Once my employer stopped paying nurses bonus money for coming in when staffing was short, nurses naturally stopped coming in. I know I did. I stopped taking extra shifts, because my time off was worth more than the little bit of extra cash. I mean, I only work one day per week, sometimes two if I feel like it.
So now the ED is back to a staffing shortage.
So badly that I was called this morning and asked to work an extra shift today. I turned it down, because I am already working four 12 hour shifts this week, and had been cheated out of two of my three bonuses I was told I could have until they cancelled the bonus system.
So then they offered me a $25 per hour bonus if I would come in. OK, so I am working 60 hours this week. That’s just more money in the IRA for the future. I can be a whore like that sometimes. I guess they need to keep the emergency room open more than they need to save money.
6 Comments
Grumpy51 · August 5, 2026 at 6:47 am
Some facilities hold out longer than others.
Our ICU is chronically short staffed since the bonus was removed. Worse yet, the good nurses moved on. So not only is it short-staffed, there’s no depth present. Had a code last week, multiple nurses doing same job – there was NO assignment sheet (looked like a Charlie Chapin movie).
At another facility, the NPs/PAs are told “what about loyalty” when open shifts aren’t filled. I already work 80-100 hrs a week and I KNOW what they bill for my services.
Brings up another point from another post – “share the wealth”….. but very few want to work the hours I, and others in my field, do.
Steve S6 · August 5, 2026 at 7:21 am
You should have held out to get your cancelled bonus reinstated too.
Wilson · August 5, 2026 at 9:52 am
Sometimes this is called greed. Just my opinion. This is why we get doctors and nurses who can’t speak english, they will work with no bonus. Just refuse the work if it don’t fit your lifestyle, easy peesy
Grumpy51 · August 5, 2026 at 12:10 pm
SMO – I moved to TX in 2000. The state board of nursing (BON) said TX was short 50 THOUSAND nurses. You’d think in 26 years, they’d come up with more schools. Yes, and no. The didactic portion of nursing can be done online, but the hands-on portion HAS to be “hands-on.” I’m not sure you’d like to be the first time a nurse put a foley catheter in or an IV.
Critical thinking is LONG gone. I have nurses call me at 0200 for “Tylenol”…. You mean the acetaminophen I wrote for at 8PM? “But that’s not Tylenol”. Smack my head…….
And it’s not just nurses. The patients of today use the ER (THE MOST expensive part of healthcare) for runny noses, coughs, etc.
Technology was supposed to make us smarter with easier lives. It DOES allow me to have the information of new medicines and new medical findings at my fingertips but I haven’t seen an increase in intelligence on the patient’s part.
SP RN · August 5, 2026 at 3:49 pm
Grumpy51, I suffered a bowel obstruction three summers ago, got admitted around 2200 hrs. The nurse on nights was a new grad, the chg was more experienced, but was unable to pass the Salem Sump which had been ordered. I taught them both how to do it right as I passed the tube on myself… an interesting teaching moment.
Treefarmer · August 5, 2026 at 2:36 pm
Based on their track record:
Counter for a $30-$35/hr bump.
Get it in writing.
Let them know their own bad behavior is forcing your hand.