I work as an LPN in a small hospital. When a secretary, monitor tech, sitter for Baker Acts or nursing assistant is needed, we are taken off our assignments to fill the void. I was told if I don't accept the assignment, I am "abandoning" my job. How should I respond?
Not In My Job Description
what is in your job description? I'm a RN and on my unit I have to be able to do everything except CST....including mopping the floors in delivery rooms after 3pm because we don't get housekeeping after 3. Do they want to cut your pay from LPN to do secretary work or do you still have the same hourly pay. Most places I've been say job is xyz and anything else as needed.
I'm in the middle here.
Very thoroughly check out your job description before you do anything so that you don't get written up for insubordination. And if you are filling in as a monitor tech, you should be checked off on reading EKGs.
Maddie wrote:I work as an LPN in a small hospital. When a secretary, monitor tech, sitter for Baker Acts or nursing assistant is needed, we are taken off our assignments to fill the void. I was told if I don't accept the assignment, I am "abandoning" my job. How should I respond?
As an Rn, I have worked as a secretary or a nursing aide if needed. As long as I get paid my usual pay and am able to do the job, what is the diff?
Are they paying you your usual rate of pay?
pt care is just that pt care, regardless of whether or not it's as a sitter,lpn,or a pct. I "multitask" my current job all the time, as long as they don't try to change my pay for what i'm doing, it doesn't matter, it still has to get done.
Maybe my question was vague. Pay is not the issue. Is refusing to do a job that you were not hired to do "abandonment"? Have they the right to threaten you with abandonment to get you to do a job that is not in your job description?
Maddie wrote:Maybe my question was vague. Pay is not the issue. Is refusing to do a job that you were not hired to do "abandonment"? Have they the right to threaten you with abandonment to get you to do a job that is not in your job description?
I think you need to look at your job. Most nursing jobs RN and LVN
include in the job description a willingness to be flexible. As an RN I have mopped floors, done the work of an aid. I've also been a ward clerk. What's the big deal anyway? I'd rather work than be called off. Look at it this way many times when I have come to work to do ward clerk stuff it's because they'd rather have an RN available "Just in case" It means they like you and want to keep you working. I've even worked in the morgue processing bodies to go to the coroner. Kinda creepy in the middle of the night.
Just remember that when budget cuts come around you are more likely to be cut if you are seen as having an "attitude problem." I'd say as long as they aren't asking you to do something outside your scope of practice do it. When it comes time to recognize your value to the organization they will remember.
Hppy
Here's my opinion, take it for what its worth.
A nurse, is a nurse, is a nurse...
In saying this, no matter what your job description says, which by the way I'd look into that, every job in the hospital... whether it be housekeeper or data processing for crying out loud... has in some way or fashion... to do with the care of patients.
Its the nurses job to take care of the patient to the best of his/her ability. That task maybe doing the unit secretary's job that day...
I also work at a small hospital, I work the medical-surgical unit 7p to 7a and after 9pm we don't have a unit secretary anymore.... so if we have to put orders in or other things using the computer system we have to do it ourself. The aides at our hospital are understaffed so we help them as much as we can. Whether we hate what we are doing or not, the nurses primary responsibility is for those patients. It shouldn't matter where you are assigned that particular day, to be quite honest with you I HATE Med-Surg, but I work there because I know they need me and the patients on that unit require the care I can provide as a health care provider whether it be playing housekeeper, unit secretary, monitor tech, CNA, Social Services, Physical Therapy, Ministry..... and the list goes on... as a nurse we learn to be very flexible.....
As long as we keep in our scope of practice... a nurse, is a nurse, is a nurse.
My two cents.... lol
A nurse, is a nurse, is a nurse...
In saying this, no matter what your job description says, which by the way I'd look into that, every job in the hospital... whether it be housekeeper or data processing for crying out loud... has in some way or fashion... to do with the care of patients.
Its the nurses job to take care of the patient to the best of his/her ability. That task maybe doing the unit secretary's job that day...
I also work at a small hospital, I work the medical-surgical unit 7p to 7a and after 9pm we don't have a unit secretary anymore.... so if we have to put orders in or other things using the computer system we have to do it ourself. The aides at our hospital are understaffed so we help them as much as we can. Whether we hate what we are doing or not, the nurses primary responsibility is for those patients. It shouldn't matter where you are assigned that particular day, to be quite honest with you I HATE Med-Surg, but I work there because I know they need me and the patients on that unit require the care I can provide as a health care provider whether it be playing housekeeper, unit secretary, monitor tech, CNA, Social Services, Physical Therapy, Ministry..... and the list goes on... as a nurse we learn to be very flexible.....
As long as we keep in our scope of practice... a nurse, is a nurse, is a nurse.
My two cents.... lol
Wow. This would NEVER happen where I work. We float sometimes, but it's always in the nurse role.
My employer would never pay a top dollar RN to sit with a patient, for example. And most RNs aren't qualified to be monitor techs unless they work in CCU or something. But again - it'd never happen.
When I worked in the ICU I did have to clean rooms occasionally when we'd get rid of the bubble patient and take a new ER admit at nite.
You could look at it another way, working as a secretary or a sitter would be a great way to get off of your feet for 12 hours!!
My employer would never pay a top dollar RN to sit with a patient, for example. And most RNs aren't qualified to be monitor techs unless they work in CCU or something. But again - it'd never happen.
When I worked in the ICU I did have to clean rooms occasionally when we'd get rid of the bubble patient and take a new ER admit at nite.
You could look at it another way, working as a secretary or a sitter would be a great way to get off of your feet for 12 hours!!
I agree with TomB- If they want to pay me RN wages to be a sitter, where if the patient is sleeping, I can watch TV, read a book, etc, then what's the big deal? Sometimes it's nice to take a break from your regular routine!
Maddie wrote:Maybe my question was vague. Pay is not the issue. Is refusing to do a job that you were not hired to do "abandonment"? Have they the right to threaten you with abandonment to get you to do a job that is not in your job description?
Why wouldn't you do it? Do it with a smile and build some good work ethic. You don't want it to seem like you think you are too good for certain jobs. If you are looking to advance your career you need to have the right values, work ethic, and friends in the field. You won't get any of those by making a big deal about mopping the floor or secretary duty.
I think Maddies underlying concern is that she's being pulled to do non-nursing and it sounds like she's feeling a little resentful. "After all, I got the training so I should be doing nursing..." It seems as though the message loud and clear from the readers is that nursing sometimes includes everything else under. Where I work, it sometimes includes activity over nursing too. Anyway, Maddie, don't lose heart when you sometimes do non-nursing tasks.
Another one who's been there.
R
Another one who's been there.
R
Well lets face it no one wants to feel they are being asked to less than they are qualified for, but all is a means to an end. I am a BSN working in a ER and at times I to do the jobs of techs. This is not punishment it is working as a team. We should all contribute what we can just to get the job done. I too often hear that tech should stock or get the BP, temp, ect. This behavior does not get the job done it delays care. I try to teach all new nurses that they are not too good for anything, as in the end it is all our job. With the shortage we can only expect to pick up the pace a little and as said earlier if it does not affect pay nor should it affect attitude. It is about the patient and they don't now how you helped them at the end of the day (does not matter if you took the BP or answered the phone), they just will know they feel cared for if the unit works as a team.
We usualy look at the lucky bum who gets to do the gravy shift IE:tech work with a bit of envy in our hearts I mean who wouldn't want an easy days pay. If you know the job and they are confident in your skills, do as your told and enjoy the fact that they trust you.
Now if you are an LPN,LVN or a tech and they ask you to hang a unit of blood RUN, other than that enjoy the fact that you HAVE a job; before it becomes, You HAD a job.:luck:
Now if you are an LPN,LVN or a tech and they ask you to hang a unit of blood RUN, other than that enjoy the fact that you HAVE a job; before it becomes, You HAD a job.:luck: