Apr 08, 2008 02:45 PM - Hi,
Thanks a lot for reminding we nurses to adequately nurse our selfs .We are always on the move to care for others but ourselfs.
Thanks

Apr 09, 2008 11:54 AM - Holding it in may be the best idea if you want to keep your job. I reported my nurse manager to HR sending innappropriate emails that to me, as well as other questionable behavior--they put him through "additional " training, which stopped the behavior. However, now I am being treated like some kind of criminal, by the manager and the director of nursing--He talks bad about me behind my back-yes it always gets back to me. And leaves me out of just about everything UNLESS their is something he wants to reprimand me for. Now he intimidates me and is so assumptive about everything. He never listens to staff-he answers questions and makes assumptions before he even knows the problem. Should I be looking for another job? I love the job I have, but he has turned other staff against me as well and Iam afraid it will just get worse.

Apr 10, 2008 08:10 AM - Dear 5yrsdiasspointed,

Your manager is threatened by you. He is of the class of humans who haven't the courage to admit their shortcomings. And were he too, he doesn't have the class to do anything about it.

Also, the righteousness of your behavior more brightly illuminates the mediocrity of his.

You will never change him and any efforts to do so will be seen as weakness in his eyes.

You can simply do your job and remind yourself it's not about him but about your patients.

I'm not sure how he has turned other staff against you. But if it is by simple false rumoring, and the staff knows otherwise by your daily behavior yet they choose to backslide into Jerry Springer-type mentalities, but may become increasingly difficult for you to tolerate it.

Me, I would write to the CEO citing the abuse--already documented--and the continuing abuse. Your language has to be compelling incise, powerfully persuasive. If both your manager and the director of nursing are behaving in such an unprofessional manner can the facility risk their foolishness in these times of nursing shortages. The facility's chief might want to know about it

Of course, you risk it all by writing the CEO. He/she may unceremoniously have to canned. You could sue them for unwarranted firing if you have properly documented the episodes.

If you are mad enough and can get another job, you may try the road of courage route. Or you could transfer off the floor. But the director of nursing will still be your superior.

I wish you luck,

Let us know what happens

Apr 15, 2008 08:05 PM - yeah this job is really stressful even if your still a student good thing i've got hobbies like my band
great article it should be stickied

Apr 16, 2008 12:17 PM - I am THE triage nurse for an ER that sees (usually) at least 80 people during my 12 hour shift and I triage 80% of them. Many times we are full to the brim in the back but the patients just keep on coming. There have been times when I have 20 people I've already triaged waiting in the waiting room on a bed in the back. I'm responsible for all those people. It can be very nerve wracking, especially if I have kids with untreated fever or someone in great pain like a kidney stone, or maybe a brittle diabetic that hasn't told me they're diabetic. Had that happen last week, had a whole group of people sign in all at the same time... when I got to this lady the only thing really odd was that her temp was 94.5. I sent her back and instructed the tech to check her blood sugar, it had fallen from 300 to 53 in two hours! I've seen this several times with hypoglycemic diabetics.

Apr 16, 2008 09:00 PM - Thanks for your suggestions Nurse_Advocate and interleukin! Great tips from experts! Just graduated from my second course which is nursing this March. Although I don't have any experience yet when it comes to being an RN, I had experienced some of those stressful situations during our clinical rotation as a team leader. Though we can do multi tasking in other things, when it comes to our patients it should be one at a time to ensure their safety, we could always say no to other responsibilities that we cannot handle at the moment and do it later on. One thing that I appreciate the most is that we shouldn't let the situation take on us but rather we should control the situation, it is where leadership and management plays a good role. And of course don't deprive yourself of the privileges of a human being such as eating, it will just reduce the concentrating and thinking capacity of your brain.

Thanks again for your advices, I'll really share it to my friends... God bless you!

Apr 20, 2008 01:08 PM - well done

i will try it

Apr 20, 2008 04:34 PM - Great article! I am getting very burned out after many years in Acute Care. Not enough staff to cover for breaks. More and more hoops to jump through. Nursing has changed alot over the past 26 years. Trying to find something different. I wonder if that will help the burnout.....

Apr 20, 2008 06:09 PM - Thank You for the encouragement words... That is so true we as nurses always taking care of other people that we tend to forget about ourself....We need to take better care of ourselves so that we can take care of our patients...