Never enough-vent

[anotherone]

I am just writing this thread to vent since I have no where else to turn to regarding this or other nursing matters. It might not make much sence since I am not the best at expressing my feelings etc......I am a newer nurse ( 5 months on a med surg floor). Sometimes we are very short staffed. Today we were short one aid and a nurse. Anyway, a pt's family member yelled at me because his/her family member had not had, and I quote, "am care done yet and I thought nursing care was better here" at the time it was 9am. I was still finishing my assessments and 0800 med pass. Frankly, that was low on my priority list. I hate being thought of as a bad nurse because of this when I was RUNNING AROUND trying to finish my med pass, deal with other issues, had done am care on other pts. Etc...... I HATE this part of the job the most. It is never enough. I can never do enough. One time a pt's visitor complained because I didn't get the group of 5 visitors chairs fast enough...(took ten minutes). COME ON ! I have to actually FIND the chairs, drag them there...etc and if I can tell from the hallway that another of my pt's needs to have their trach suctioned, then that IS THE PRIORITY. not chairs for visitors......... I have worked with the public in all my other jobs but as a nurse this really gets to me.

[StNeotser, ASN, RN]

However, like this week it backfired. One patient said "I don't care about your other patients."

It just reminds me how awful some patients can be.

I am one person, caring for several. I can't do it all.

Yes, I had a patients daughter tell me this when not only was her room mate complaining about her mothers loud TV but the patients in the next room were too.

She said "for the amount of money we're paying I don't care about the other patients" I told her for the amount of money all three of the other patients were paying, I had to.

[McGyverRN]

Welcome to the jungle;.

My favorite work song!

[highlandlass1592, BSN, RN]

Seen on a co-workers coffee mug, "I'm here to save your ass, not kiss it!"

Uh, I have that on a tshirt..but don't wear it to work. probably should. LOL

[JBudd, MSN]

In the ER, I tell people we had a trauma or serious emergency down the hall, then smile and say "around here, you DON'T want to be the patient with the most attention."

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

thanks to everyone who replied. i have been working the last few days and haven't had a chance to reply. maybe the pt had a point but what gets to me is that i get blamed for it when i have no control over the staff levels. i can only move so fast. i already speed down the halls as do my co-workers. i don't see myself staying in nursing for long cause i am sick of it already.

and we get blamed when the television doesn't work, the lunch trays are late or the cafeteria doesn't serve anything johnny likes. maybe if we all directed those sorts of complaints up the line to those who can actually do something about it . . . .

just sayin'

[I_OYVEY]

I've never understood why nurses don't just come out and tell patients the number of staff on duty and the number of patients each nurse is responsible for. I know, I know, we're not supposed to do it, and I know it can sound like just another excuse. But what else is the patient expected to think when we allow them to believe there's plenty of staff, other than that the nurses are lazy, uncaring or have no idea what they're doing?

If I was a patient, I would far rather be told that there's only x number of nurses for y number of patients and there's been an emergency down the hall, and know that THAT is why the nurse hasn't time to help me with a wash yet. There are ways of saying this that are respectful to the patient, and don't make them feel frightened or unimportant. I think sometimes we listen to these complaints over and over, feeling unable to defend ourselves, until the stresses of the day or the ridiculousness (if that's a word lol) of the little complaints get the better of us, and unfortunately we say something we shouldn't or say it in the wrong way.

Maybe if patients knew the staffing realities they would start saying "the nurses did their best but there wasn't enough of them", rather than "the nurse took forever to get my visitor a chair".

My hospital does that, the nurses will tell you they are short on the floor, they will send in a CNA to see if they can be of any help and it is appreciated. I would never dream of asking a nurse to get me a glass if water or a blanket or get something for my visitors, if they are not prepared when they arrive oh well. I try very hard to be mindful that the nurses are very busy and are not there to keep me entertained rather to help me get well. I write down questions as I remember them and once during the shift I ask the CNA to give my questions to the nurse and respond if needed or appropriate. Makes my stay so much easier on me and nurses alike.