Saturday I worked with the worst crew. The staff at the desk was yukking it up all day. You can hear them from all the way down the hall- laughing, joking, a few cuss words thrown in here and there. I can hear them making fun of one of the patients because they can smell her stool from the desk. The aide goes on break 2 hours into the shift and is sitting there eating donuts and ignoring call lights.
Their attitude seems to be contagious and next you know PT is over there yukking it up and not doing their job. Then you have an LPN mosey over there and sit while her RN is busy trying to help one of their patients who is vomiting and blowing PVC's. I ask the aide to help out a patient while I get vitals and settle in a new admit (she is supposed to do this- but cannot seem to understand that she is supposed to be working) as she goes to put said patient on a bedpan she makes a joke about gluing the bedpan to her behind. I ask LPN to assist her RN. She rolls her eyes to the others and slowly makes her way down the hall-for now.
So me and the other RN are running our butts off. We both explain to the aide her duties and responsibilities. She agrees to help out more- then can be found back at the desk yukking it up while call lights are lit up like a Christmas tree. There are now 5 staff members at the desk- while 2 RN's work their butt of on the floor. Supervisor called but cannot come down because she is tied up. Continues like this most of shift.
I am discouraged, I am disgusted. I am not a martyr but I believe that we are here to help our patients and to do our job. I have been accused of being to serious at work by these very people. I do not have time to sit with them- I do not want to sit with them- and I know they can feel this.
At the end of the day- their are 2 RN's in the supervisors' office with incidents report in hand. I hope supervision takes them seriously. I hope our patients are getting better care and the last laugh today.
