Need a hug

Nurses General Nursing

Published

I've had a rough few weeks. We are not staffed and the stress is causing me so much anxiety I am a mess. I leave each day knowing I did a crappy job. No lunch, no time to pee, and running my rear end off until I get in my car. My manager keeps saying she knows we are short, she knows we cant get it all done, just do our best. Well a family complained about me today. I wasn't quick enough, not attentive enough, too rushed. They thought I was the waitress yesterday while one of my patients was crashing. ( had an mi after arriving from recovery room). So when they complained, it hurt. I was not available for them. BUT, my manager called me in today to lecture me on " not letting the patient know we are short" by getting the meds quicker and answering the call light quicker. I need to " look less rushed and not look like I'm n a hurry". The family said they felt like they were not important because all the staff was with the crashing patient. I cried he while way home. I can't be everywhere at once. I physically can't keep up the pace we are at. And when you leave us THIS short, don't act surprised when people complain. Don't create a crap storm and blame me when it stinks.

I am officially burnt out. I just feel so defeated.

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{{{Beeker}}}. That being done..

"Don't create a crap storm and blame me when it stinks." ... is priceless.

So, what is your plan to exit the **** storm?

Please stop spending your energy on this useless situation, spend it on formulating a way out.

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How are you supposed to perform tasks quicker while still performing them to maintain patient safety? Med errors happen when we are rushed, and then we start cutting corners! I would be up front with the patients about having a lot of tasks to complete with not a lot of time, and the time you do have for them you want to make sure you're performing them appropriately and safely which is why you don't get a lot of bedside time to spend with them. That way when they complain they will say the hospital needs to hire more staff so they can feel safer with their care instead of saying "the nurse never spent time with me and looked rushed"

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I had work nightmares all night. I was hoping I'd be over it today, but I still feel awful. I need a change. If you keep doing what you are doing, you will keep getting what you are getting. And I dont like the person I have become. Frenzied, frazzled, anxious, and running around complaining. This is not who I want to be. Time to dust off the resume this weekend.

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

((HUGS)) I just don't know what management is thinking these days. How do you provide service when there is no one to provide the service.:no:

don't let those other selfish people define who you are.

If it is time to leave leave on good terms....never burn a bridge behind you and don't leave until you have a new position.

((HUGS)) cuddle up with a good movie in your jammies, a comfort food and your favourite beverage...wallow for a day. Then get up go back and move on....((HUGS)) we had ALL had those days.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

To OP - I'm wishing you that ((hug)), too.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

But I have a rant that you touched on and it really angers me. Why does managlement get sooo touchy about us being honest when staffing is short??? Like what's the big secret just to be honest with the pt/family/visitor???

A simple statement without the whining and complaining provides a simple explanation that everyone understands. EVERY OTHER BUSINESS has short staffing issues, from the too few checkout lines at the local ACME, to the a week from next Monday at the auto repair shop for a simple litebulb replacement, to the on-hold 'you're the 6th caller' phone wait, and they all let us know. We do understand. Not thrilled, but understand.

Just explain & apologize and make up for the delay as best as possible. But NOOOOOOOO! Managlement just wants us to hide it like a big secret. SO DUMB!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Didn't mean to steal OP's post. I feel for her. Bad enough that's she's having a BAD day, but to get her nose smacked with the newspaper and rubbed into it like a dog, that's unacceptable. And sadly, another example how healthcare is going down the tubes!

End of rant.

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Specializes in Trauma, Teaching.

{{{{{{{{BEEKER}}}}}}}}}}}}

I've had families say to me, "gee you guys are really running around hard today" with a lot of sympathy. Wish yours could see the same. They keep cutting us down and down so that we are literally running a trauma level ER with 5 nurses some nights. Insane!

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I just love how management handles these situations. Maybe instead of discussing the complaint with you they should take it to the higher level and fix the root of the problem- unsafe and short staffing. Its already been proved how unsafe staffing effects patient care. I feel us nurses need to do something about it. We need to get into politics and change the laws, otherwise we will always have this issue.

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I never would tell families/pts we are short. Didn't want to worry them and knew it is a no no . Well now on shifts like the ones you describe I refuse to be seen as a bad nurse when we are short 2 nurses and 2 aides. If management doesn't like, well I don't care. Not taking the blame for someone else's bad choices and business practices.

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Specializes in CCRN, ED, Unit Manager.

I never tell the patients we're short, but they usually comment to me "you people must be short" due to how we are running around.

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I'm sorry. It rolls downhill and when you're on the bottom, you get covered in it. That sucks.

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I have had patients ask why is it so hard to get a nurse to answer a call light. I apologize and explain what's going in from staffing issues to an emergency. If I were a patient t I would want to know the truth.

Sent from my iPhone using allnurses.com

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