Lab coat nurses.

[st4304]

Do any of you work at a hospital that is full of older nurses that walk around in lab coats, look important, have their own offices, seem to have the time to make it to every meeting and social function during the day, but you really have no idea what they actually do, but you are sure they make a whole heck of alot more money than you do, and probably haven't seen a patient up close for many years but still like to tell you how to do your job even though it's obvious they don't have a clue what nursing is like in today's reality?

Just curious.

Sherri

[fedupnurse]

Oh, Jeannie M???? I hate to inform you, but since you DO advocate for the staff, You, my friend, are NOT a lab coat person, even if you wear one. Pumps and Pearls, Clipboard people, Clickity-clacks, lab coat people, whatever you would like to call them fit the following description:

Haven't done your job since the pyramids were built but tell you how to do your job, pat you on the head and say "do the best you can " when they allow umpteen admissions on a inadequately staffed floor, or say if you are given lemons make lemonade, hide in their offices when the staff is drowning. Not only doesn't intervene but sides with those chewing out the nurse. Oh there are a million others but I think you get the point: I don't care what you wear, if you advocate for a staff nurse and for patients, you are NOT a clipboard person. YOU are an idol to staff nurses. We love people like you to be there to support us. Please, JeannieM, keep up the good work and keep advocating. I'd kill to have someone like you above me on the food chain!!!!!

[dianah, ASN]

To paraphrase something I read (somewhere, maybe here???): Rome didn't become mighty by holding meetings;

they just killed all who opposed them.

In our facility (and I'm NOT a supr or mgr) we're told the lab coats make us look "more professional." Maybe cuz the stains can be counted and distinguished one from another more readily . . .

JennieM, I agree w/above posters: keep up what yer doin'!! -- D

[pebbles, BSN, RN]

In my facility, the nurses on medicine wards wear labcoats to look "more professional'. They say this gives them equal power and status when dealing with doctors. I say Bullsh*t. You shouldn't have to "look like" a doctor in order to carry power or be seen as "more professional" when you work in a hospital, no matter what your job is.

[dianah, ASN]

Well said. Thanks for the balance. "It all depends on how you look at things." (song from old kids' skit, "Churkendoose") --- D

[st4304]

JeannieM-

I did not mean to offend! Where I work there are also alot of great nurses (CNAs, NPs, NMs) that wear labcoats and jump right in when needed and are quite capable of doing so! They are greatly appreciated and respected.

I refer to those that attend every meeting in the freakin' hospital and make decisions that will affect how I will be treating my patients, dressing myself (dress code recently changed to all whites because they thought it looked more professional...you know... like when they worked at the bedside), even what I say to patients (we have scripts). I once made it to a nurse practice council meeting and the labcoats, of course, were there. When one of the few staff nurses in attendance complained about a decision made at a previous meeting, they jumped on her that maybe more staff nurses should attend these council meetings and give their input. These meetings are once a month at 1:00 in the afternoon. When was the last time you could leave your patients for an hour and a half at 1:00 in the afternoon to attend a meeting? One time they even talked about forming a committee to look at why more nurses did not attend these meetings...I mean, that's who these meetings are for, the staff nurses, right?

There are two nurses I was specifically referring to in my original post. The other day I had to leave a message on one's voice mail, and when her recording stated her name and position, I still can not figure out what her title is or what it even means. I'm pretty sure it was latin for "Meeting Queen" or "I am a drain on the hospital's budget and no one in administration is noticing" or something along that line.

I think what prompted me to start this post is that I had a run-in with one yesterday, and she was so condescending to me. That really burns my butt.

Thanks for letting me vent.

I love all of you! Keep up the fight!

Your pal,

Sherri

[MQ Edna]

Thank you for your kind words, everyone, and sorry about the tirade. I don't ever want to be so far from the bedside that I deserve the resentment I've seen on this thread. It's just that, speaking as a "labcoat nurse", which I suppose I am in spite of your courtesy, I work with other "labcoat nurses", and I know how hurt many of them would be if they know how they are perceived by the staff nurses that they are, hopefully, advocating for. I fault these nurses for not letting you know exactly what their roles are, but I will also say this: if you see a "labcoat nurse" and you don't know what the nurse does, please ASK! A lot of them may not realize that you don't know what they do, and you may be surprised at what they actually are doing. Believe me: when I first started in this role, I collared nurses and begged for feedback; after all, how can I be effective as a nurse and patient advocate if I don't know what nurses and patients need? No one, not even a "labcoat nurse", wants to feel that she is ineffectual and her effort and time are wasted.

I will also add one other perspective: you have one thing that most "labcoat nurses" desperately wish they had, and that is job security. I know that I'm scared; I feel like I'm working hard (50-60 hours a week, salaried), and I feel like I'm accomplishing a lot. But the unfortunate reality is, patient and nursing advocacy doesn't translate directly into money in the hospital's coffers, and if the hospital is still using rotating tourniquets to treat CHF; well, tourniquets are cheap, so who needs updated policies? Sorry about another long post and thanks for your patience, and your support. :kiss I love this forum and the people on it. Jeannie

[disher]

Administrators, CNS and educators are new to us since we merged hospitals and their roles are not clearly defined. One thing I can say is they seldom have time for a break, that is why I see them carrying there often cold cups of coffee. They are at work the same ridicuously long hours as me,(often longer). When I don't see them in their offices I assume they are in meetings. Since decisions don't get made on there own, I'd rather that nurses who are interested in the organizational level discussions attends these meetings. I prefer to focus on the direct patient care level, to each his own.