Burnt out and tired of the abuse

[NurseK93, LPN]

Hi everyone.
I’ve been working as a bedside RPN on a medical floor for the past three years. And I am starting to feel extreme burnout and overwhelmed. I feel more stressed now after three years with my feet on the floor then when I first started if that makes any sense at all. I have been feeling this way for a while, but have also just started at a new hospital which has made all my feelings 100x worse. Being at the bedside is really starting to take an emotional toll on me. For example, I just finished up a night shift where I was covering a nurse on break who had a patient alert/oriented who just kept hammering on the bell all night. She wanted her primary nurse, we explained to her she was on break but she’ll come see her when she’s back. Kept calling because she felt “bloated” (at 1am) ? her bed wasn’t as “comfortable” as at home etc. Finally after a time she had called, and I went back in and she was snoring just to call me 5 minutes later, I told her it was 2am try to use the call bell for urgent issues, I had just been in here and it’s very disruptive to all the other patients when the call bell is ringing in the hall. Well this lady becomes absolutely irate. Talking to me so condescendingly that she doesn’t care and she’s a patient I can’t talk to her like that, and that I’m incompetent, and that I’m “scolding her”. The charge nurse was in when this was happening and comes over and she started getting snippy with her telling her to mind her own business and why was she even in this conversation. Until she found out she was the nurse in charge of course. then proceeds to tell her that I am “insubordinate” and wants the contact information of a manager that I have no business being in this profession and belittling me with every insult under the sun for the next 5 minutes. And it is times like these, when I’m standing here listening to this, not being able to defend myself at 2am while my fiancée is sleeping alone so I can come work these night shifts to “help people”. But really it’s me holding back tears for the rest of my shift as I’m condescended and verbally assaulted like a 2nd rate citizen. And then I stop and think what the actual f am I doing with my life?!?! NONE of my friends/fiancée EVER leave work with stories even CLOSE to that type of treatment/disrespect.

And we all know that’s really just the tip of the ice berg when it comes to abuse. That doesn’t even touch into the violence, management and safety issues on the floors everyday.

Anyway, I guess I just needed to rant. Now I’m going to have a large glass of wine and stress until I have to go back and do it all over again ?

[JKL33]

Excellent rant. Especially this:

Quote

And it is times like these, when I’m standing here listening to this, not being able to defend myself at 2am while my fiancée is sleeping alone so I can come work these night shifts to “help people”.

Realistically you need a whole new level of zen or whatever you want to call it. Think about it while enjoying your wine. You can largely avoid this treatment by refusing to engage in like manner, and you can teach yourself not to be personally offended and hurt by patients' random acts of selfishness and meanness.

You can't change others...you can only change yourself.

As long as you are doing your level best to deliver patient care with competence and genuine kindness, their inconsiderate behavior isn't about you.

First step is to practice being non-reactive. Train yourself not to feel immediately offended . Once that reaction is gone you will be able to think more neutrally and clearly and will get better at reading situations and responding productively/therapeutically.

?