sorry everyone this is a rant.. i just got out of work. i work 3-11 @ an ltc.
on our unit we have 3 orderlies, me and 2 new nurses. me and 2 of my orderlies (i've worked with these 2 since i started and they are awsome) are there every night until 11:30 at the least working and trying to get stuff done. everyone else leaves promptly @ 11!! it's really getting on my nerves!!!
our unit is set up so we have 2 med nurses. each one gets a hall that has 20 residents. i take the harder hall because she refuses to take it, because the one night she did take it she screwed things up very badly. so i get the harder side.
so anyways.. tonight we had a pcn that does all the paper charting, treatments and tube feedings. all i had to do was my med pass and computer charting!!!!! i finished my med pass a little after 9pm and one of my orderlies asked me if i could give a resident a shower because she doesn't want men giving her a shower. me being my usual self said sure, i grabbed all the stuff and mrs. x and gave her a shower. after i'm done with her shower i get her a snack, help her into bed and then clean the shower room. not a big deal to me, it was fun!!!!
when i get back out to the nurses station the other med nurses screams at me "why are you giving showers that's an aides job you're a *bleep* nurse" :angryfire
i will do anything to help out the orderlies/aides i work with. whether it be helping with a 2 person lift, mechanical lift, taking someone to the bathroom, taking a person off a bed pan if i'm in the room, or even getting the residents into bed.
and then today was secretary's day. well i stopped at the store and got our unit secretary some fun stupid stuff: a survival bath kit, a stress ball, and glittery pen with feathers and sparkly things on it. just fun stuff and i signed the card saying to a fabulous unit secretary from your fabulous 3-11 shift! she got a kick out of it and so did everyone else, and yet the other med nurse was madder than heck.
and then to make matters worse: one of my residents turned 99 today, and she was all bummed out because she has no family. so i got her a birthday crown that said "birthday queen", and beaded necklace that had a shot glass on it saying "1 more birthday shot" and she thought it was hysterical, she loved it and she perked right up, her poa came in and he thought is was funny too.. and then for our other residents i brought in beaded necklaces and flower necklaces and it perked everyone up... the residents loved it, the men were telling people they went to hawii and got "leid" everyone has seemed so depressed and down lately on our unit and i had to do something, even if outsiders think it's stupid i know it means something to our residents... things just seemed better after all this, i don't know why but they were..!!! but of course the other med nurse was mad.. "you're a nurse you don't need to do this crap"
i take offense to this big time...
i'm here for my residents!!!! if they need something i will do my best to get it for them.... i already give them their pills and take care of them, so why not give them something to smile about and have fun with????
so did i miss a memo somewhere out there that said you can't have fun or make people happy and smile... or am i going about my job all wrong???