Job hunting

[helwen]

No, not me, I have enough to do here. Just needed to put down a quick opinion on the recent job loss of a friend of mine, who worked at Mercy Hospital. Mercy's being run by the same sort of folks who run corporations, where the way to improve the bottom line is to fire people. So of course they didn't let go any of the upper administration, nor did they let go anyone at low wages, EVEN IF THEY HAVE DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS OR WARNINGS WRITTEN UP IN THEIR RECORDS.

No, they let go of 350 employees, all of whom were people with years of experience and expertise, because it would save them money. Then re-wrote job descriptions for "new" positions. Of course my friend and the others are welcome to apply, having lost any accrued seniority they might have. Plus, the description are written in such a way that you'd have to be an NP or MD to qualify -- no good to these former employees, and really not a great deal for any NP or MD, who'd be working for less than they might like. No respect for their former, current, or potential employees, or for the community they're supposed to be serving.

Hopefully my friend will land a new job soon, but seeing as a lot of companies are stupidly still going by the myth that if you're unemployed there must be something wrong with you... well, I'll keep hoping for her.

And this is how some people end up homeless, folks. Greedy, short-sighted people running business for "profit". Not sure how profitable decision's going to be, down the line; I sure wouldn't want to go there for any medical attention.

Comments

[druidharper.livejournal.com]

It was 350 people across the Sisters of Providence system...Mercy itself I think was 160 odd.

The new job offerings were only in the patient care area, the nurse assistants areas, and required higher qualifications to meet for consideration.

The lab jobs were simply cut out entirely.

Classic modern business theory, yep.

Its so pathetic ya gotta laugh..or you might cry. Or save vs idiocy to avoid being gobsmacked-stunned for several months. O-o

[chrisilin.livejournal.com]

What sort of job is she looking for? Depending on the job, I might have some contacts for her, although they'd be out of state.

[druidharper.livejournal.com]

She's a medical technologist, in recent years working mostly in the blood bank transfusion end of things..although she is..was..a senior tech.

[oakmouse]

Me, I'll be boycotting the entire Providence system for the foreseeable future, and encouraging others to do the same.

And you said exactly what I've been thinking, but without the blue streak.

[hugh-mannity.livejournal.com]

The two worst things to happen to health care in America have been the HMO and the change from having medical staff run hospitals to having soulless MBAs run them.

Health care is not a business. No hospital should have "increase market share" as part of its vision statement. (No shit. The one that owns the company I work for did for a while!).

For profit hospitals need to be got rid of. Making a profit and good patient care are mutually exclusive.

Working conditions for nursing staff are appalling in a lot of hospitals. They cut staffing to a minimum, require OT, and use as many (cheap) untrained or low-level staff as they can get away with.

Would you want to be in a hospital where the only registered nurse on your floor was 2 or 3 hours into OT, and all the other staff were minimally qualified?

Of course, it's never the admin staff who get cut. And there's always money for "employee satisfaction studies" and "motivational training" and all that sort of crap. There's money for landscaping or for fountains in the lobby, but not for extra nurses.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Ah, so they're going to send all the lab work out to someone else to do. Oy.

Yeah, very bad business model. Personally, I wouldn't dignify it with the term, since that would imply having set goals that made sense, which they haven't.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Blue streak was mindfully in check! But yes, I won't be patronizing their system.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Agreed! Nursing isn't a field I'd go into, unless as a private nurse. If my FIL hadn't been in ICU at a teaching hospital (very very good ratio of patient to practitioner), I would have recommended that the family hire a private nurse(s).

[druidharper.livejournal.com]

Whatever it is, it lacks even basic intelligence or vision. Greed for the win I guess. Geez. As I say, you can't make this stuff up.

[harpnfiddle.livejournal.com]

It's a tough field. Burn out for nurses is quite high. I disliked floor nursing because it was always a struggle to get everything done and still feel like you gave good care. Many of the bedside attendants (nurses aides, patient care attendants, etc) have only had a short course of training before they are set out on a floor to work - the newest and most inexperienced usually are on nights. Try ringing your bell at night! I could tell you a story about my father's recent hospitalization - they had the nerve to get upset with him because he couldn't wait any longer and decided to do it himself.

[ellid.livejournal.com]

You have no idea how glad I am that I'm long since shed of that place.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Indeed! I'm glad you're out of there too.

[helwen.livejournal.com]

Good grief! I know they might have concerns about falling, but if they can't get there, he's certainly not going to wait forever.

I do feel sorry for the folks on the floor -- just too much to do and not enough hands on deck to do it. So glad you aren't doing that -- your job is tough enough as it is. Those girls are lucky to have you :)