Punished for good time management (Vent)

Specialties Emergency

Published

Specializes in Emergency Room, Trauma ICU.

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!

Specializes in Family practice, emergency.
... it's always the same nurses who need help, but rarely lend a hand when you need it.

Exactly as you put it.

Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

Been there...done that....join the group...((HUGS))

Your doctors don't put in orders or did I miss something?

Keep yourself busy and don't help. I don't see how you can start helping someone who has three stable when you have five. Use that time to render 'relationship centered care' to your five pts. You are encouraging poor time management skills when you keep helping. And the charge nurse should be the one helping.

yeah, I would get real good about not being available, lol.

Your doctors don't put in orders or did I miss something?

Keep yourself busy and don't help. I don't see how you can start helping someone who has three stable when you have five. Use that time to render 'relationship centered care' to your five pts. You are encouraging poor time management skills when you keep helping. And the charge nurse should be the one helping.

Another way to approach this (since nothing is likely to be done to correct it) is to look at it as "work to be done" rather than "work that Sally didn't do". You are there to work during your shift, it really makes no difference where that work originated. If Sally is satisfying her supervisor with lower standards there probably isn't much you can do (besides taking the advice to make yourself otherwise busy). See how long it takes mgmt to figure out that Sally's low standards have affected the entire unit.

Specializes in Emergency Room, Trauma ICU.
Your doctors don't put in orders or did I miss something? Keep yourself busy and don't help. I don't see how you can start helping someone who has three stable when you have five. Use that time to render 'relationship centered care' to your five pts. You are encouraging poor time management skills when you keep helping. And the charge nurse should be the one helping.

The docs put in orders. I'll be sitting to chart and my charge nurse tells me to clear their flags cause I've got to help them. Always great when I have almost double their pt load. And it's not like they're stuck in a one to one sitch with a critical pt. nope they are just really good at looking busy.

Specializes in Emergency Room, Trauma ICU.
Another way to approach this (since nothing is likely to be done to correct it) is to look at it as "work to be done" rather than "work that Sally didn't do". You are there to work during your shift it really makes no difference where that work originated. If Sally is satisfying her supervisor with lower standards there probably isn't much you can do (besides taking the advice to make yourself otherwise busy). See how long it takes mgmt to figure out that Sally's low standards have affected the entire unit.[/quote']

Yes but then I'm stretched way too thin with my five pts and taking over their two pts cause they're slacking. I have no prob picking up the slack if their pt gets critical but when they have three stable easy pts and can't get their orders done it ****** me off.

Forgive me if it isn't my place to say this, especially since I have no real experience, but, wouldn't it be better to explain your frustration to the nurse(s) that are causing you this woe?

Do people still do that? Talk out their issues with one another? Would I be overstepping my boundaries if I did that when I get out in the field? I don't know if I could go on through an entire shift without letting someone know something like that.

Specializes in Emergency Room, Trauma ICU.
Forgive me if it isn't my place to say this especially since I have no real experience, but, wouldn't it be better to explain your frustration to the nurse(s) that are causing you this woe? Do people still do that? Talk out their issues with one another? Would I be overstepping my boundaries if I did that when I get out in the field? I don't know if I could go on through an entire shift without letting someone know something like that.[/quote']

If it was a personal conflict then absolutely. But since these people are notoriously slow and it's my charge nurse telling me to do their orders there's not much I can do. I don't feel it's my place to tell them that they need to improve their time management. That's for the charge nurse to do.

If it was a personal conflict then absolutely. But since these people are notoriously slow and it's my charge nurse telling me to do their orders there's not much I can do. I don't feel it's my place to tell them that they need to improve their time management. That's for the charge nurse to do.

I think Levitas meant for you to speak with your charge nurse.

Also, I know it does not look like that right now, but see it as a compliment to your excellent time management skills:yes:.

"It isn't what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it."

Been there...done that....join the group...((HUGS))

Dang! My name taken in vain again ;)

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