Punished for good time management (Vent)

[SionainnRN]

I've had a bad week, high volume of patients, no room in the house so nothing really moves. And it seems because I have good time management skills I and others have to pick up the slack from certain nurses. I understand if you're in a one to one situation, but when you have three stable normal pts and I have five and I'm still doing half your orders, it ****** me off. I am all for helping out and working as a team, but when my charge is constantly telling me to do other peoples orders it kind of sucks! I'm tired of having to do triage two nights in a row because other nurses refuse to do it...how are you allowed to refuse your assignment? I'm just very frustrated after a bad week. Especially since it's always the same nurses who need help, but rarely lend a hand when you need it.

Rant over!

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

You are not the problem, the charge nurse is the problem.

Document, document, document, how the triage role is not rotated according to the staffing matrix and why not.

The faster you move, the more time you have to pick up the slack. This is NOT good time management if it leads to extra work .Focus on YOUR assignment, fluff and buff it to be busy.. they will use you and abuse you.... IF you allow it.

[joanna73, BSN, RN]

We all work with people like this, and it does get frustrating. Sometimes I pace myself on purpose.

Also keep in mind that if you are skilled at the job, people do take notice, so that's a positive.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

make it harder for your nurse manager to find you. do you charting at a different computer terminal, etc.

[SionainnRN]

There's really nowhere else for me to chart so that's out. At first I did take it as a compliment, especially when one charge tells me she's giving me the harder assignment because she knows I can handle it. But as this trend keeps going it's annoying me because these other nurses have decades of experience on me. But God forbid someone talks to them and tells them to start moving faster!

Luckily I'm leaving in 2 weeks to go to a big UC ER where they have strict ratios and everything!!

[Levitas, BSN, RN]

Maybe they're overloading you to give the veterans a temporary break since they know you're leaving? :)

"Hey, she's going to be gone soon anyways, why not give her a nice going away present in the form of a heavier workload?"

[SionainnRN]

Maybe they're overloading you to give the veterans a temporary break since they know you're leaving? :) "Hey she's going to be gone soon anyways, why not give her a nice going away present in the form of a heavier workload?"[/quote']

Nope. This has been going on since way before I gave notice. And the peoples loads I'm carrying aren't vets of the ER. They've been nurses for a long time but in the ER only for a year like me.

[Levitas, BSN, RN]

Well, you're leaving anyways, so I suppose it's moot to say, I still believe that there should be someone you could talk to about the situation. Whether it's requesting to call a meeting to discuss even delegation of assignments, or just personally talking to the Charge, and other nurses not pulling their weight.

Good luck on your new job.

[iluvgusgus]

Ha well their loss that you are leaving, who are they going to pick on next? Good luck with your new job.

[SionainnRN]

Thanks for the good wishes. I have a really hard time standing up for myself in these type of situations, but I will try the next 6 shifts if it starts happening again. If my manager wasn't so butt hurt over me leaving I would live to do an exit interview with her and tell her some of these things. Oh well. Hopefully things will be better at the new place, excited for ratios!!!

[Sassy5d]

I don't think you were being punished for good time management.

I've experienced this many times myself. In my experience, lots of times, it's 'friends' helping 'friends'. It's not 'Suzy nurse is drowning', it's 'let's make it easy for Suzy nurse'

[newway]

My suggestion is do more charting in the patients room, and less at the nurses station. when you chart in the nurses station you ppear available . when you chart in the room you appear busy.

[SionainnRN]

My suggestion is do more charting in the patients room and less at the nurses station. when you chart in the nurses station you ppear available . when you chart in the room you appear busy.[/quote']

Sadly that's very inconvenient, not all rooms have computers and it would take longer to log on and get things rolling than to actually chart!!