Child Psy. Unit/Grrrrr+gripe

[Houstonnurse]

I am really in a ticked off mood. I am a pedi nurse (working NICU/and a psy. nurse(working PSYCH.ICU and kids unit). I love doing both, especially because I keep my brain in both worlds, Medical and Psych.

I have been a LVN for 30 yrs, so I have been around the block.

Recently at my Psych. job, we have had a census drop, and they are taking whatever pt's they can get, and moving them around to the units where the beds are.

We were low in the children's unit, so they put them on the old CD(drug) unit.

INSTEAD of moving the nurses around to suit the pt population, they left us on the hall where we normally work.

I ended up with CD pt's, (which I DON"T LIKE DEALING WITH AT ALL SCREAM, I do my job, and pt's like me, but underneath I loathe it)

and CD nurse ended up with kids. This week there were four takedowns on 5 to 11 yr olds, and the kids unit was in an uproar, with kids in Timeout rooms, nurses were getting hit, spit at, and punched.

I couldn't leave my pt.s., but I KNOW I could have stopped this.((and whine, I am tooo busy dealing with druggie johnnie that wants MORE ativan that he can have))

I was so UPSET, and bawled my head off after I got off work. I don't think the situation would've gotten to this point if the proper nurses were onboard that unit.

BEING AN LVN, (and been a bit grumbly lately at work and not my usual self that my admins. loves, and have raised a bit of hell about cond's on other things). WHAT DO I DO to tell them that this SUCKS, and that nurses and kids both are getting the raw end!

AND OH, BTW..... is anyone else tired of all the multiple types of pills, and MIND altering pills they are pushing down kids throats, JUST on parents say-so. MOST of our kids are NOT psychotic, and I think they should have to have a video cam of the home world,school world BEFORE they drug them up. We're messing with personalities/labeling kids for life, and GOD knows what else.

I just love my good ole' bi-polar/combative hallucinating adult pt's. I KNOW THEY NEED MEDICINE at least!

OKAY, I'm not over it, but at least I feel vented!

Tomorrow I'll just go rock and feed my teenie babies and try to forget, or maybe I should just drop PSyCH for awhile, I don't know.

Houston nurse

[CharlieRN]

Houston sounds like you have a nasty case of deaf administration. Do you have a union? If not, get one! The presence of a union does wonders for administrative sensitivity.

I assume you have voiced your concerns through appropriate channels already. My facility has an incident report form which can be used to report near miss situations. Poor use of staff is an accident waiting to happen. Incidently keep two copies of any report you make. One for your own records one to send up the ladder by an alternate route. Mid level admins have been know to "round file" complaints. Use the alternate route if complaints seem to get no response. Be respectful at all times.

If you think kids are being inappropriately medicated, that is malpractice. It is not ok to go along with it. If you have reason to believe that the problem is in the childs home environment then that is child abuse and you are a mandated reporter. Mandated reporters report on suspision and are protected from liable laws. You don't have to prove it.

If you have a specific question regarding why a particular patient is being given a particular med ask the doctor NICELY why he has ordered that. Be prepared to be instructed. Watch your body language, psychiatrists don't get to be what they are without being sensitive. If there is a chip on your shoulder it will be visible to them.