Katie was disgusted with the situation she was in at work. She was seriously thinking about applying for the open RN position in the hospital’s ambulatory surgery center just to get away from Beth. Katie has been employed at Good Point Hospital for 10 years. She started in the housekeeping department but knew she wanted more. So she took advantage of the hospital’s tuition reimbursement program and returned to school to earn her nursing degree. Katie didn’t care that she was 39 years old when she went back school and that it took her 3 long years to earn her associate of science degree. It was worth the time and effort, although it was stressful working full time during the day in the housekeeping department while going to school, especially with three small children at home. But Katie’s husband Mike supported her, taking care of the children and household chores at night and on weekends so that she could attend class or study at the library. She felt very blessed that she could set an example for her children by being the first person in her family to earn a college degree. It has been 4 years since Katie became an RN, and she has enjoyed working in the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU)—until Beth joined the ICU nursing staff last year.

Mike could see that she was very upset. When he asked her what was bothering her, Katie said, “Beth has been working at Good Point Hospital for 2 years and in the ICU for the past year. I am now convinced that she has absolutely no work ethic. Maybe it’s part of her being in this new generation—her 24th birthday is next month. She spends half of her shift on the phone or texting with her friends. She calls in sick almost every other Monday or Friday when she is not scheduled for the weekend shift. She’s always complaining about how busy she is and how can the hospital’s administration think she can get all her work done in a 12-hour shift! Beth’s workload is similar to mine. In fact, I have more responsibility than she does, but I always seem to get my work done. Because she never finishes her jobs, it causes more work for me. For example, Beth is always the first one off the floor at the end of our shift and never completes her patients’ medical charts, so the nurses from the incoming shift have to ask me to bring them up to date on her patients before they start their shift. I don’t mind helping them out, but it usually takes at least 30 minutes, and since the hospital froze overtime, I don’t get paid to cover for Beth’s laziness!

Today she started whining that because I have seniority, I get first pick for vacation time and holidays. I tried to lighten the mood by saying that when I’m gone, she will have the seniority. I had to remind her that I’ve done my share of holiday shifts, and everyone has to work their way up the ladder. I’ve spoken to Terry, our manager, about Beth on numerous occasions, but I feel I’m wasting my time. He says he’ll talk to Beth, but he never does. I think he’s overwhelmed trying to manage the ICU along with the other two departments that were recently assigned to him. I just don’t know what to do since I’m not Beth’s supervisor. Beth has this attitude of ‘I don’t want to work, but pay me anyway.’ I’m so frustrated with the situation, I’m ready to leave the ICU!”

Using Adams’s Equity Theory, discuss Katie’s motivation to quit the ICU.