Hey friends. Can I just, vent for a minute?
So I'm a respiratory therapist. For those who don't know, think of it kind of like a nurse, but one that just focuses on lungs and breathing.
I started my job five years ago. Night shift, 12 hour shifts. In the very beginning they asked me what type of schedule I “prefer”, and I said I didn't really give a shit, so long as my days on are bunched together so I can have stretches off to reacclimate to daytime life after. Never happened.
About three years ago, I started clamoring to get a set schedule. You see, my department is 100 employees, and of those 100 every full timer has a set schedule aside from four of us. I'm one of those four.
My boss always had an excuse. Not enough seniority, not enough staff, not enough whatever. The best excuse though? My skillset was too high. You see, I'm the only person in the department trained to do everything. Intensive care? Intubating little 400g 24wk babies? Going into the OR for Cardiac Surgery? Invasive procedures? Shift Supervisor? I got you bro, put me wherever.
This apparently meant that I was the one person responsible for filling every hole in the schedule, since it was easy to just plug me in instead of training staff so that it's not necessary.
This meant I was often scheduled to work one night, then one off, then one on, then one off, then two on, etc. This went on for YEARS.
Having one day off in between two night shifts isn't even a day off. My life basically fell apart. No energy, no desire to do anything, nothing. I barely saw family, barely spent time with my husband, never went outside, nothing.
Finally saw a doctor, for the first time in years, and I'm sick. Like, “if you don't make some changes you're gonna die before you're 40” sick.
Well alright then. I brought this info to my boss, one last time, hoping it would move him, that maybe there was some humanity in there? Nope, same shit. “That's awful man. I'm so sorry. You know I want you to be okay! You know I'm working to make things better! You're just too valuable! You know we don't have enough trained staff to run the department, but I have 'a plan' and I'm working on it, I promise you!”
Nah. If I have to choose between my job, my family, and my health, then I choose not to choose.
I asked around and found a place much better, managed by an actual empathetic human being, and got offered a job almost instantly. With a normal schedule. During daylight. In fact, they literally couldn't even comprehend my complaints because “Years? They did that for years? On night shift?…You're serious?” It was like trying to describe color to a blind person. Turns out their standard practice has always been to just schedule people humanely. Imagine. I swear to god I was so happy when I got the job offer I almost broke down in tears right then and there.
So good luck boss. It'll take you approximately 6 months and $60,000 to train one single replacement for me, per replacement. Have fun trying to make your budget goals, I know how important it is to you to meet them (i.e. overwork the staff) so you can get your annual $25k bonus (bonuses the real staff don't get, of course, unless you count the $500 Covid 'Healthcare Hero' bonus we got that one time). And that schedule you care so much about. The only thing I feel sorry about is all the other innocent employees that will have to suffer now because of your bullshit. And all of this from a “Catholic” hospital up its own ass about treating everyone with Dignity. Seriously, get fucked.
Crazy part is…I actually like what I do! I'm burnt out as shit but not because of the work itself but all the other nonsense, because deep down I still love the work. I still love caring for people. I would have happily stayed on for decades more. But whatever. I'll go somewhere that can at least pretend to treat people like they're people, and I'll happily give my best working years to them instead. And I'll take the actual time off I'll have now (they, like, actually demand all employees take one paid week, preferably two, off every year. Seriously what even? I still don't believe it) and go spend it with my family, like it should have been all along.
Feels fucking good man. I haven't felt this alive in years, and holy fucking shit is it awesome.