I'm not special. Let me start there. I will not make the narcissistic assumption that my battles are bigger or harder than yours. We .... collectively .... are all fighting battles we did not see coming six months ago. It is what it is .... and with that I openly share the unforeseen downside of being a ER nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I'm a PRN nurse which means I work "as needed" by the department. I have been working 32-38 hours per week the past few months. However, that has recently changed and I have had to file for unemployment. Never saw that coming. In the past months I have grieved for my friends who have been laid off or furloughed but always thankful I didn't have to face that .... until now.
How on earth can nurses be suspended in the midst of a pandemic?
It all comes down to the bottom line ... as usual. It should come as no surprise that healthcare corporations are just that .... corporations. I'd be sticking my head in the sand and playing ostrich if I thought it was actually about the patients. That's why I work. That's why I switched professions after 15 years as a financial analyst ... to actually spend my days doing something that bettered the world. But that's just me. That's just the bedside people. Not the stakeholders and board members.
At the end of the day it's still all about the money.
So what we have been told is that our corporation expensed "X" hundred million dollars to prepare for a pandemic that did not generate projected income or patient volumes as expected. Therefore, we are in the "recovery phase." As in "cost recovery." That translates into "we are slashing expenses anywhere and everywhere possible to recoup our money." They have cut managers' and directors' salaries, mandated 8 days of unpaid (or you can use PTO) leave for non-essential/non-frontline employees, and are implementing "staff-to-volume" structures in the ER. That means they are cutting frontline workers' hours every day, every shift. They've reconfigured our staffing models from 3:1 patients:nurse ratio to 4:1 and removed support staff. That may not sound like much but what that means is balls to the wall when you're on shift. Higher acuity patients, less staff, less support. You're getting your ass handed to you 12 hours straight. But no worries .... the corporation is saving money and you're still saving lives!
Because I'm PRN I'm the first to go. Our hours got cut first. Across the board, not just by my corporation. Two weeks ago I was cut more than 28 hours. This week I have 12 hours. Next week I have 8 scheduled hours. I'm so thankful for my friends and co-workers who are "gifting" me hours to keep me afloat. And our manager is working tirelessly to give me hours as "screener" taking temps and monitoring symptoms at hospital entrances. I truly am thankful. But how long will this last? Single mother of three. No other income. In the midst of this my ex is taking me back to court to reduce my child support by 65% and fight for custody of one child. Feel free to listen to his sermons online. He's a pastor. You'll be entertained for an hour but you'll never see the life of Jesus lived out in front of you.
It is what it is ... I guess none of us should be surprised. At then end of the day it's always about money. But I'll think twice before I risk my life and my family's health stepping into a patient's room wearing a 2 month old N-95 mask (that hasn't been disinfected once) and a two-week old surgical mask that's single use in nature .... No worries ... The hospitals get more money for COVID related deaths anyways, right?
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