I went to work today and found out my manager is upset with me but
won't talk to me about it. She apparently found out that I spent 3 months
working for another hospital in another town. I was casual call here and
was required to work one week end a month which i made sure I did. So,
she took me off the charge nurse list so now I can no longer charge. No
explanation or the courtesy of calling me into her office and explaining
her actions to me. I do not feel that what I do on my own time is any one
elses business. I didn't feel that she deserved an explanation as to why I
went else where and I'm sure that is why she is doing what she is doing.
She is simply extending the same courtesy. This is ok. I work every
Friday, 12 hours and pick up extra if I want. But I got down to the real
reason why she is being cold. I have asked to go back to a 2 day a week
position, or 24 hours a week. This will allow me to go back to having
disability, both long term and short term as well as life insurance at 2 x
my pay rate. I had this for years before I was forced to quit because I
could not spend that many hours on my feet. So, now if the hospital
gives me back a position, they have to insure me since it is group policy
and they don't want to insure someone they know could potentially end
up disabled and pulling from the fund. I don't know how to feel about
this. I have worked hard for this company for almost 20 years and I feel
that this whole situation was handled allwrong. I should have been
allowed to go down to part time without losing my benefits while I was
down and out with this illness. Now that I'm better, I should have been
able to have my position back. I feel cheated, but maybe it is my own
fault for not knowing what my rights were as an employee. but I clearly
took my physical problem to them and let them know I could not
physically handle it at the time and they offered me no solutions and gave
me no other options but to quit. Now i'm a bit angry because now I am
working for them for no benefits. Has anyone ever run into this and how
did you handle it? I'm at a loss except to do something I have wanted to
do for a long time. Make custom baby crib assessories. Maybe some one
would offer me some insite. I am about to turn in and not do this job
anymore. I just don't feel good about my position anymore. The other
thing, they don't want to give me more hours for benefits, but don't mind
me working full time each and every week for no additional benefits.Well that sounds pretty stressful and frustrating. Are you in a union? Most
union positions have duty to accomodate if you become fully or partially
disabled.Make custom baby crib assessories. Wow, are you going to persue this!?
Lorster, that's just awful. I was pretty miffed when I had to give up my job when I needed to take a break, they would only guarantee my job for a month, and my Doc had said 3 months, and then part time only. They said they didn't do part-time any more, although there were part-timers there on the staff. And it's shift work too!
Maybe it was for the best anyway, cos sitting at a computer all day, with a set of headphones was not the best job for me, although the money was good.
Here in NZ, our medical insurance is not linked to our jobs, it is not compulsory, and the Health System is pretty good really, and all hospital stuff is free, medications well subsidised, and not to difficult to apply for Govt. benefits. I suppose that's cos we're only a very small little dot on the map. I don't think I could get my head around the stuff that you guys have to. It musy be very difficult for you.
Can you get any assistance from your Nurses Union, or see someone higher than your Manager??
If you go ahead with your baby stuff, I wish you all the luck in the world. To be your own master is a great thing. And if you have those skills, why not. Good on you. Let us know how you get on, we might be seeing a Lorster's Lullaby Web Site yet!!!
Wow, sorry to hear about that. It is so difficult with this type of
illness to be able to know in advance how much you will be able to
work. Each quarter I am asked to teach more credits than in my
contract ( I am paid for the additional credits) yet I don't know how I
will feel physically during that time.
I have nurses, ARNP's and PA's who take classes I teach (medical
coding) for various reasons. Some are not interested or not able to do
the physical work of patient care anymore. They still want to stay in
the medical field though. With the knowledge and credentials they have
plus this training in coding, they have several job options available
to them that are more "desk" type jobs such as health data analysts,
medical documentation review or chart auditing or remote coding (from
home). Feel free to contact me if you would like any further
information, I would be happy to help.
Mary B
Lorster- I think its awful the way they can treat someone like that, do you not have disability discrimination act there?
As for the baby stuff i think its a great idea. I used to make dolls house furniture, foodstuff, curtains etc and sell on ebay.It was slow at first as there are so many people doing it but it picked up and I was getting lots of orders.I also advertised locally and at dolls house fairs. I only stopped when my hands got really bad. Once people see you have a good well made product, it is then word of mouth.
What ever you decide good luck
As far as the baby items, go for it! And Kiwi, I love the name Lorster's Lullaby!!! What do you think Lorster?
Oh honey, how stressful! I am so sorry. I work for a private doctor and its just me and him, I have no clue on the dynamics of a large hospital but I would think there should be some sort of human relations or benefit supervisor you could consult with?Contact HR immediately. Also contact the Labor Board. Don't feel bad or guilty. Many people do not know their rights as an employee since it is pounded into our heads to think about the company and not the individual employee. I can' say that I blame you for being upset that you are working without benefits. It is totally unfair. Have you thought at all about a position in a doc office or does the hospital work appeal to you more?
Lorsters Lullaby. That is a great name!! I love it!! Deciding what you want to do is up to you. Will they reinstate your postion with benefits? If they do, how is your rn manager going to treat you on a daily basis? That is just a couple of things I would be thinking about. What about making a few things and hitting some craft shows and see how you do with the custom crib designs?
Lorster, before you give up on this position I would at least take a few steps to try and resolve the matter. In writing, I would request a meeting with your supervisor to discuss matters, and have her explain face to face what her reasons are. If she refuses to meet with you, then you have documented proof that you attempted to meet with her, and should move on up the food chain.
Go into any meeting knowledgeable about what the company rules are, and what your state's labor laws are.
It may be that your supervisor is confused and upset that you took reduced hours there because of your illness and then were able to work somewhere else. Perhaps that is where the hard feelings came from, not just because you worked at a different hospital. It may be that you can clarify things with her and explain how things evolved, and why you had to do what you did.
Good luck to you - I hope it works out. By the way, I think Mary's idea of doing insurance coding sounds like an awesome idea. Many positions allow you to use those skills working from home - just something to consider also.
You asked if anyone else had a similar situation. I did in teaching. The school I was teaching in wanted me to be available before and after hours to meet with parents(no extra pay). They also continually forced me to fill in for other teachers during my prep time when they couldn't get substitutes. They refused to make any accommodations for my RA and at one point had me carrying supplies between 3 buildings at distant places on campus. There were clauses in the contract that hinted at these extra duties, but this school interpreted to the extreme. I went through the teachers union and was appointed a leagal advisor. For several years I vascilated between retiring, going on disability retirement, or suing the district. I found out that the disability retirement is very tricky because they can retire you without and health benefits if you haven't been in the system long enough. After much advice including retirement counseling, I opted for a program called reduced workload where I get to work half time. It is counted as a full year of work toward retirement and I get to keep my health benefits which I need to pay for Enbrel.
My advice is to go through your union if you have one. They can help you interpret your contract and come up with a doable solution. If you are not part of a union, see if you can get a copy of your contact through Human Resources and take it to a lawyer who specializes in disability issues. Linda
Well, to make a long story short, I quit a year ago, three managers ago.In the early eighties I gave up nursing to do research and development for a health insurance company. I developed the criteria and procedures for a medical management company within the insurance company. I hired nurses to manage the department, do utilization and concurrent reviews, case management, and set up a credentialing and contracting process for a ppo. We contracted with a phsyican to help with medical review and an attorney to try and keep us all on an even keel. It was absolutely the best job I've ever had. The nurses really enjoyed the atmosphere and the work. This was one of the first medical management departments within an insurance company in the U.S. I'm not telling you about myself because I want to, I'm telling you more about the job and my first hand knowledge.
If it were possible I'd go back to this type of work in a minute. Lorster, if it's possible look for a position within the health insurance industry. Workers' comp nurses are part of the claims team and spend quite a bit of time out of the office environment at client's assessing treatment plans, compliance, and progress. Leaving nursing was the best thing I ever did. The pay was great, got to travel, and was involved in teaching. I would still be working in health benefits but I was able to retire. Don't stay someplace and be unhappy there. It will only make your disease progress and not get better. You know that.
The current insurance companies have lay persons doing the job that nurses used to do. It's still possible to have success and good job in the health or workers' comp areana. It's a great work experience. If you have to work make sure you enjoy it. Life's too short. Believe me I know.
Thanks for the suggestions. I live a block from Montana State. It requires