CORP/BIZ 13 Hospital SYSTEMS curtailing services around the country. (Blame nursing shortages and patient declines)

pauldingbabe

The Great Cat
We are so understaffed it’s not even funny. Nursing/CNAs/name it. Then they burn all their good people out by overworking them. I understand they have a business to run, but staff also has a right to have a life. It’s getting ridiculous. We’re all so tired of it.


I'll have a prayer for you as well Fire.

:)
 

BUBBAHOTEPT

Veteran Member
Too many hours. To many difficult, demanding and unruly patients
Really, when I had simple hernia surgery, I looked at the people working there and I literally said,” How do I get a job here, you folks look so happy.” They all laughed and carried on and I went back to my miserable job, -albeit not always miserable… I don’t think people changed that much, and if they did, I think I have a good shot at heaven… :hmm:

lol no, those are high risk services where if anything goes wrong you lose millions.
Well, not if your name is Pfizer, Moderna et al……:whistle:
 

MinnesotaSmith

Membership Revoked
Really, when I had simple hernia surgery, I looked at the people working there and I literally said,” How do I get a job here, you folks look so happy.” They all laughed and carried on and I went back to my miserable job...
You should see how much RNs can make with just a bachelor's degree. (Travel nurses are pulling in 5K a week now many places.) Now you know why they're happy (at least til the inevitable post-40 "why don't I have a good husband and family, and OS I bet I never will" epiphany hits them like a ton of bricks).
 

Redcat

Veteran Member
My daughter was a RN in labor and delivery for over 20 years. She left it for same day surgery (how many times can you work 14 hours a day?). She then left same day surgery for a ob/gyn office job. She is much happier now. Regular hours, better pay. No wonder hospitals are understaffed.

During covid her hospital gave out a "forget me not" plant for a raise. Yes, a plant for a raise. Her last year there (2021) they gave a quarter.

She left when they gave out a quarter. I would have left when I got the plant.
 

Blacknarwhal

Let's Go Brandon!
Birth rates on the decline, staffing shortages literally everywhere, businesses closing...it's like the whole planet is just coming to a close, isn't it?
 

moldy

Veteran Member
You should see how much RNs can make with just a bachelor's degree. (Travel nurses are pulling in 5K a week now many places.) Now you know why they're happy (at least til the inevitable post-40 "why don't I have a good husband and family, and OS I bet I never will" epiphany hits them like a ton of bricks).

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha! (Deep breath) Hahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahaha!

Thanks, I needed that.
 

Melodi

Disaster Cat
I don't work in this industry, so someone who does may know if this is true or not, but my understanding is that COVID and the aftermath destroyed a lot of the "money-making" stuff that private hospitals had come to depend on. These were things that were very common, fairly low risk and most insurance would pay for it - like hip and knee replacements and some others.

When COVID hit, most of those operations were canceled or delayed, and the staff was laid off. I remember reading here of that happening to members and those in their families, especially in more rural or smaller hospitals.

That was before the "take this shot or leave" red line that happened in many places which I think for quite a number of health care workers was the final straw on top of a mostly underpaid, exhausting, and really difficult job.

The "for profit" nature of the US industry tends to push toward short-term decision-making, though to be fair, this time some of the better-socialized systems are in trouble (like the NHS in the UK) with a big problem being staff just decide they would rather do other kinds of work, including doctors who decide to change careers to lower their stress levels.
 

dberszerker

Veteran Member
Yeah, we were all just so worn out from all that dancing, and shaking our asses in the hallways that we decided to retire, and live in the Cayman Islands. This on ALL of that HUGE savings we piled up from such generous pay. Dammit, I sure do miss the yearly pressure to take the monkey puss shots, coupled with the ever increasing pleasant folks, and administration that I had contact with all those years. Almost brings a tear to my eyes.......almost. Invest your time, and energy in the Heavenly Father, the people in your circle, the Widow, and the Orphan. Let the dead bury the dead
 

connie

Veteran Member
I'm a baby boomer. The next 20+ years there will be a big demand for medical services as we 'age out'.
 

bassgirl

Veteran Member
Really, when I had simple hernia surgery, I looked at the people working there and I literally said,” How do I get a job here, you folks look so happy.” They all laughed and carried on and I went back to my miserable job, -albeit not always miserable… I don’t think people changed that much, and if they did, I think I have a good shot at heaven… :hmm:


Well, not if your name is Pfizer, Moderna et al……:whistle:
We are trained to do that, plus a lot of us really do care, and love taking care of sick people. That does not mean we don’t go back to the break room or the Pyxis and have an exhausted melt down cry like once a week (or more).

Wish I had a dollar for every employee that came in my office and shut the door and burst into tears. It happened a lot.
 

rondaben

Veteran Member
We are trained to do that, plus a lot of us really do care, and love taking care of sick people. That does not mean we don’t go back to the break room or the Pyxis and have an exhausted melt down cry like once a week (or more).

Wish I had a dollar for every employee that came in my office and shut the door and burst into tears. It happened a lot.

Imo if it doesn't you are doing it wrong.

That's a price you pay in healthcare that dollars don't cover.
 

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Last year, when Cary was hospitalized for his second round of sepsis, there weren't enough nurses on his floor to give him the kind of care he needed. He was in really bad condition. Almost died down in the ER. I was having to do the job of the CNA's (which I am trained to do ), and the floor nurses were running around like crazy. His head nurse finally came in one morning and told us she had put in for him to be transfered up to ICU where he could have the round the clock care that the floor nurses couldn't provide. There just wasn't enough nurses to care for the patient load. The whole experience turned out to be a nightmare, and I will NOT go back to the hospital, unless it's a dire emergency again.
 
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20Gauge

TB Fanatic
My oldest son works as an R.T. in the hospital and says a lot of nurses left to become travel nurses because more $$$$.
Can't say I blame them. Just my 2 cents....
They do make the bucks traveling. I have a few as clients.
 

20Gauge

TB Fanatic
We are so understaffed it’s not even funny. Nursing/CNAs/name it. Then they burn all their good people out by overworking them. I understand they have a business to run, but staff also has a right to have a life. It’s getting ridiculous. We’re all so tired of it.

This is happening everywhere. In every industry....

I posted a bit about this in another thread, but we have 6 local businesses restricting business hours and days due to this recession.

Why?

1) They can not afford the people due to rising costs.

2) They can not find people willing to work 5 days a week. Yeah they tried paying more, but they just called out 2-3 times per week.

So they basically announced they were working / open only during the most profitable hours and dropped the rest.

side note: a local foodie place closed 2 days last week.... their entire staff called out twice..... yes they are paid very well.
 

Bolt

FJB
I noticed this at Flagler Hospital a few months back, you could feel and literally see the difference from a few years prior. What is going really going on? :shr:

Several factors; there are some still refusing to jab and are ineligible for hire/rehire, medical facilities are having to pay higher wages (Los Angeles and 2 nearby cities have a minimum wage of $25/hr for healthcare workers) but reimbursement has not gone up, and residents who are ready to join a practice have unrealistic goals for starting salaries.
 

Bolt

FJB
Birth rates on the decline, staffing shortages literally everywhere, businesses closing...it's like the whole planet is just coming to a close, isn't it?

Birth rates in the US are on the decline for white, working families. They can't afford children. The rest, they get rewarded for having children they can't afford, funded by the white working families who can't. Rinse repeat. The very children the taxpayers are having to support go one to do the same cycle. Between paying people to have children they can't raise to importing several third world countries, we are causing our own downfall, all thanks to progressive idealism.
 

Blacknarwhal

Let's Go Brandon!
Birth rates in the US are on the decline for white, working families. They can't afford children. The rest, they get rewarded for having children they can't afford, funded by the white working families who can't. Rinse repeat. The very children the taxpayers are having to support go one to do the same cycle. Between paying people to have children they can't raise to importing several third world countries, we are causing our own downfall, all thanks to progressive idealism.

I think you misinterpret the term "we". A lot of people do, these days.

This is mostly our government.
 

Bolt

FJB
take better care of yourself and you will not need to use the medical system. being fat, smoker, drinker, no exercise, lousy diet and taking 6 meds daily is going to get you sick and into the system. this is all by design. get the vax and your chances of being sick go up by probably a factor of 10X.

The amount of overweight, unhealthy people in this country keeps rising. They are usually the most difficult to manage and are first ones to complain about the perceived lack of care they receive. Eat less, eat healthy and move around more. You don't need a gym membership to get exercise.
 

BUBBAHOTEPT

Veteran Member
During covid her hospital gave out a "forget me not" plant for a raise. Yes, a plant for a raise. Her last year there (2021) they gave a quarter.

She left when they gave out a quarter. I would have left when I got the plant.
In my own humble way I have been in an organization like that. Some times when I get that check in the mail and feel a twinge of guilt, I reflect on those oh so special moments... :kaid:
 

Ravekid

Veteran Member
Lots of issues affecting healthcare:

Closing down OBGYN birthing centers isn’t shocking. Marriage rates dropping, young people putting off having kids due to cost of everything.

The mandated vaccine push likely didn’t help matters, but I never heard of all that many workers being fired.

Lots of nurses traveling and making huge money. Here today, gone tomorrow. As noted above, lots of younger folks postponing early courtship. As such, younger nurses have the ability to make money doing the travel thing for years.

The entire industry is now maximum profit driven, mostly for the benefit of the upper admin. A major health service provider in my state, Indiana, is sitting on $6 billion last I heard. They are a not-for-profit org so no shareholders to care about. It is just about making huge profit so the CEO can justify the seven figure wage.

The whole insurance issue is crazy. Can’t get a straight answer if certain procedures are covered. The facility, the doctors, if just one is out of network, could see huge bills.
 

moldy

Veteran Member
OB is also the area with the highest malpractice insurance, and liability costs. It couldn't have been the fifth of Jack every day of pregnancy, it has to be the docs/nurses fault! (Not saying that there aren't some things that deserve suing over).
 

Knoxville's Joker

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Lots of issues affecting healthcare:

Closing down OBGYN birthing centers isn’t shocking. Marriage rates dropping, young people putting off having kids due to cost of everything.

The mandated vaccine push likely didn’t help matters, but I never heard of all that many workers being fired.

Lots of nurses traveling and making huge money. Here today, gone tomorrow. As noted above, lots of younger folks postponing early courtship. As such, younger nurses have the ability to make money doing the travel thing for years.

The entire industry is now maximum profit driven, mostly for the benefit of the upper admin. A major health service provider in my state, Indiana, is sitting on $6 billion last I heard. They are a not-for-profit org so no shareholders to care about. It is just about making huge profit so the CEO can justify the seven figure wage.

The whole insurance issue is crazy. Can’t get a straight answer if certain procedures are covered. The facility, the doctors, if just one is out of network, could see huge bills.

A lot more of it has to do with the fact that the birth rates are plummeting. We will see rumbles of this in a few years.
 
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