stressed out

Nurses Career Support

Published

do you ever see people who work in other departments where you work stressed out? do you ever see them rushing the way nurses do? i don't. if the therapists don't see the patient on time they just say they were busy and nothing else said. the counselor at our place pretty well walks around with his hands in his pockets all day visiting with any other staff member who has nothing to do(kitchen, rec. therapy, etc...)we are outside of the main hospital so the nurses do everything from resp. treatments to lab draws, transports for x-rays, and ekgs, as well as the bulk of transferring the patients for therapy, toileting, showers, or any other reason. we also have to get the discharge scripts filled for some patients. i'm just wondering if anyone else notices in their unit that nursing is the only one with multiple tasks that they are held accountable for while other depts. have little accountability and are never forced to rush. and they wonder why there is a nursing shortage.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I am not working in the hospital, but I see stress everywhere I work. I work in a school. Teachers are overwhelmed. When I did case management, the OT's, PT's and speeches I worked with had more to do well than 2 or 3 people could do. And they had paperwork out the wazoo.

I don't think it is a great time to be a service worker. Everyone sees your product (your service) as a cost to be cut and we are all being flogged to be more efficient. The fact is taking care of the ill, the overwhelmed, people dealing with new dx and new body image, is not an "efficient" enterprise. I get tired of being treated like a factory worker. What we do is not quantifiable by widgets/hour production.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Yah, I must say some of the various therapies grit on my nerves as well. But the one that gets me the most is PT, at least at our hospital. Here is the deal. If I get a fresh CVA in on say Friday afternoon and put in for a PT eval--- I might see them on Monday, Because OUR PT department only works M-F 7-3, no weekend call or anything. So I guess these poor souls who come in on the weekend or after 3 pm on the weekdays dont need rehab is that it?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

well, i have to say that the social worker also gets stressed. she has alot to do as well as the nurses. but can you explain 4 rec therapists for max 34 pts. it would be ok if they were keeping the pts. busy but where i work they only see the pts. that they can play cards with or show a movie to. they may come and bring the radio in and leave it playing. i actually had pts. ring the nurse button to ask me to turn it off so they could watch tv. the ot pick certain pts. to help them dress in the am. most of the ones they choose are independent or refuse to wait for ot. then they are up and dressed by the time ot come in so ot go and eat or visit instead of going to help a pt. that really needs it. it is so frustrating...we could use a resp. therapist but instead we have a rehab counselor. i swear he spends 90 % of his time visiting with other staff. that is the truth. speech and pt are ok except for coming late to get the pts. or some of them(pt) wanting nursing todo all the transfers. why is it that therapists get an hour to review the chart and nurses get a 5 min. report. we are the ones dealing with the pts. lives. we have pt and ot pushing the pt to the room and looking for the nurse for toileting. many times nursing was busy and the pts. soil themselves. is that right???? sorry for rambling. i just think something needs to change.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ORTHOPAEDICS-CERTIFIED SINCE 89.

I have often felt the attitude that "if we don't get to it, NURSING will do it." The admins say "it will only take a second of your time." Those seconds add up.

Resp. can't come set up the O2....Nsg will do it.....

PT can't make it today, maybe tomorrow, but Nsg can do it today.

Dietary can't deliver the trays....Nsg.......

I'm not thinking really smartly this am, very little sleep...BUT

I WAS under the impression that JCAHO requirements were that PT be an everyday thing....and I think it is a Medicare rule too.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice, Critical Care.

At my place, nursing, respiratory, social workers and case management run around like crazy. Oh, the phlebotomists are pretty overworked too...and couriers...

PT will get there when they can, if they can. If the day runs out before the patients are seen, oh well. OT too. Speech therapy too. Now, why didn't we all go into the various therapies :). And by the way, therapists make more money than nurses.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

The problem with the therapists (of any discipline) is that they can charge for each 15 minutes they spend on a patient whether that 15 minutes is reading the chart or just overseeing AROM. Nursing can't "charge" for our time -- our charge is included in the basic per diem room fee. Then you have to remember that as nurses we are licensed to do respiratory, physical, occupational and speech therapy duties. In other words, nurses CAN do it all. It's a shame that the administration sees nursing as a catchall to cover the inadequacies of the other disciplines. Therapists get all kinds of respect because they can wave their time sheets and show exactly how much money they have brought into the facility. Nursing just shows up as expenditure for the salaries we are paid without any specific income produced. But how in the world would a hospital run without a nurse? Sometimes it feels like management thinks they can do without us and if it keeps up, they will do without me!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment