Stress, Stress

[RNSuzq1, RN]

Hi All, I'm one of those people that were "called" to Nursing, love caring for others. Candy Striper in HS, 6 yrs as a Navy Hospital Corpsman, some yrs at home when our kids were young & finally Nursing School and my RN. My Dream/Goal was to be a Peds Nurse. No Peds jobs when I graduated, so I took a Med/Surg position for the experience - planned on staying a year and go into Peds. All the Peds jobs wanted people with experience, couldn't get experience without working in Peds - catch-22. So, 5yrs later, I'm still working Med/Surg, our floor just opened a tiny Peds wing, rarely any peds pts, but it's a start, still continue to apply for positions in other facilities that are strictly Peds.

Our Med/Surg floor isn't really Surg, considering most pt's are admitted with chest pain along with a myriad of other chronic diseases. They should re-name us the Cardiology/Diabetic/Geriatric floor - but none of us are Cardiology Nurses, so it's just a catch-all. All this time, I've been the weekend nights Charge. Day shift Charge has NO Patients, I have the same amt of pt's as the rest of the night crew, take admissions like everyone, along with the Charge responsibility- doing staffing, dealing with probems, going to Codes, taking over for the Secretaries when they're sent home at 3am due to decreased census. Never fails, the minute the Secretary clocks out, they're sending us more admissions - that would require her to stay. For all this extra agony, I'm paid a Kings Ransom - $1.00/hr. Yes, that is 1 Dollar an hour.

I've begged, pleaded with my Mgr to get some of the other Nurses to take turns being Charge. I was told to start orienting them to the position. They all said - Hell NO, they don't want the STRESS, I'm doing a good job, shut up about it. I don't want the STRESS either - I'm the oldest person on our shift, my BP is now scary HIGH and a few times in the last few months, when I've been totally overwhelmed, I've broken out "head to toe" in Hives, swelling face, burning skin. Went to the ER 1st time it happened, can't repeat what my BP was, got benadryl and told to de-stress my Life - Really?

The other night - I'm not only Charge, told 5 seconds after getting off the elevator, I've got 6 pt's, along with the 1st admission, who just rolled up from the ER & asking for pain meds. I had a full-load of pt's, all my charge stuff to do - a new admit on top of that was too much. An hour into it, I was covered in Hives, BP was crazy high, I took a benadryl, got sleepy, but with no help in sight, just kept working. HELP - I Love Nursing, but if something doesn't change, I'm gonna be a patient myself.

[DixieRedHead, ASN, RN]

Hello, what part of Charge Nurse do you not understand? DELEGATE!!!

As charge nurse you should not be doing any unit secretary work.

Take a full load of patients but assign admissions on a rotation that does not include yourself. Oh yeah, they are going to kick like mules and go to administration about it, so what?

Assign a "Code Nurse". Let that person respond to codes.

Oh and you were told to "start orienting them to the job" and they said 'NO'? (read insubordination)

"Nancy Nurse tonight, you will be orienting to charge."

Once they see that you are not touching your toes and taking it, they may be in a better mood the assist you.

Yeah, I'm a Crust Old Bat, and I like it.

[RNSuzq1, RN]

Hey, Crusty Old Bat

I totally agree with everything you posted. 2 of the people I went to about orienting to Charge are officially PRN status, but have worked the same full-time, weekend night shifts with me for the last 5yrs. They said, because they are only PRN, they shouldn't have the same responsibilities as the rest of us & straight-up refused or they'd quit. They don't get benefits, but make a hell of a lot more money than us & after 5yrs, should be pulling their fair-share of the load. I went to the Mgr. about this & got shrugged shoulders and Oh Well, we'll have to think of something else.

About delegating, I'm sick to death of doling out the jobs & hearing grown women whine & cry about things being unfair. We lose our night Sec. all the time & where I work, the Charge is required to pick up that job. Re: admissions, we are also required to take them - no getting out of that. I told the Mgr. this week, I wasn't given a choice to be Charge, just thrown into it & she needs to throw someone else into it, because I'm just not doing it anymore, it's not worth the Pain.

[Marshall1]

Tell your director what you have posted here and that for your physical and emotional health you cannot be charge any longer..if they persist you can continue and accept the situation, find another position elsewhere or resign if you can afford to until you can find something else. I do not think a job of any kind is worth long term stress/physical health issues. As long as you are willing to do the job, they are going to give it to you. Take care of yourself!