Finding it hard to be positive

Guttercat, ASN, RN · Feb 29, 2012

And one more bit of advice- taking away your stethoscope/making you work nights/putting you on the PCT schedule- those things don't change the fact that you're a nurse... Caring for people and nursing judgement make you a nurse and no one can take that from you. Good luck! I hope you stay with it :)

^^^Seriously^^^? Newsflash, they did take that away from her.

There is positive thinking in your post to be found which I like, but conversely it's permeated with the "Nurse as Servant-Martyr" myth that continues to stink up our profession like a smelly old, wet rag at the bottom of the clothes pile.

She's an RN. They hired her as an RN. On days. They did an abrupt about-face and made her a tech. On nights, and without any promise or plan that I can see to get her back into her hired position.

Sometimes staffing issues require that we RN's work the floor as a tech, and that is not unreasonable and indeed a good thing, to keep us "fresh" in our skills.

If that is the issue at her workplace, then the other RN's need to rotate through tech duty as well.

How many hospital RN's would still show up to work if they were suddenly put on the schedule to work as a CNA with no end in sight?

ICAN! · Mar 1, 2012

I would like to be that person that hangs in there but yesterday evening was complete chaos! They have not taken away my stethoscope at all. I bring in a patient, do their assessment, have them sit in the chair while I take off another patient, have a machine waiting to be cleaned and strung up and more patients waiting to be let in the door to be weighed. I'm going to do the best I can do and that's it. There was a complaint yesterday from a patient who had to wait longer than she should have, but when you put an RN in a PCT capacity who has no experience in that capacity your going to have unhappy patients. No nursing duties have been taken away from me. I still do my own assessments, meds and monthly paperwork that has to be done by deadline. I'm getting very stressed out and am in tears on my way to work. Just can't believe this is happening.

Joni's Mom · Mar 1, 2012

What do the other nurses do while your doing all the work? How many nurses are on staff while your triaging, assessing, entering in the computer, putting on pt's, taking pt's off, giving meds, and charting just to name a few things? If your scheduled as a pct then how is it the RN scheduled isn't triaging, assessing and getting the pt's in the door and ushered to the chair? How many pt's are you in charge of, and how big is your unit? Are you doing the pod system where your assigned an X amount of pt's each. How long have you been there since you stated that you have minimal experience in pct capacity? Maybe management just wants you to become an experienced pct, so you can become a great team player (just grasping at straws)? Do the other nurses know how to function as an experienced pct?

I'm sorry this is happening to you.

ICAN! · Mar 1, 2012

Nurses that have been there since early morning are closing out first and second shifts. Evening charge nurse is doing assessments for 8 pts and putting on any catheter pts in her bay. I and one other nurse are assessing, stringing up machines, putting on pt's, taking pt's off, charting and giving meds in our bay; we each have 4 chairs. The new nurse helped with some of the machines and put in a new admit on computer but other than that I don't know what he did at the computer the rest of the evening. He did come around and documented team leader rounds on my patients then left.

I have been there 4 months and part of that was training and the other part hasbeen working as a registered nurse. Since orientation I have not cannulated a patient or set up a machine but have no problems putting on a catheter patient.

zorabanks · Mar 2, 2012

550Qb, I so agree with your advice. I too am new to dialysis and really like it, but I am worried a little about how it will be when orientation is over. What you said about gaining the respect of the TECHs 1st and then they will help you is true, but I wish it was not. I wish that people would respect you and help just because it is the right thing to do, regardless of what they think of you. After all it is the pt who suffers, while we go through this "rite of passage". I found this to be true in LTC as well. I always perserver, but that is one of the things that I hate! But anyway, good advice! :up:

OP Good Luck To You!

jdethman · Mar 5, 2012

this is a tough position, but it’s not unheard of. you will come to look at this time as a lucky break. during this time you will learn what the tech does; this will be invaluable later in your career. i can not stress enough how valuable the experience will be for you. years from now when you are the clinical coordinator or the manger, and you will be able to mentor technicians in a way most rn’s never will. you will never be the nurse with 10 years of dialysis that hand still shakes an easy cannulation.

ICAN! · Mar 9, 2012

I was offered a new job yesterday and my new schedule came out the same day. As soon as I saw my schedule I wanted to quit. Since I wasn't at work I threw a temper tantrum in the privacy of my own home, calmed down, and looked at the schedule again. He made me a closer and I thought you had to be checked off on the water treatment part to even do that. It's really true...... the job I was hired for (4/10s daytime job as an RN) is no longer part of the picture. The manager said there is an end in sight but I just don't trust him anymore. I told the other place that I would let them know on Monday so I can have time to really think this through.

Joni's Mom · Mar 9, 2012

An end in sight for what? So he knows he's been a jerk. Did he do this to all his new nurses or only you? How long of notice do you have to give 2 weeks or 1 month?

Good luck on your new job. Keep us updated.

missladyrn · Mar 9, 2012

I was offered a new job yesterday and my new schedule came out the same day. As soon as I saw my schedule I wanted to quit. Since I wasn't at work I threw a temper tantrum in the privacy of my own home, calmed down, and looked at the schedule again. He made me a closer and I thought you had to be checked off on the water treatment part to even do that. It's really true...... the job I was hired for (4/10s daytime job as an RN) is no longer part of the picture. The manager said there is an end in sight but I just don't trust him anymore. I told the other place that I would let them know on Monday so I can have time to really think this through.

What is the new job? If I were you I would take it. This manager of yours is a snake. As Maya Angelou says : When people show you who they are, believe them!