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The Health Care Professionals' Lounge: if you've had a bad day, are sick of your job and need to vent, the lounge is open!

284 replies

Jacksmama · 05/05/2009 16:12

On another thread, a few of us who work as health care providers (of any sort) were talking about having days at work that make a career as a waitress or grocery cashier sound very appealing... so, patterned on the One-Child Tea Room (which, btw, is open to anyone regardless of how many children you may have), here is The Health Care Professionals' Lounge.

Being something of a Room of Requirement, The Lounge has squashy sofas, a bar stocked with booze of all kinds, an Aga for tea, coffee or hot choc, and a pantry/ fridge for nibblies or full meals. Calories don't count here, neither does trans-fat, or food allergies, and there are no hangovers the next day.

Come on in and relax. There is only one rule here: no fisticuffs. We are here to vent and talk about the assorted difficulties of our jobs. If you're a patient, please remember that we give large amounts of our time and of ourselves to health care, and work within the limitations and the frustrations of the health care system (wherever we may live). Our jobs are rewarding but also exhausting, and we frequently question not only the system but also ourselves. If you've received bad care, please speak to the person responsible, or start another thread - this is not the place for it. We're here with our hair down (or up in curlers, or slathered in a masque) and our feet up. If necessary, we will borrow Mellors from the Tea Room to have trouble-makers firmly and politely ejected.

Cheers!

OP posts:
thumbwitch · 08/05/2009 11:25

lol JP - but in all seriousness, how do you trust his judgement if he has these bigoted opinions on something he clearly knows NOTHING about? I'd be pushed to believe he does his research properly in any field... but I am very cynical

Jacksmama · 08/05/2009 14:08

Hi all, will be out at a continuing education conference all day - I'll be the one in the back of the room reading my e-book while pretending to take notes... if I hold the little stylus that comes with the e-book it really looks like I'm paying attention... (this was a birthday gift from DH and it's been a brilliant present so far!!!)
Sadly, this is not one of those continuing ed courses that will actually do me some good... I'm only taking it because I need four more credit hours and the timing and location was handy. It's being put on by the Workers' Compensation Board (which usually spells 8 hours of stultifying boredom), but one of the speakers is a well known and very excellent physiotherapist in this area , and DH actually did some of his training with this guy so I'm interested in what he'll have to say.

Otherwise, I am tired and there is not enough caffeine in the world this morning. Jackbaby had a very restless night. Poor little man. He's still suffering from jet lag too. It seemed like he was nudging me and pecking around for boobie every hour last night. (Yes, we're those make-a-rod-for-your-own-back co-sleeping types...)

Have a good day all!

OP posts:
JollyPirate · 08/05/2009 17:06

He is editor of Mens Health magazine apparently .....

I like him but he's a typical bloke who doesn't believe in anything airy fairy. Having said that he DID (believe it or not) suggest a chiropractor when I had anxiety issues. Perhaps he has been educated since the time of writing the column...

thumbwitch · 08/05/2009 17:18

lol - you have to hope so!
nothing airy fairy about chiros, as you'd know if you have seen one!

nevergoogledragonbutter · 08/05/2009 18:56

Right ladies, here's a little agenda for change mystery for you.

i am currently band 6, lower end.
i have been offered a band 5 post, the pay point i am currently on is also on the band 5 scale too.

not only have they not offered me my current pay, they have offered me a lower pay scale.

what's even weirder, is that the offered pay point is even lower than i was on in my previous band 5 job that i was doing before my band 6 one.

can they do this?
do the skills and experience i've gained count for nothing?

i don't know why i bothered.

Northernlurker · 08/05/2009 18:59

bit of a tough day for me. Lots of Not Good things happening to sweet people. Hand me that plate of muffins will you?

Nobody else wanted one did they?

Ah

Well

Better luck next time eh?

treedelivery · 08/05/2009 19:02

Evening loungers.

Hmmm.....You can accept a band 5 I guess. The full agenda for change is available in pdf on the nmc site which should answer this. Also google the nhs employers handbook which if you can find it has all our employment rules in.
Harriet in colicky place [hell] so off to do her feet! Thanks thumbwitch!

Northernlurker · 08/05/2009 19:02

Oh and the A4C thing - they've got that wrong surely! They will have to offer you Band 5 salary because that's the banding for the post but you should be going in at the point you're at now or one higher - NOT lower! you skills etc that you have don't actually count (oddly enough) because the banding for the post is based on the skills needed for that post - therefore they assume that you only have the skills for band five. Your band six skills are effectively surplus to requirement - sorry about that

nevergoogledragonbutter · 08/05/2009 19:07

i absolutely refuse to take a pay cut.

treedelivery · 08/05/2009 19:13

This is where the answer is but I can't get it to download for me. here

Weren't there a few managers in here?? They might know.

nevergoogledragonbutter · 08/05/2009 19:15

you want me, you pay me, got it, good.

sazlocks · 08/05/2009 19:18

hello - I am late joiner - NHS manager as well but please don't hold it against me
Not sure I know the answer to the A4C question but I suspect its similar to what Northern Lurker says
Hope you all had better days than I did. Lots of faffarama, paperama and dramarama. Whether any of it will make a difference to anything to do with anything is a question I don't have the will left to answer !

treedelivery · 08/05/2009 19:19

Or NHS personel/hr body - now that would rock!

Northernlurker · 08/05/2009 19:20

They can't pay you at your current band - sorry - the job they are offering is a 5 therefore you are a 5 - but you shouldn't be earning less! (why have you applied for a 5 when you're in a 6 post now?)

treedelivery · 08/05/2009 19:20

Sazlocks - lol ar the rama trilogy!

ProstetnicVogonJeltz · 08/05/2009 19:21

evenin all.
who's working tomorrow?
I have the delights of 5 hours of parentcraft. hurrah. pass the wine.

nevergoogledragonbutter · 08/05/2009 19:23

my current pay point is on the overlap between band 5 and band 6.

i've applied for it as I want to relocate to the area.

the manager employing me is on my side and wants to pay me more.

the final salary will affect my ability to get a house there as I am the main earner.

hairycaterpillar · 08/05/2009 19:32

...seems to be mainly managers and physios in here?!?

Notice noone from my profession has "outed" themselves yet!

Northernlurker · 08/05/2009 19:37

Looking at the pay bands I think they should be offering you 24,831 or possibly 25,829. You can't have 26,839 because you haven't reached that point on your current band. If they are offering you 20,710 they are definately wrong - that would be the starting point for somebody new to the band - you aren't 'new'. In the nicest possible way of course the manager wants to pay you more - you're still a bargain find for her!

They could put the post in for rebanding and make sure it has enough stuff in it to get a 6 that time round? Then you could keep progressing up the 6 scale - as things stand you'll be running out of headroom quite soon.

treedelivery · 08/05/2009 19:37

Are you a doc?

nevergoogledragonbutter · 08/05/2009 19:41

they are offering £23k
an oversight?

hairycaterpillar · 08/05/2009 19:46

Thanks for the cushion treedelivery.

Northernlurker · 08/05/2009 19:46

Middle of the band then? I think they're trying it on tbh. They don't get your experience by offering less than your current point - in an ideal world you should go up 1 point because your increment date will shift to the new start date so you've got to work a whole year before it goes up agian. I think if you want to move there you need to take the match and then push for rebanding because you will (I assume) be working at a band 6 level - it's kind of hard to forget you know information and strategies etc isn't it?

treedelivery · 08/05/2009 19:49

no anxiety required - this is a lounge of peace and karma. And occasional rants after bad days.

Have a galss of wine and a nibble.

nevergoogledragonbutter · 08/05/2009 19:53

yes, not sure how it works.
if i'm paid as less competent/experienced , should i work to that level as that's all i'm being paid to do. should i start slacking at around lunchtime and behave less knowledgable?