Unappreciated by the patient's family

Nurses Relations

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Hi! I don't know if this is the right forum for my topic so please feel free to move it as the mods deemed fit.

I'm an RN-BSN with around less than 2 years experience as a med-surg nurse. I currently work in a critical care unit with a slightly different set-up than most CCU units. I get 5-6 patients in a shift. When I say that out loud, a lot of nurses (from other hospitals) wonder how does that work? Well, I get 2 critical care patients, 2-3 med surg/tele patients and couple of rehab patients so if one practicies prioritization and time management, you can actually get things done within your shift. Like, give meds to the rehab patients and not worry since PT/OT will be working with the patients all shift long.

Anyway, I said all that to give you guys an idea of what my work environment was like yesterday (my friday). I've been taking care of this rehab patient 3 days in a row this week. This patient (Z) has been in the facility since the start of the year. A lot of nurses have been taking care of him but I've only taken care of him this week for the first time. Even though it's my first time with Z, I see how other nurses take care of him. I don't say anything about it but it's always bothered me that they leave this post-CVA patient lying in a fetal position. He's 60+ years old, alert, oriented but non-verbal, contracted in all extremities and all the other nurses leave him in a fetal position.

So when I had him this week, I stretched out his legs a bit because in the back of my mind, this guy will go home someday and I don't want him to go home looking like this. PT/OT doesn't work that much with him except that OT puts a hand splint on his right arm. Anyway, the thing is the son yelled at me so loud that every one in the nursing station heard him yelling at me even the other patients' and their families heard his yelling at me. He yelled that I'm not gentle with his dad and that I feed him too much (of the pureed diet). I politely replied that his dad his contracted and I wanted to stretch out his legs but he wouldn't hear anything of it. He started threatening me about a lawsuit and my license. When it boiled down to that, I just remained quiet. This son was bigger than me and angry so I didn't want to aggravate things further. As for the feeding, a part of me wanted to tell the son that I'm actually one of the very few nurses who take time out to feed and encourage his dad to eat something. Most nurses in the unit would brush that off to the CNAs and since the CNAs are busy, they just only offer 2 spoons and report that the patient doesn't want to eat. I take time out from my other patients to stand their and feed his dad and coax him to finish at least half of the tray. I coax his dad to at least drink all the thickened juice.

Then the wife complained that for the 2nd day in a row, I supposedly left the tube feeding bump beeping and that I did nothing about it. Well, for the last 2 days of my work week, I had harrowing time since considering my experience compared to the other nurses in that unit, I bore the brunt of the critical care patients. That means, I got the severely ill ones.

Anyway, what I'm saying is that --- I was just hurt that the family didn't appreciate my good intentions and efforts about their dad. I do one good thing compared to the other nurses and I get yelled at. I know I'm supposed to grow thicker skin but sometimes, being unappreciated hurts especially when I, for one, believe in my profession. I was just wondering if other nurses have experienced being unappreciated and if so, how do you deal with it?

I just applied at a local surgery center for a PACU position. Bwahahahaha! I'd rather have them sleeping than awake and whining bwahahaha! Seriously, thanks everyone! I kept telling myself --- why do I have to go to work and be all tied up in knots when I'm doing the best for my patients so why not work in a place where their complaints won't be heard bwahahaha!

Specializes in none.

This is nursing, Kid. You can't please everybody. But don't ever take yelling from anyone. Call security. Even while the idiot is still yelling at you. You are not a door mate you are a nurse. You have to do what you have to do. When you get threaten with "I'll have your license". Tell your supervisor. Don't even talk to the family, because in that situation, it would be like explaining alternate side of the street parking regulations to a bunch of retarded bananas.

Threads like this remind me why RN's would transition well into owning their own businesses. 1.)We welcome going above and beyond to "make it right" and, 2.) If the customer is still unhappy we are free to politely show them the door.

OP, good for you looking to get out of there. Be careful until you escape. That place WILL throw you under the bus if something happens because of their policies.

Specializes in Utilization Management.
And as for the PT/OT in XYZ1, they only spend 10-15 mins with a patient and move on. They teach the nurse and the patient the exercises and expect the nurse to do the exercises with the patient as well. When I first encountered that, the first thing I said was "oh so now I'm not just a nurse but PT as well?!?"

It's not a true rehab unit then. To truly be a rehab unit, the patients have to get 3+ hours of PT/OT/SLP...with a PT/OT/SLP. I hope their not trying to pass 10-15min with a therapist off as "rehabilitation", especially when it comes to reimbursement. Anyway, the whole thing sounds awful.

I would make a complaint to the, "Facilities and Licensing Division", of your state's Department of Health. This is the agency that licenes al health care facilities. Suggest that they make a surprise visit. Change of shift between night and day shift, so they can see what is going on during different shifts. If you can get ahold of staffing sheets, bed assignments, etc, so that they can see how inappropriate the staffing and bed assignments are.

I have NEVER heard of mixing LTC patients with CCU patients. I would think that it is against the law. Hospitals are licensed for a certain amount of beds. XYZ acute care, WXY LTC, ABC Med surge, etc.

Also research what kind of regulations there are in your state, concerning staffing, etc. It may not be California standards, but every licensed facility has rules about what they can and cannot do. I cannot believe that they are following them.

You might want to contact an attorney, and see if they can give you any guidance. I cannot believe that what they are doing is legal!

JMHO and my NY $0.02.

Lindarn, RN, BSN, CCRN

Somewhere in the PACNW

I don't care how for profit they are this staffing is unacceptable. Is this a LTAC? Do you have a separate CCU? How do you have rehab patients with CCU and tele patients. The family should be reporting the unsafe conditions at the facility. I'm stunned they haven't been sued and shut down. I wouldn't have left any meds at the bedside regardless of how much the family bragged about knowing medicine. Your license is in danger here. I'd find another job if I were you. This is unacceptable staffing they should be cited....I'd be calling the Joint Commission and report them. I'd be calling anyone I could think of......that amount of patients and acuity is not safe.

I am stunned that no one has reported them......just when I think I had hear it all, I am yet again proven wrong and speechless (which is hard to do) I have to think about this one and come back....:bugeyes:.

Sorry, don't know what all your abbreviations mean! Are you commenting on the original posters staffing levels or mine?

Wow. If we only had 5 CNAs on our unit, that would be heaven. Thanks for the motivating comments. I do get good feedback from other patients and their family and that really makes my day. Literally. The best one I had was when a patient said that nurses are the backbone of healthcare. It was like she just nailed it right on the money.

But we have 18 patients remember! xx

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