I worked a double yesterday and today I called out!

Specialties Geriatric

Published

I'm just venting so please do not feel obligated to read this booklength post.

I had the worst 16 hours yesterday.

I was off on Thursday and as soon as I walked in on Friday (3-11pm) the DNS said she wanted to speak with me. I was a little confused because she started talking about how when a new admission comes in we have to pick up orders etc. So I was like "We have a new admit?" I'm new but that's nursing 101 new admit...pick up orders....it's not rocket science. Anyway, I told her I was off on Thurs and then she proceeds to tell me about the new resident. She closes the conversation by telling me that if I needed any medications they have an emergency box in the office so I should just call the supervisor. I'm thinking why would I need medication from the office? I should have dug deeper but like a dummy I let it go at that.

Next before I left the office she asked me if I would work 11-7am on another floor and I (stupidly) agreed even though I did a double 2 days ago. There is a lot of pressure to pick up extra shifts, typically I am asked 4-5 times per week and I say no a lot but this time I said yes because I was a little intimidated that the DNS was asking and I feel guilty for always saying no.

Big mistake.

Anyway I get to my floor where total and utter chaos are in progress. The nurse manager was off and the regular day shift nurse called in. Would you believe that before they left on the Thursday (my day off) that those two characters (I would really like to use another name) did not bother to pick up the orders for new admit? They didn't even bother to fax them to the pharmacy...they did nothing and this admit came in before 2pm. The NM works from 8-4pm and the day nurse usually stays until that time or later because she comes in late every single day.

My thinking is that they thought I was coming in and they planned to just leave it all to me to do which they have done before. It was my day off though and the nurse that came on was agency. She refused to pick up those orders and then when the night nurse came in (also agency) she also refused to pick up those orders. So our new admit had NO medications, and she has COPD and is supposed to be receiving regularly scheduled treatments, she is also on percocet and she had NO pain medication until I CAME IN ON FRIDAY!!!! *&$*&@!! :madface:

They got two staff people from another floor to work the day shift (Friday) and they "supposedly" cleaned up the mess but trust me it was far from cleaned up when I got there. The lying good for nothing SOBs claimed that they did everything dressing changes etc. Ha! dressings were caked on with tons of all kinds of drainage, obviously they hadn't been changed since the day staff left on Thurs more than 24 hours ago. The off-going nurse was so bold as to ask if I could do a 10am dressing for her because that was "only one" she didn't get a chance to do. :rolleyes: They also only bothered to do half the admission (just the med stuff) and left all of the consults for me to do. :madface:

The incontinent residents were soaked in urine and feces. The lunch trays were not picked up and the CNAs just piled them into the 1 working water fountain. The new admit is sharing with my most difficult resident who was OOB in her WC screaming for a nurse at the top of her lungs. They swapped out Ms. Difficult's bed for the new admits (I don't know why they did this) and housekeeping had no mattress for her. Then the supervisor (lazy wench) tries to come onto the floor and push some more work on me...the pharmacy is having issues with the triplicate RXs (I have more narcs than any other floor in the building) and she is so busy maybe I could take care of it? (NO!) Also they are having problems getting the lab results (due on my day off btw another thing blown off by the Thursday people) for a Vanco trough for a resident with MRSA....if the lab doesn't call back would I be so kind as to call them and then call the doc? They took the nebulizer away from my sickest COPD resident's (who is confused and non-verbal) and gave it to the new residents cuz they were too dang lazy to get another one so they just take from those who cannot complain and give to those who might be able to get on their Cell and call the family. So that poor resident had no treatments all day shift and goodness knows for how long before that. I could hear her wheezing from all the way down the hall as soon as I got off the elevator.

The porters get me a new bed and all seems well until a CNA points out that we have no siderails. The porters try to blow me off cuz it's Friday and after 5pm but I know that if I don't get this done it will not get done by the skeleton crew we have on weekends. They bring us siderails but they don't fit the new bed and there are no more working beds in the place. They would have to bring one in from another facility and in the meantime just push the bed against the wall and use gym mats.

The drama went on and on with the bed and the screaming resident....I thought my head was going to explode. Not to mention that my back ached from changing her dressings while bending over her non-working bed while she was screaming and carrying on about everything that was wrong. To top it all off I had another shift to work? I know I wasn't duped into it but damned if I didn't feel that way last night.

I managed to survive and headed to another floor for my second shift. My goodness! I thought my floor had more than it's share of psych residents but it was nothing to what I had to deal with on the floor I did my extra shift on. Each and every single person on that floor is a psych patient....no lie and there is one registered sex offender who the CNAs advised me to watch because he might try to get touchy feely. I had the creepiest night....the overwhelming majority of the residents on the floor are male.

I was stared at all night by one male resident who pulled up a chair across from the nurses station and just stared at me without speaking. In the AM when I was doing my med pass another followed me all through the halls and kept getting so close he pressed up against me a few times and I had to keep chasing him off.

I was actually in fear for my safety on that floor and I am truly P.O'd to the point of wanting to snatch someone bald for not giving me a heads up about that floor.

I got home at 7:30am and at 8:30am I called in.

Right now I don't care if my calling in is just making things worse. I cannot face another shift in that hell hole on less than 8 hours sleep. Especially when I know that this is the day nurse's weekend off and the agency nurse who is coming in will do nothing so I

will be in the same predicament I was in last night. I cannot deal with that screaming difficult resident (of all the people who this had to happen to why THIS particular resident?) who is still lying in a broken bed with no side rails screaming, "NURSE! NURSE! Where's the NURSE? This is abuse!" when I have just left her room and haven't even made it down the corridor yet. I cannot deal with another shift with our incompetent new supervisor who is a friend of the DNS and was brought in to replace the old competent supervisor who was let go because of "nursing politics."

If you read this far thanks for letting me vent, because non-nurses (like my spouse) just don't get it.

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Specializes in Nursing Home ,Dementia Care,Neurology..

OMG and are you still sane!:no::smackingf After a double shift like that I think I would have resigned!I hate it when quite obvious things have not been done yet they tell you it has.Rest and recover ,my friend,for tomorrow is another,hopefully better,day.

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Wow I feel for you. I thought my night sucked until I read about yours!!! Good for you on calling out, I would have too!!! But next time just say no. It's just like Drugs, they are bad for you, Just say No. So is working in these conditions!!! Just say No

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Specializes in Case Management.

Thank you for reminding me why I got out of bedside nursing and why it was a good thing. You are an awesome nurse and don't feel guilty for calling out after the hellish 16 hours you just spent there. Get some rest.

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Specializes in med/surg/tele/neuro/rehab/corrections.

I like your comment "snatch someone bald". haven't' heard that one in a while.

A wise nurse told me once that whenever she was asked to work a double she only agreed if she could have the next day off. Usually her supervisor would agree.

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I am sorely surprised you didn't find yourself bald after that nonsensical mess! If I were you I might come down with a 48 hour flu bug! LOL. Ya know there is being helpful, and then there is being taken advantage of....This is on the verge of teetering over a 2000 foot cliff SCREAMING out "advantage"!

Bless you for hanging in there. I am still a student but we are doing clinical rounds at a LTC and those nurses go nonstop while we are there. When we get there, 2 days a week, it is like a beam of light shines in on their dark clouds. They weren't too sure of us, this is their first time with RN nursing students, at first, now they LOVE us!

My hat, cap, shirt, skirt, and scrubs are off to you and your fellow nurses who work these types of facilities. I could not in a million years do what I see done on a daily basis. This particular facility has started taking on travelers, I don't know if that is a normal practice or not, they seem to act as thought it is at least, new to this facility.

GOOD LUCK....

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I'm just venting so please do not feel obligated to read this booklength post.

I had the worst 16 hours yesterday.

Anyway I get to my floor where total and utter chaos are in progress. The nurse manager was off and the regular day shift nurse called in. Would you believe that before they left on the Thursday (my day off) that those two characters (I would really like to use another name) did not bother to pick up the orders for new admit? They didn't even bother to fax them to the pharmacy...they did nothing and this admit came in before 2pm. The NM works from 8-4pm and the day nurse usually stays until that time or later because she comes in late every single day.

My thinking is that they thought I was coming in and they planned to just leave it all to me to do which they have done before. It was my day off though and the nurse that came on was agency. She refused to pick up those orders and then when the night nurse came in (also agency) she also refused to pick up those orders. So our new admit had NO medications, and she has COPD and is supposed to be receiving regularly scheduled treatments, she is also on percocet and she had NO pain medication until I CAME IN ON FRIDAY!!!! *&$*&@!! :madface:

The incontinent residents were soaked in urine and feces. The lunch trays were not picked up and the CNAs just piled them into the 1 working water fountain. The new admit is sharing with my most difficult resident who was OOB in her WC screaming for a nurse at the top of her lungs. They swapped out Ms. Difficult's bed for the new admits (I don't know why they did this) and housekeeping had no mattress for her. Then the supervisor (lazy wench) tries to come onto the floor and push some more work on me...the pharmacy is having issues with the triplicate RXs (I have more narcs than any other floor in the building) and she is so busy maybe I could take care of it? (NO!) Also they are having problems getting the lab results (due on my day off btw another thing blown off by the Thursday people) for a Vanco trough for a resident with MRSA....if the lab doesn't call back would I be so kind as to call them and then call the doc? They took the nebulizer away from my sickest COPD resident's (who is confused and non-verbal) and gave it to the new residents cuz they were too dang lazy to get another one so they just take from those who cannot complain and give to those who might be able to get on their Cell and call the family. So that poor resident had no treatments all day shift and goodness knows for how long before that. I could hear her wheezing from all the way down the hall as soon as I got off the elevator.

Wow, I would be half tempted to report these nurses to the BON.
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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

And report the facility itself to Senior and Disabled Services.......

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

My heart goes out to you. That sounds like a nightmare. You shouldn't feel guilty about calling in at all. Get some rest and relaxation, it sounds like you need it. If I were you, I might even use the day off to start looking for a new job.

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Specializes in FNP, Peds, Epilepsy, Mgt., Occ. Ed.
If I were you, I might even use the day off to start looking for a new job.

There would be no "even" to it, I'd be looking for sure!

I would not do another double, no how, no way. Years ago when I did do the occasional double, I only did it in return for the next shift off. Doing a double and then doubling back is insane even if you have easy shifts; in your situation, I'm surprised you still knew your own name by the time it was over.

Don't do them any favors, document document document to cover your own behind with things not being done for days, and start looking for a new job!

Good luck!

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:D1---800 State!!!!!:

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Wow! I'm not even in NS yet but your post scared me! I thought people chose to be nurses because they want to help people in their hour of need, and when they are at their most vulnerable. It sounds like you are surrounded by nurses that have become callous and detached from their patients. Good for you for picking up the slack for these patients and good for you for calling out too.:wink2:

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