wouldn't worry about the commute, I drive about 25 miles each way. It is WORTH IT if you can get out of that hell-hole (pardon my language) that you are in.
Best of luck to you.

 

[Virgo10]

This post made my stomach turn over. I worked in a nursing home on a floor with 58 patients. For 4 of my 8 hour shift I was the only nurse on duty. We had patients with IV's, on oxygen and with feeding tubes. We had others who were violent. I did the meds, treatments, fed patients, broke up fights, supervised the staff and worked with the families. It was a nursing nightmare.

I finally blew a disk in my neck from working there and haven't done nursing in the past 8 years. When I look back to that time, I wonder how I was able to do that job for nearly 3 years without losing my mind.

It's all about the money to these hospitals and nursing homes. Once you understand that you're nothing more than another piece of equipment to them, you'll understand that things most likely will never get better. I wish you luck and would advise you to get out before your health pays the price!

Roberta

 

[Antonia]

Hell-hole is an appropriate description! I knew someone on the DIS would recognize it.

 

[pw2pp]

Antonia:
Another thing that I wanted to say is that if you can find something WITHIN the hospital that is better (that is what I did 18 years ago - and I am still here ).... such as Dialysis, Endoscopy, Interventional Radiology, O.R., etc....... just something where you have a small, set amount of patients and the situation is not dangerous (like what you are in), then you can still keep your nice hospital paycheck (since hospitals usually pay more than Doctors offices, etc....). Also, I would not want to work almost full time (36 hours) like you are and NOT get full time benefits.

 

[Serena]

I'm so sorry, and want to thank you for the efforts you put in. It's a shame what they do to nurses.

 

[GailT]

I'm so sorry, and want to thank you for the efforts you put in. It's a shame what they do to nurses.

I agree with Laurie, nurse go well beyond their duties till then diig them selves in a hole, thank you for all you do, I know it isn't easy but with out these caring people I don't know what these hospitals, nursing homes would do. I know that you isn't enough but just had to let you know you are cared about as a person, it isn't fair that you are going through this.

 

[nrsldy]

I work in ER. We have the same issues with nurse pt ratios.I went in extra yesterday and it was a mess. we are expected to take care of 3-4 critical care pts and also 3 to 4 minor pts. We have to do our own lab draws,ekgs and some transportation. If you have a pt crashing in one room you have no one to help with the other pts you are assigned to. The other nurses are having the same issues that you are.
We are told all the time that our numbers do not allow the hiring of more staff. We hold pts in the ER because we have no staff on the floors to take care of the pts. I keep trying to hold on because this is all I have ever wanted to do is be a nurse. The system makes it hard to keep thing in focus. My back is a wreck and I have 10 more years to work!
So in the mean time I take a sanity break to WDW when ever I can.

 

[DawnCt1]

I left the hospital over 20 years ago and it was bad then; I can't imagine working in a hospital now with patients so much sicker and so little help. I had done Occupational Health nursing until 2 weeks ago when I was laid off. I will not be going back to nursing unless I find a similar position. It was a perfect nursing job.

 

[minkydog]

I have been a nurse for 28yrs and I attest that what you describe is true. Hospital nurses are working harder and longer with no relief in sight. Young people are not finding nursing to be a viable option and older workers are retiring or cutting back hours as they get older. I worked in NICU and trauma PICU for over 10 yrs before I burned out. I love being a nurse, but I will never do floor nursing again. I simply cannot be on my feet for 12hrs.

When I finally had my "breakdown", as I call it, I ended up transferring to a sit-down nursing job, which ultimately led to the job I'm doing now, telephone triage from my home office. I encourage you to consider, first, working within your own organization. It that doensn't work out,consider home health or occupational health. I am willing to do most anything, but I will never again sacrifice my mental or physical health for the sake of my employer.

And for the rest of you non-nurses, I'll let you in on the dirty little secret of modern healthcare--if you want your loved ones to receive excellent nursing care while hospitalized, arrange for someone to stay with them 24hrs a day. There are far to many sick people for nurses to adequately care for. Even if you don't know anything about caregiving, you can be a watchful advocate for your loved one. Sick people often aren ot up to the task, being sick & sedated, after all. I have been both a nurse and a patient, and I know from whence i speak.

 

[Disney Ella]

And yet hospitals don't seem to understand why they lose their nurses to insurance companies and other less demanding and stressful jobs! I can imagine how difficult it would be to work under those conditions.

 

[denisenh]

I agree with the poster above that said it is all about money.
Everything boils down to money.
For profits generally do not have the interests of their patients in mind when it comes down to it. I am convinced of that.

Good luck on your search for a more tolerable job.

 

[Chicago526]

A good friend of mine just became a nurse (RN) about a year ago. She loves the work but hates her job! She also complains about nurse-to-patient ratios. She's looking for another position as we speak!

Minkydog! That's what my mom did when I was sick. At age 2 1/2 I was in the hospital for about 2 or 3 months (I don't remember any of this ) and she stayed with me 24/7. I was on so many meds that she was affraid that a nurse would forget to note on my chart that I was given a dose, and the next nurse would come along and give me a second dose, thinking I never got the first one. Since no one will listen to a 2 year old when they tell you they've already HAD a shot, she decided it was up to her to monitor my care. It never hapened that she had to intervine with my care, but if she was worried about things like this in 1979, I can't imagine what it's like now.

 

[roseprincess]

Welcome to nursing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am an RN myself, I haven't worked in nursing in about 8-9yrs. You don't find out how bad working conditions are in hospitals/ nursing homes until you start working. I had worked in nursing homes from 1990-1996. I enjoy working with the elderly, but the way nurses get treated from administration, other co-workers is hell! I have been yelled at from a nun several times. Yes, she was my DON (Director of Nursing). I worked at a Catholic nursing home for 3 yrs., night shift, full-time. The DON nun would love to yell and knit-pick on me for some reason.
After I got married, I worked days and evenings part-time at other nursing homes. A lot of back-stabbing from other co-workers. I hated that.
Also, at one nursing home I worked at for 1 yr., I was the only nurse on for for 50 patients. I also had to do the CNA assignments on those eve. the CNAs would complain all the time that I would not do the exact assignments as a nurse from the previous eve.
I also had to run and answer the phones, do BPs, the CNAs wouldn't do this for me. Plus pass meds, do treatments, and paperwork.

I am so glad to be a SAHM of my special needs twins!
I don't know if I ever want to go back into nursing, unless I can find something that I can work from home.


Roseprincess

 

[Fire14]

I tottally understand what OP is saying and it's more true than anyone wants to think. I personally am an LPN working in LTC and I love my job but I also have had my fill of bad jobs.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I've been an RN for 18 years. I work in a hospital but it's a good one and we are unionized. It gets crazy but luckily most times it's manageable. If one of us is really busy, though, the rest help out. Yes, nurses who aren't burned out and overextended actually do that.

With that said I've worked under the conditions you've described in another hospital and even in my current hospital years ago so I absolutely feel your pain. Back then most days you couldn't leave at the end of your shift due to mandatory overtime so often were there 16 hours under duress. That's when a lot of nurses bailed out. Luckily I didn't have kids in those days but if I did I probably would have left too. It's unsafe.

I hope you don't regret going into nursing because of this experience. There are good jobs out there as well as good hospitals if that's what you like to do. Sometimes, though, whatever you do (in any job)comes at a cost, eg great hours, no commute, lousy pay; great pay, long commute, off shifts, etc...you just have to pick what works best for you. I have a commute and I work overnights by choice, but I paid my dues when I was younger so now can enjoy working two twelves per week being on the higher end of the pay scale. I'm glad I stuck it out since I basically always enjoyed taking care of patients in a hospital setting. I wouldn't want to be starting a new job or working full time at this stage of my life and I don't want to job hop as I'd like to enjoy that retirement check as a long term employee.

Good luck, keep looking. Feel free to PM me anytime if you need to vent or want to chat about specifics. I hate seeing new nurses in the situation you're in, and of course patients suffer as well.

 

[MagicalMom]

Primary care with 8 pts on a tele floor seems way too high. I also work tele, but we usually have no more than 5 pts if doind primary care. We prefer team nursing with a nurse & a tech. Do you get any techs at all on the floor? I also work 12 hour per diem shifts, but I work weekend alt. so it is worth it for me to get paid extra hourly, plus the extra day of pay for working the weekend. Are the other floors in your hosp. staffed the same?

 

[Denine]

I really feel for you. I left hospital nursing a long time ago and won't go back. I worked in a nursing home for several years and hope to not have to do that again either. Now I work in an Assisted Living for people with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. I love it! The owner is a nurse, so everything from the top down is nursing philosophy.
Good luck on finding a job you really like. They are out there.

 

[Krisu]

I've been there! I worked at a Rehabilitation Hospital for a year on a respiratory floor with vents going off all the time. The hospital tried to save money by laying off the transportation dept. These people were vital since patients had all types of therapy all day long. So who do they decide should transport? Yes, the nurses and aides. I left since I felt it wasn't safe anymore...and because of the heel spur I developed pounding the floors!!

 

[tidoublegger]

I've been an RN for 18 years. I work in a hospital but it's a good one and we are unionized. It gets crazy but luckily most times it's manageable. If one of us is really busy, though, the rest help out. Yes, nurses who aren't burned out and overextended actually do that.

With that said I've worked under the conditions you've described in another hospital and even in my current hospital years ago so I absolutely feel your pain. Back then most days you couldn't leave at the end of your shift due to mandatory overtime so often were there 16 hours under duress. That's when a lot of nurses bailed out. Luckily I didn't have kids in those days but if I did I probably would have left too. It's unsafe.

I hope you don't regret going into nursing because of this experience. There are good jobs out there as well as good hospitals if that's what you like to do. Sometimes, though, whatever you do (in any job)comes at a cost, eg great hours, no commute, lousy pay; great pay, long commute, off shifts, etc...you just have to pick what works best for you. I have a commute and I work overnights by choice, but I paid my dues when I was younger so now can enjoy working two twelves per week being on the higher end of the pay scale. I'm glad I stuck it out since I basically always enjoyed taking care of patients in a hospital setting. I wouldn't want to be starting a new job or working full time at this stage of my life and I don't want to job hop as I'd like to enjoy that retirement check as a long term employee.

Good luck, keep looking. Feel free to PM me anytime if you need to vent or want to chat about specifics. I hate seeing new nurses in the situation you're in, and of course patients suffer as well.

Whew, I'm glad there are nurses out there who like their jobs! I passed my NCLEX last week and started orientation this week and will start in the ED next week as an RN.

I would not stay at a job that placed my patients and my license at risk! I want to work in a job where there are safe nurse-patient ratios. What you're describing is a nightmare! I wish you luck finding something less stressful and something that will hopefully remind you why you went into nursing in the first place!