For everyone that works short-staffed

Paralyzed Toads

The six letter word
That managers hate,
UNSAFE is that word
That one can not placate,
Oh, they work up a lather
Gushing and spitting,
Just say the word UNSAFE
And soon you'll be quitting.

Somehow forced to depart
After a good sitting down,
With manager and two helpers
Angry faces with frown,
Claiming all sorts of avenues
That we should have tried then,
When seventeen patients
Had to wait in our pen.

UNSAFE is a value
A predictor of doom,
Where that one single straw
Busts the camel with a boom,
Where all hell breaks loose
Anarchy and disaster,
And our overtime hours
Are tallied much faster.

Yes, that six letter word
We're not supposed to speak,
Because Manager Betty
Says her knees get weak,
Applying that word
Might trigger an audit,
They're so fearful of that
While we would applaud it.

Salaries are at risk
When the powers that be,
Learn our clients aren't safe
Down in Unit 4 C,
Because corporate leaders
Try to hide all that stuff,
With Reimbursements at risk
They gotta play rough.

Whales are praising our efforts
Along with deer crossing roads,
Dogs flounder in the ocean
Along with paralyzed toads,
Advertisements at the ball-games
And billboards galore,
While there are not enough nurses
Back at the store.