Bad day yesterday

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Sorry- long thread- I really need to vent or I might just go to another unit with checkmarked charting - I had a very bad day yesterday and I had about four supervisiors watching my charting all day long and commenting (negatively) on my charting and the method that I choose to chart with. I have been a nurse in L&D for one year and all of a sudden my supervisors started this complant. When I first started I even asked these superviors if I was charting correctly, all of them said yes. So I was quite surprized when they started checking my charting every hour to watch what I was doing. (Why didn't they do that a year ago ?) Well, I started the day with one labor and one induction. The labor wanted an epidural at the same time the induction got there. Well this shift that I was working does not take kindly to asking for help, so I was on my own. Well I finally got everything settled and was ready to chart my heartones. (FYI- I chart interventions while I do them) While this was happening my charge charge started calling me every 30 mins to comment on what I wasn't charting. I told here I was acutally caring for my patients (novel idea, huh) and I would chart when I got a second to do it. I got in trouble for that comment. Well I did get caught up about 45 mins later, and the charge nurse said "I'm gonna make a good nurse out of you yet". i really should have asked her to go to my patients room and ask them if I was a good nurse. Then the day went down hill from there. A delivery and c/s with no help from any one else. Both of pts where thrilled with my care I provided. i was able to chart and leave my unit on time. I am not sure why I can not chart after I provide my care.

How do you others do their charting? I like to what til lunch and about four and do a lot of hearttones at one time. i feel that I can give better care to my pts that way and I am not taking care of the computer all day instead of the pt.

I really love l/d and my pts but i can not stand the shift that i was working when this happened. no will help another nurse, even if you ask. You are totally on your own. I feel like when I ask for help I am ignored.

Sorry for the long rant. I am very frustarted.

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{{{{obtech2nurse}}}}

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I'm sorry for your bad day. And i'm sorry for that awful comment made by the charge nurse. I probably would have said something right then. Charting is absolutely not your number one priority. Of course its important to chart, but patient care is number one. Learning to chart as you go is a tough thing to manage, and even the most seasoned nurses have trouble with it from time to time. You should have asked your charge nurse: "should I let my laboring pt wait 30 more minutes for her epidural while I chart my assessments?, I think that would make me a bad nurse." Only problem I have encountered with charting after the fact is making sure you remember to chart EVERYTHING you did. If you didn't make a note on the strip it can be hard to remember. If you did, I'd tell your charge nurse to back off. I frequently chart after the fact, especially when i'm super busy. Maybe you should inquire why they are auditing your charting so frequently.

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I don't work L&D.

Years and years ago, when workloads were reasonable, I always charted as I went and that is the best way to do it.

However, these days, it's do the patient care and chart when I have time, hopefully before the end of the shift.

A lot of places are like that, as far as being on your own and no help, unfortunately.

Have you talked to your manager and asked what the problem is with your charting? Is she even aware this is going on?

Good luck.

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Specializes in Perinatal, Education.

I am also really sorry you had such a bad day. It sounds like your manager needs to spend some time getting her unit to work as a team! It is very difficult to be on your own in OB--I would say almost impossible. I can see why you are having difficulty with charting FHTs, but for legal reasons, you really need to try to stay on top of it. Do you do paper or computer charting? It is a bad habit to get into to chart FHTs and UC activity later. The computer knows when you are charting--even if you are putting the time in for an earlier time. You know that you were watching the strip, but the paper trail just isn't there.

We do computer charting and have policy and procedure that tell us how often we should be charting on FHTs and UCs depending on laboring status and stage. I will often only chart on those two things at the correct intervals and then chart everything else I am doing at the time I do it instead of trying to chart a full assessment type thing every 30 minutes.

I would be a bit more concerned as to why they are singling you out at the moment. Have you asked directly? Are they giving you real advice or just grief? Good Luck

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Specializes in PCU/Hospice/Oncology.

Oh you poor thing! I am sorry to hear you had such a hard day. I believe being helpful and considerate is the best way to work because it promotes a positive and comfortable working environment.

I hope you can brush this off and keep at the good work! If this unit in particular just isnt meshing with your pesonality maybe try to find another? Here in florida at memorial regional I can say for a fact that our nurses are just such a pleasure to work with.

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Specializes in ER, Occupational Medicine.

36_3_12.gif Sorry for the hard day, you sound like a really good nurse surrounded by the wrong people. Hope everything works out for you

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Thanks guys. I just really needed to vent. I work weekend option and our weekend shift is beyond great. Everyone is so helpful and we really work as team. I only work one day during the week and that is the day I have so much trouble with not gettting any help. The bad part is I really can't talk to the manager about it. She is tight friends with the charge nurses that are giving me the hard time and all the nurseas that will not work as a team. I will just go back to work, chart my best and pray that something that I really need a team for , ie prolapsed cord, doesn't happen during the one day I work in the week.

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Specializes in ICU of all kinds, CVICU, Cath Lab, ER..

Sorry for the rotten day; sorry you have a ROTTEN charge nurse.... boy, would I like to get her into a court room..... why do they put people in charge without training them (risk management, where are you??).

Sounds like a no - team - work - team.!

We have an RN who doesn't do ONE lick of charting all night long... then she manages to stay overtime to "catch up".

I refuse to cover her for lunch since the first time she asked me to - when the patient started screaming for pain medicine, it was impossible to figure out when or if, she had been given any (no Pyxis at the time).... I had to find the woman and get her to come back to take care of her patient.!!!!

Don't let them bully you! God bless!

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