My wife is a traveling nurse and we are currently on assignment in Tyler, TX at East Texas Medical Center. There are so many things wrong with this a assignment I do not know where to begin. In the interview my wife was told that she would be taking care peds.; this was just one of man lies they told. She has ended up taking care of bariatric patients with a ratio of 8 to 1 on the average. She was originally told there ratio was about 4 to 1. She was also told she would not be a charge nurse so she did not negotiate a charge rate; yet again another lie. According to the nurses there have been more than 16 nurses that have quit in the last 4 months. There are some serious managment issues as well. They endanger patients as well as puting nursing licences in danger. DO NOT TAKE THIS ASSIGNMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!
Re: Worst Hospital In Texas
I lived in Texas for several decades and can sure empathize. Being nonunion and employment at will, the hospitals there pretty much do what they want unfortunately. I was lucky to work with some good managers and coworkers while I was there (for the most part) which made it easier to take.
I worked agency in the DFW area for many years but finally had to throw in the towel...agency was being treated too badly. Never used to be that way but seems to be a trend that's stuck.
That is interesting considering that ETMC has a very good reputation and is a top 100 hospital.
Re: Worst Hospital In Texas
Well you think that your wife is getting screwed with the job that she gotten with that hospital that she works at ?
Well let me say this I went on a job interview at Stephens Memorial Hospital in Breckenridge,Texas and the Director of Nursing did the interview and she explained what I would be making till my 90 days would be up and I then about two weeks ago in May ... I asked her if my rate of Pay would go up after my 90 days was up and she said No that I would have to stay at the rate that I hired on at but she told me that I would be making $6.75 and I am not I am making $6.20 an hour and that is at the hospital in Breckenridge ,Texas too ..... I know that I am just an C.N.A. but I think that we deserve better pay and the respect that the others get too ..... This D.O.N. plays favortitism with the R.N.'s and L.V.N.'s , she the director of Nurses will take the words of her R.N.'s and L.V.N.'s over her C.N.A.'s even if the C.N.A.'s have been there longer than the L.V.N.s or R.N.'s has ....
She doesn't give us the respect that we deserve and the rate of pay either .... The C.N.A.'s do all the work there even the paper work on the new Admits and then they do other things that is not in there job discription and they don't get the pay for it either .... I don't think that this is right and I don't think that they should get away with this either I think that if we had a Nurses Union here in Texas that it would be alot better than what it is now .... We are getting the royal screwing here and I don't like and I can't afford to quit so I am stuck with this job till I can afford to go and get another one ..... But who to say that that one wouldn't be worster than the on I just left .
I understand Sir where you are coming from on the rate of pay and all and all the other things that she didn't hire on to do so if you would get your wife to help those that want a Nurses Union here in Texas sign up for it then we could get one going you see... Then the Nurses and the Nurses Aides would be treated alot better than they are now .....
I hope that someone can give me the information that I need to talk to a Union Resp. so that I can get it going because I am tired of getting the shaft and getting Cheated on what I think I should be making .....
So with that I will leave now ....
Stuck in Breckenridge,Texas
Re: Worst Hospital In Texas
I am very sorry about your experience. My opinion is that traveling nurses are treated very much like ageny nurses. I am a staff r.n for a local hospital in San Antonio and have seen similiar experiences much like yours. While I don't make the 40 plus an hour as agency I can share in your experience. Agency nurses usually end up with the worst assignments because charge R.N's feel that since they make the money, they should at least earn it. They forget that agency R.N's are new and don't usually know there way around the unit or units that they work on. This is scary because patient care is severely affected by this. How would you like to be the Agency R.N taking care of a seriously ill patient, this being the first day on your job, and your patient goes bad on you. You will struggle through evey phase in your assignment. From locating the crash cart, to notifying the caring MD, to acquiring assistance from staff. The state of Texas also does not have a minimum patient to nurse ratio. Your wife, if she feels that this assignment is too much, can refuse to take the assigment and will be covered by Texas law. This is one of the reasons I don't do travel nursing or agency.
Well I do understand what you are talking about about being a traveling nurse and all I use to do that when I worked for Interpid USA and they did the same thing to us as that Agency is doing to you .... Finally they wind up closing down because they got to many complaints against them so they shut down .
And as far as not knowning where everything is at I have been there where I was working at in Breckenridge,Texas at Stephens Memorial Hospital ..... They don't show you anything they just take you to the front ( Nurses Station) and drop you off and leave you and then you are on your own then .
Its the same way with the C.N.A. as far as patients goes ..... The C.N.A.'s have the hole hospital and sometimes there is as many as 5 to 20 patients in the hospital at one time ..... And NO they don't call anyone else in because they are trying to cut back on spending on extra help because they want that new E.R. to be built and that is where all there monies are going because the C.N.A.'s are seening any of it thats for sure . They started me out at $6.00 an hour with a .20 dif.pay and thats all I got and I went and ask the D.O.N. if my pay would go up and anytime soon and she said NO it wouldn't not for 3 years and I just couldn't do that because I was driving back and forth from where I live at to where I worked at which was in Breckenridge,Texas and its 33 miles one way and I would drive this for 4 or 5 days and then I would be off 1 day maybe . So I do understand what you are saying about the Nurses ratio and knowning where things are at when you need them . Texas sucks about not wanting to bring in Unions for the Nurses because they know that it would be something that we nurses and nurses aides would like to have because they would fight for our rights and all . And that is what we need right now so I hope that somewhere sometime soon there will be enough of us to all meet somewhere and get this rolling for the Union to help us ..... I have found out that the Great State Of Texas is recruiting from other States because we are so short handed in Nurses that The STATE OF TEXAS can't keep them because of the way they are treated by the employers here , and that is why we need to get a Union started here for this and we will see that we will be treated right and fairly and things will just be alot better for us all .
So if you are willing to get a Nurses UNION STARTED either where you live at or with someone that is close by it want get any better then .
Thanks for you input . And I do understand where you are coming from and all and I hope that it gets better for you and your family soon.
Hi, I am sorry you guys have had a hard time with these hospitals. From what I hear, the traveling nurses do get treated differently and they should not. I specialize in permanent nursing positions and have positions available throughout the United States. If you would like to see what opportunities are available, please contact me at 877 782 8953 or email me at spope@martinfletcher.com. Currently, I have 3080 positions available. I just wanted to throw that out there.
Thanks,
Stephen
I am so sorry about this problem and experience. It is horrible how these hospitals but a few cents on the dollar over patients care. please any problems or if I can be of any help let me know I am a NNOC/CNA staff members (National Nurses Organizing Commitee). feel free to email me at rstephens@calnurses.org
In Solidarity
Richard Stephens
Dallas Fort Worth Concerned Citizens Panel ■ 2504 W. Park Row Suite B5, Box 128 Pantego, TX. 76013 ■ dfwccp@gmail.com
Are Dallas and Fort Worth Hospitals Safe?
Is Profit Placed Before Care?
Does Your Hospital Have Safe Ratios?
If you can not answer all three of these questions then you and your family need to come to the public hearing on safe nurse to patient ratios. Dallas Fort Worth Concerned Citizens Panel is holding an open public hearing on the issues of safe nurse to patient ratios to answer the three questions above and to openly discuss this issue.
The organizations invited to provide testimony are The Texas Hospital Association, Dallas County Hospital Board, Tarrant County Hospital Board, Dallas Regional Health Center Mesquite, National Nurses Organizing Committee, RNs, and Both Dallas and Tarrant County Commissioners Courts. The National Nurses Organizing Committee and several area RNs have accepted the invitation to testify and will testify at this hearing on safe-patient ratios. It is important for citizens to show up and hear the testimony and why our hospitals are unsafe. Citizens are welcome to submit testimony on problems they or their family has had at hospitals.
Come hear why RNs are in constant threat of termination for simply standing up on behalf of their patients in the name of providing the best quality care.
The Hearing will convene at 10 am on Aug. 15th 2007 at 1527 North Galloway Drive in Mesquite, Texas at the Mesquite Fine Arts Center. The Panel will take testimony from 10am-1pm at the latest and the will deliberate for until around 2 pm and render an opinion. During panel deliberations, Registered Nurses and NNOC Representatives will take questions and comments in a town-hall style public forum. This will be an excellent opportunity for the public, Nurses, and the NNOC to examine ways in which we can make sure that patients get the optimal care that they deserve.
Vice Chair Harriet Irby DFW Citizens Panel
There will be more bad Hospitals added to list
Dallas Fort Worth Concerned Citizens Panel ■ 2504 W. Park Row Suite B5 Box 128 Pantego, Tx. 76013 ■ dfwccp@gmail.com
Approved For Immediate Release:
DFW CCP is pleased to anounce that the National Nurses Organizing Committee Has excepted the invitations to bring testimony about safe ratios at Texas Hospitals. California Nurses Association has excepted the DFW CCP invitation to testify on how the ratios work in California. DFWCCP is also announcing that the three wrongfully fired RNs from Dallas Regional Medical Center in Mesquite have agreed to testify on ratios and why DRMCM was unsafe in the ICU that night. We have received several letters of written testimony from area RNs who are scared to testify in public for fear of retaliation and being “Group One” or “Black Balled” from nursing at the bedside here in Dallas Fort Worth. DFWCCP is announcing along with the NNOC and California Nurses Association have singed a Binding Protection from Anti –Retaliation Agreement and will work with the DFWCCP if any medical professional testifies on theses issues and is retaliated for their testimony to help protect them and help with the investigation.
Are Dallas and Fort Worth Hospitals Safe?
Is Profit Placed Before Care?
Does Your Hospital Have Safe Ratios?
If you can not answer all three of these questions then you and your family need to come to the public hearing on safe nurse to patient ratios. Dallas Fort Worth Concerned Citizens Panel is holding an open public hearing on the issues of safe nurse to patient ratios to answer the three questions above and to openly discuss this issue.
The organizations invited to provide testimony are The Texas Hospital Association, Dallas County Hospital Board, Tarrant County Hospital Board, Dallas Regional Health Center Mesquite, National Nurses Organizing Committee, RNs, and Both Dallas and Tarrant County Commissioners Courts. The National Nurses Organizing Committee and several area RNs have accepted the invitation to testify and will testify at this hearing on safe-patient ratios. It is important for citizens to show up and hear the testimony and why our hospitals are unsafe. Citizens are welcome to submit testimony on problems they or their family has had at hospitals.
Come hear why RNs are in constant threat of termination for simply standing up on behalf of their patients in the name of providing the best quality care.
The Hearing will convene at 10 am on Aug. 15th 2007 at 1527 North Galloway Drive in Mesquite, Texas at the Mesquite Fine Arts Center. The Panel will take testimony from 10am-1pm at the latest and the will deliberate for until around 2 pm and render an opinion. During panel deliberations, Registered Nurses and NNOC Representatives will take questions and comments in a town-hall style public forum. This will be an excellent opportunity for the public, Nurses, and the NNOC to examine ways in which we can make sure that patients get the optimal care that they deserve.
Vice Chair Harriet Irby DFW Citizens Panel
Dallas Fort Worth Concerned Citizens Panel ■ 2504 W. Park Row Suite B5 Box 128 Pantego, Tx. 76013 ■ dfwccp@gmail.com
Monday, July 30, 2007
Texas Hospital Association
6225 East Highway 290
Austin, TX 78723
Dallas Regional Medical Center
Attention: Chief Nursing Executive
1011 N. Galloway Avenue
Mesquite, TX 75149
Richard Stephens NNOC DFW
1728 Ridgeview Drive
Arlington, TX. 76012
Joe Schuman NNOC/C.N.A.
2000 Franklin Street
Oakland, CA. 94612
Ed Bruno NNOC/C.N.A.
2000 Franklin Street
Oakland, CA. 94612
Dallas County Hospital Board
411 Elm Street
Dallas, TX. 75202
Dallas County Commissioners Court
411 Elm Street
Dallas, TX. 75202
Tarrant County Hospital Board
1500 South Main Street
Fort Worth, TX. 76104
Tarrant County Commissioners Court
100 East Weatherford Street
Fort Worth, TX. 76196
Dear Invitees:
The Dallas Fort Worth Concerned Citizens Panel will be hosting a public hearing and discussion on Nurse-to-patient ratios and patient advocacy in our hospitals. The latter issues have been receiving greater attention in our communities, as well as in healthcare policy circles. That said, we would like to get your perspective on these issues.
Toward that end, we cordially invite you or your designee to join us at the hearing and present your position on ratios and patient advocacy. We feel that a productive hearing only helps to raise the discourse in our nation’s ongoing healthcare dialogue. It also uniquely positions the Metroplex as one of the first regions in Texas and beyond to bring attention to the issues in an open, public forum.
The hearing will take place on Wednesday, August 15th from 10am-2pm at the Mesquite Arts Center Rehearsal Hall, 1527 North Galloway Avenue. Please RSVP before Wednesday, August 15th. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at the email or physical addresses above.
We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Harriet Irby
____________________________________________,
Vice Chair, Dallas Fort Worth Concerned Citizens Panel
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