Lazy, demanding staff

Nurses Relations

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What ever happened to strong work ethics?

I hear ya friend I really do , I look at my mom and see what an incredible worker she is , her work ethic would leave anyone marvelling,seriously , awe inspiring sometimes

unfortunately all her work still gets her treated pathetically a lot of the time because she is in her 50' s and not in a "profession"

so yes , I can admire the good old days , and envy the work ethic and teamwork etc, but I cant handle that for many ppl , being treated crappy and stuck in an unhappy job situation was the reality of the time..

so it really is a draw sometimes isnt it?

lil of column A and a lil of column B

so I'm figuring that humankind will be perfect by the year 3026 or so, that or extinct, either way :)

This is a double edged sword. Where I work, and from my perspective as a contract employee, I am not very impressed with the nursing managers. They are for the most part very lacking in good management skills. The staff follows the leader, and although they may indeed be busting their buns, the attitude starts at the top and trickles down.

Drug seekers and thieves? Seems like an administrative issue if all your staff has those problems.

Maybe the staff has been discouraged by management that does not listen or encourage initiative or the real workers were run off by the poorly motivated. kayRN21

Originally posted by sjoe

A motto for you: "A poor workman always blames his tools."

That is soooo deep.

Heather

Funny, my manager voiced the same feelings as the OP to me once..."Where is the work ethic? Why can't nurses be the old fashioned, dedicated types? Nurses just aren't the same quality today." I agree and disagree with this.

It's the same old blame game. One group blames another for the problems...days vs nights, management vs staff...sigh.

When will we come together and problemsolve for the good of all?

We have to deal with reality. Nursing schools today put out a DIFFERENT product than 20 years ago...but it's all we have. What I see facilities do many times is enable the poor employees and push the good staff until they're exhausted...burnt out, etc. We have to guard against this trap.

Today's younger generation: well, it probably does NOT have the work ethic seen in the past; managers in most fields would agree with this I'd bet. But MY generation was raised by depression and post WW2 parents...whole different perspective there.

Nursing has been an abused profession. To be honest, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The younger generation is saying 'no' and setting limits.....something that needs to occur IMO.

Perhaps by being so very 'dedicated' (codependent?) we older, dedicated types have unwittingly contributed to the problems we see today. Maybe the new generation will make things better for nurses.

Specializes in Med-Surg Nursing.

I just have one thing to say. It's hard to be lazy when you've got a 3 patient assignment in a Critical Care Unit!

I have recently had a problem with the tendency management has to exercize "warm- body- in- a- position-syndrome"...I don't know where these nurses recieved their education or experience but they all seem to have the same lack of initiative...I have had to use a line I picked up on this BB long ago..."did you clock in??? well how about answering the call light, the phone, fix the IV pump...". Sometimes I feel like I am in the middle of a day care for older children...and if I hear "that's not my patient"...one more time...I think I may have to go sidewinder on 'em...

I agree with mattsmom81...it's a whole different ballgame out there now...and we all need to band together to improve our work places... however, having been a part of a 'banding" many moons ago, I have seen what we do to one another in that situation and the fear that management invokes in some of us who would like to see a change for the better in healthcare...one thing is and was constant..."I aint skeert"...

Once upon a time, in a staff meeting in a far away land, a nurse once said to management regarding a certain oppressive mandation..."that's not fair"...management replied..."Fair? Fair? A fair is a place of amusement where there are rides, cotton candy, competition for best farm animals, homemade pies and quilts...there is no FAIR in nursing, do you understand??? "

I will continue to have my strong work ethics...I will continue to bust my hiney making sure the needs of all the patients are met, but I will also continue to be intolerant of laziness and will use my "innate genteel nature" to inspire those warm bodies to do what needs to be done...

Have also discovered that this issue is not nursing specific...doing the "minimum of work required" is rampant in any industry.

I have observed a decrease in loyalty to employer and to the team of co-workers. Part of that I relate to stress-when you have given all you can to get the job done you have to get a little selfish as part of survival. Depends on the person of course. I round all over the hospital and on units or shifts where the nurses work as a team the morale is better. These are the people who will decorate for holidays and volunteer for health fairs. The loners head for home to re-coup.

It's all about accountability..the nurses who come to work with the 'just get by this shift' attitude get on my very last NERVE.We have no strong leadership @ our hospital, and that's what is needed sooo badly.Until the slack-offs are held accountable..they will continue to be slack-offs. Yeah, I speak up..but to no avail.I'm not in a position of authority, so my remarks fall upon deaf ears.Gets very frustrating many times....my family has learned 'the look' i have when it's been a bad night, and stay clear of me/give me space.

Yes Mandy You nailed it!

My boss was a "consultant", Now he is "the director".

He is completely clueless.

I am the only nurse at this clinic. Last month I got into it with him as he was questioning my rationale re: a crisis on-call rotation schedule.(If he doesnt like decisions, I make I continually wonder why he puts me in a position to make them...) I had left some people off the rotation- He wanted to know why- I started by saying " people have strengths and weaknesses we need to acknowledge"... He BLEW- I started crying- I started to say "we can apply the nursing process to this problem...." "WHAT"S THAT!!!! " he said with a hateful look.

I love my clients, most of my co-workers, my office, hours and paycheck, But this man is so inept he's making me miserable!!!

And I'm not alone! We desperately need some frigging LEADERSHIP!

Thanx for listening.....

There are nurses that do the barest minimum at work. Then they have plenty of time for the internet, phone calls and chatting with other nurses and attendings. They always seem to get the easiest assignment too. Because they are buddies with the nurse manager.

Other nurses pick up the slack. Run around half-crazed all day long.

Nothing is done about it.

But let me tell you, when I am busy, I will ask for help. And yes I will ask the nurse on the internet first. I will interrupt phone calls. Oh yeah.

Cherry

This is an interesting thread dealing with multilevels of issues. (work ethic, fair treatment, lazy, feedback)

It's hard to imagine a person rightously being lazy when employment is down. Vested lazy people are always a brain and eye sore. Their being lazy is also your opinion :-)

Every personality is different as will be each individual work ethic in today's America. Some things in life we learn through example, and inspiration, which you can only realize in real life. After passing NCLEX a nurse can not learn to be motivated, it's unlikely. I haven't seen any classes that realisticaly can teach motivation.

You just have to hope the employment office picks the right people - it's not so hard :-) I know exactly what yall are talking about. Interestingly, it's culture and pride that dictates a good work ethic and level of motivation. Sometimes people will go out of their way to avoid "work" because it is socially unaceptable to be seen doing work. Sometimes I get bent out of shape when I overhear someone use the expression ""I'll have you go do such and such"Instead of having someone do something why not just do it? I still imagine this being a slave run economy 150 yrs ago because he mentality and resentment is still there. Anywhere, I want to get to be a nurse because I care and enjoy caring for people. Considering all jobs in America, RN cares the most (obviously).

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