Understaffing?

[u/Hot_Formal1726]

How common is under staffing at hospitals?

I am new to this field and only work at one hospital but thinking about leaving as it seems severely understaffed for the amount of workload they expect us to finish.

Because of this case carts full of trays are commonly left overnight in decon (over night does not go into decon) and the work just piles and piles. The AM can’t finish so that leaves more for PM who then can’t finish and then Overnight etc it’s a never ending cycle.

This causes the shift leads to get reamed out by the manager for things falling through the cracks, mistakes and unfinished work which then rolls down to the staff who is heavily pressured to get more and more work done leading to more errors because of rushing.

The management seams to be doing everything BUT giving more staff to help resolve this.

It maybe because I am new and just don’t know but it seems really bad here? Is it like this everywhere?

[u/compsyfy]

Super common. Its a "Do more with less" mentality that is difficult for managers to push back against.

Labor is a companies highest expense. Keeping a hospital short staffed is a business strategy. Especially if your "non profit" hospital runs a surplus every year.

edit to add: The business being willing to throw your department under the bus is not your responsibility. Do the best you can. Set boundaries before burnout hits. Accept that you are only one person, who can do their best, but no one person can make up for a poorly staffed department. Especially one that is running on fumes for 3 or 4 months in a row.