I Acted terribly unprofessional today...

Nurses Relations

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What I did today was just terrible, inconsiderate, and unprofessional. I did not think about the patient,nurses, or any other colleagues. Today I was assigned to work as a sitter ( which I don't like at all). The only thing I love about sitting is the fact that I'm able to take care of the patient. However, I go through so much as a sitter. Sitters are not treated with respect we are the at the very bottom of the health care team and treated as such. As a new grad, I'm so eager to do more... however I know thats not possible until I get licensed. Anyway, I go through alot emotionally just to sit. Sitters have to sit with the patient 12 hours and thats it. If the patient is busy then I love it, but when the patient is calm thats when it gets really boring. I'm a busy body and for me sit for 12 hours is just torture.

Anyway, today I was called to sit 7a-7p. I walk in the staffing office receive my assignment and walk out. When I walk out, I realize that I'm to sit with a pysch patient. All of a sudden, I can feel the blood rushing to my head and I felt whoozy. Psych is just not for me. I've worked as a sitter with a psych patient before and it really affected me pyschologically. So instead of just walking back into the staffing office and requesting another patient, I just ran out the hospital and broke down in my car. :bluecry1:A few minutes later I called my agency to let them know the horrible thing I did, and I also notified the staffing office.

I feel very bad and I even questioned if nursing was for me. I never thought I would do something so bad and unprofessional. I believe they were able to find coverage for the patient, but I still feel terrible.

Maybe nursing isn't for me....:confused:

Specializes in MSP, Informatics.
let me get this straight....you got a assignment that basically overwhelmed you..but took the assignment...went to your car and cried your eyes out by yourself away from your patient and everyone else. excuse me what so ******* unprofessional about that,.

I think the part about taking the assignment and taking off without doing the assignment. If I read the post correctly, the person did not go back in to sit with the patient. Or maybe I read that wrong.

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I look forward to getting pass this and making wiser decisions in the future. As for now... I don't think I'll be doing sitting for a while.

Please get some help with this because imvho avoiding it simply by not "sitting for a while" isn't going to help the original issue. As others have pointed out once you become a nurse issues like this could have a negative effect on your job and even your license as this would be considered abandonment.

I work mostly as a Sitter while I'm in school and the other day I was sitting with a Psych patient. I actually really enjoy it, but after sitting with them and interacting and trying to keep them calm for hours, it really puts you in a weird place. After leaving the room to go see other patients, I had a difficult time interacting with a "normal" patient after having interacted with the Psych patient for so long. And as scary as it is not knowing what the patient may do at any second, I still find that those patients are some of my favourites to get to interact with.

Specializes in icu/er ccrn.

im under the impression that she took the assignment and completed it, but felt she acted unprofessional by crying in her car...maybe i'm wrong.

let me get this straight....you got a assignment that basically overwhelmed you..but took the assignment...went to your car and cried your eyes out by yourself away from your patient and everyone else. excuse me what so ******* unprofessional about that, is it the issue that you dislike psych patients or is it that you broke down that make you think you were unprofessional? i guess noone on this board has never gotten to the point of breaking down for what ever reason. i would not worry about it, try to confront your fears if that wont work try like fire to stay away from sitting with psych patients.

im under the impression that she took the assignment and completed it, but felt she acted unprofessional by crying in her car...maybe i'm wrong.

i dare say that most of us have indeed, broken down at one time or another.

no one is questioning the op about that.

she didn't take the assignment, and notified her boss the very last minute.

leslie

Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.
What I did today was just terrible, inconsiderate, and unprofessional. I did not think about the patient,nurses, or any other colleagues. Today I was assigned to work as a sitter ( which I don't like at all). The only thing I love about sitting is the fact that I'm able to take care of the patient. However, I go through so much as a sitter. Sitters are not treated with respect we are the at the very bottom of the health care team and treated as such. As a new grad, I'm so eager to do more... however I know thats not possible until I get licensed. Anyway, I go through alot emotionally just to sit. Sitters have to sit with the patient 12 hours and thats it. If the patient is busy then I love it, but when the patient is calm thats when it gets really boring. I'm a busy body and for me sit for 12 hours is just torture.

Anyway, today I was called to sit 7a-7p. I walk in the staffing office receive my assignment and walk out. When I walk out, I realize that I'm to sit with a pysch patient. All of a sudden, I can feel the blood rushing to my head and I felt whoozy. Psych is just not for me. I've worked as a sitter with a psych patient before and it really affected me pyschologically. So instead of just walking back into the staffing office and requesting another patient, I just ran out the hospital and broke down in my car. :bluecry1:A few minutes later I called my agency to let them know the horrible thing I did, and I also notified the staffing office.

I feel very bad and I even questioned if nursing was for me. I never thought I would do something so bad and unprofessional. I believe they were able to find coverage for the patient, but I still feel terrible.

Maybe nursing isn't for me....:confused:

I think the biggest question you have to ask yourself...is why you assumed the worse before you even met the patient?

There is not an aspect of nursing, were the psychiatric aspects of patient care does not apply.

When you start nursing, you will not be able to pick and choose your assignments...you can refuse if it's beyond your skill level, but you can still be assigned if they help you.

It is something you seriously need to think about.

Specializes in Med/Surg.
I think the biggest question you have to ask yourself...is why you assumed the worse before you even met the patient?

There is not an aspect of nursing, were the psychiatric aspects of patient care does not apply.

When you start nursing, you will not be able to pick and choose your assignments...you can refuse if it's beyond your skill level, but you can still be assigned if they help you.

It is something you seriously need to think about.

I agree with this....how much did you even know about the patient, before you decided you couldn't do it?

We've all broken down, and had our moments...but aside from the fact that you'll need to deal with WHY this is so hard for you to do (or rather, impossible for you to do), why did you feel you could not, right then and there, tell them you could not do it, and request something else? Perhaps I am missing something.

Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

I hope everything works out for you and I would also suggest getting help and dealing with your past issues. I was admitted into a "behavioral center" (was mental patient facility) when I was 11 and I was also one of the youngest. I was in for anger issues stemming from a childhood of physical/mental and sexual abuse. I was in there for 2 months and it was the first year this facility was open so they were working out a lot of kinks and I was with some seriously mental patients (not meaning that in a mean way). It had a huge effect on me. It wasn't until I was 19 years old and pregnant with my second child that I finally got myself some serious help and dealt with everything from my past and I now look at life in a completely different way.

IMO there is no way to get around this situation even if you decided you don't want to be a nurse the problems are still there deep inside you, your only option is to let it over power you or deal with it and YOU take control.

Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

Most patients who need sitters have psych issues (or are confused due to some aspect of a physical illness). So, anytime you sit, you will probably be sitting with a psych patient or someone who isn't thinking clearly. It's so important not to say yes to an assignment and then walk out when you decide you just can't put yourself through the experience. You could lose a job or your license, when you have it, for doing this! Don't say yes just because you think you should. Tell the boss your worries and see if something can be worked out before you feel the need to leave.

I'm wondering if the "torture" of sitting for a long period of time is part of this too. I hate sitting. It drives me up one wall and down another. I don't think one person should be assigned to the same patient for a long period of time. It's just not logical and in my opinion, not good for either the patient or the sitter, especially if it's difficult for the sitter to be there.

As others have suggested, please get some counseling or therapy. You have some issues that will throw some bumps in your road to being the nurse you want to be. Please don't let them just sit there and come back to trip you later.

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i think the biggest question you have to ask yourself...is why you assumed the worse before you even met the patient?

there is not an aspect of nursing, were the psychiatric aspects of patient care does not apply.

when you start nursing, you will not be able to pick and choose your assignments...you can refuse if it's beyond your skill level, but you can still be assigned if they help you.

it is something you seriously need to think about.

an even bigger question to ask herself is why she seems to assume the worst about anyone before she talks to them and gets the story. (referring to her "compassion -- why is it so hard to give some?" thread where she also assumes the worst about her colleagues before checking for their side of the patient's story.) she won't be able to pick and choose either her assignments or her colleagues. something else to think about!

Not everyone can handle a psych patient. Just because one is a nurse, it doesn't mean they can do EVERYTHING. Use the same logic with an MD. If you had chest pain, would you call a podiatrist?

And certain psych issues are harder than others. Me? I can handle schizophrenics and Alzheimer's VERY well, but CANNOT abide the manic depressives. (I think, c'mon, pick a mood and go with it for the day...)

Specializes in LTC.

I work as a tech in my hospitals float pool, and 9 out of 10 shifts are 1:1's. Usually detoxer's with an extensive menatl illness history and they can be extremely manipulative. At the end of an 8 hour shift with one of these pt's I am ready to jump off the nearest tall building. It is emotionally draining and we are not allowed to refuse to sit. I think as a nurse if you have a patient that is being unruly towards you often times there may be another nurse on your unit that may have more experience dealing with that personality type. And that it wouldn't hurt to ask to switch for safety reasons.

To the OP I feel your pain, and I am very nrevous about my upcoming psych rotation, during which we will be in a locked unit for 8 hours a day, and I hope I can make it through without feeling thier pain and mental illness myself.

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