unfair assignment

Nurses General Nursing

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One of my coworker had a bad day, two of her pts are very difficult and demanding. When I came to work, the charge nurse assigned both pts to me and let her pick up an easy pts on my hall. so we are both split. I confronted the charge nurse and asked if there are any reasons why we are both split and why I have both of the difficult pts. Her answer is that she just want to give my coworker a break since she had a bad day. I really don't have problem taking on both pts and give her a break if they kindly let me know beforehand. I like both the charge nurse and my other coworker and feel bad arguing about pt assignment but feel that I deserve fair treatment.

Do you stand up for yourself if you think the assignment is unfair? Who you talk to?

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I don't understand how even under the best ideal circumstances you could know your assignment ahead of time?

Is this a long term care facility where they are the same patients every day? I guess that could make a little sense but do you want your charge nurse to call you at home before you leave for work? I don't know that any charge nurse would have time for that?

And in a med/surg unit where patients change hourly how could a charge nurse know assignments until she got into work and could get report and assess the staffing versus patient situation?

In the ideal world it seems the whole situation maybe could have been handled differently. In the ideal world if an assignment is unfair you take a deep breath, think out the problem logically, come to the charge nurse in a calm manner with the problem AND your idea for a solution. Even after the fact you could talk to the charge nurse at the end of the shift or next day again with what you saw as the problem AND how you think it could have been better handled.

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Part of working well with others is being willing to "take one for the team" sometimes. I think it's a very nice gesture on the charge nurse's part to give your coworker a break. I'm not sure how it works where you work that your charge nurse could notify you ahead of time. I'd just suck it up and do it, because some day YOU could be the one that has a hard day and needs a break, and you'd want your coworkers to pitch in and help you without making a big fuss about it.

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*someone* needs to be assigned the difficult pts. Maybe it was just your turn.

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On the med/surge floor you usually get the same pts if you work 2-3 shifts in the row. If the charge nurse was off and just comes back to work, he or she has no way telling how intense pts are. Maybe LTC is different setting.

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Specializes in Pediatric Cardiology.

It definitely happens on my floor. Sometimes we have a patient (or two) that need to be rotated between staff. To have them two or more days in a row is just too much. It may be the patient themselves or the family is just too exhausting.

In your case I do think the charge nurse could have spilt the two difficult patients between two nurses. It sounds like the she knew that these particular patients would be a lot for one nurse (evidence by needing to give the previous nurse "a break") so by splitting them you could possibly avoid the needing to give the next nurse (you) a break.

Sometimes though what's done is done and like a past poster mentioned you have to take one for the team.

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Hopefully you have been helpful to the other nurses in the past and where you work there is a culture of helping each other out. If your workplace is the kind where nobody is left to struggle while the other nurses sit around the nurses' station chatting, then maybe you will get a little help with the difficult patients.

As long as you are not always the one 'taking one for the team', that is fine.

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Sometimes you just get dealt a crappy hand and making a stink about it just isn't worth the fallout with your coworkers. Last night I had 2 CIWA, 1c-diff, 1 flu, and one clock watcher that was on the call light every 15 minutes.

I could have complained, but it wouldn't have changed anything. I made it through the night and my patients were all well cared for.

I go to work to work. I have never even one to cry unfair. Half the time I don't even know the extent of my coworkers assignments.

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

Why couldn't you each take one difficult patient?

I understand that she had a rough day with the two of them the day prior, but every work day isn't peaches and sunshine. You have to accept that some days will be a bit more trying than others. Did you get a pass the nest day because you had those two patients?

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

When there are difficult and demanding patients it is difficult to "divie" them up for no one wants them. We all want to come oin the next night and have "the same group"......at times that is not possible.

It' tough...and there is no right or wrong answer.......but involving you in the decision making would be nice.

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

When there are difficult and demanding patients it is difficult to "divie" them up for no one wants them. We all want to come oin the next night and have "the same group"......at times that is not possible.

It' tough...and there is no right or wrong answer.......but involving you in the decision making would be nice.

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Work your 12 hours and don't fight about the assignment. Don't. You might get dealt a bad hand sometimes, other times u will have the "easy" assignment. Nothing is more annoying then the one nurse who always complains about her assignment. From my experience the more you try to switch patients around or not take certain admissions that sound bad on paper, the more you'll screw yourself over in the end.

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