Complaints only, please!

[ixchel]

So. Let's gripe.

(Nursing only, dearest mods, lest not we turn blue.)

Not one, BUT TWO, abuse reports. Busted my butt to advocate. Guess how much I was able to do? NOTHING!

Very dangerous disease that is contagious is diagnosed months after multiple admissions. I went out of my way to piss off the right people so we can FINALLY get a grip on this situation. How much did I accomplish? NOTHING!

Terrified blind and deaf person unable to soothe from panics. I do everything in my power to ensure no triggers present during my last shift with her. Worked my tail off for that. How much progress did that make? NONE!

I got off work late as hell for the first time in ages because my group was so hard and heavy. My boss decides that would be the best time ever to sit me down and scold me for being late. THANKS, OBAMA!!!!

I built up so much trust with this patient. What a sweet, wonderful guy. Apparently he was grumpy with everyone else, but not me. You know the kind. The type that makes you feel like a rock star for getting below the crusty exterior. But then a conversation happened making me have to report a dangerous situation (dangerous to the patient). I had to violate his trust. I HATE HATE HATE this part of nursing. And what came of that violation of trust? NOTHING.

I told a doctor that a PICC had a puncture or tear in it at an undetermined place, internally, near the insertion site. I told him nursing isn't able to safely remove it. He told the next nurse to remove it. They always say, DOCUMENT TO SAVE YOUR BUTT! And I HAD documented it. I had reported it. I had given it to the next nurse in report. But when she removed the PICC, thank god it was okay, but she was surprised by the look on my face when I asked - how did the MD verify it was okay?! What did he do? NOTHING. And she forgot I said anything.

You guys are totally welcome to contribute to this b fest thread. Please do. I'm a grouchy pants and you know misery loves company!

[ixchel]

Here's my gripe...

Last shift I worked, med surg rushed a 90 year old lady back to the unit at 3am...I worked on her for 4 hours straight, falling behind, neglecting my other patients. And while I was still there charting at 830 am, doctor rounds and family decided to make patient a dnr on comfort care.

This happens to night shift all the time!!

Uggghhhh! I'm sorry for such a crappy shift!

On my unit, we'll get patients sent to us that SHOULD have gone to the unit, but whoever sent them to us didn't feel like waiting for the unit to transfer someone out for a bed. So, we get the patient, we're responsible for all of the admission documentation AND keeping the person alive long enough to secure a bed on the unit on the fly. Which means ... If we're full, we have to send someone to med/surg, then we have to receive a transfer from the unit after getting the room stat cleaned and notifying family. Then we have to do all of the transfer documentation. Then we have to wait for the stat clean in ICU, then we have to transfer the patient out. Meanwhile, we don't have premixed drips, or protocols for those drips to just hang them when nursing knows it's needed. We have to call an MD (who may or may not be hospitalist - I hate calling a private practice MD in the middle of the night).

And, when we shouldn't have been involved in this at all anyway, we now have to document an admission with history and assessment on the one going to the unit, an assessment on the one we got from the unit, and all beginning of the shift assessment/tasks/meds on the patient we are transferring out. I hate to jinx a patient like this, but thankfully this hasn't had a disastrous result yet. It's scarier when ICU can't transfer anyone out. We'll have our normal load of 4:1, but we'll spend our whole night with the ICU-worthy patient. I, personally, have only dealt with this twice and it's enough to make me want to just leave and never come back. We shouldn't feel helpless and desperate to keep a patient alive with zero resources to do so.

Ha! And people say night shift is easy.

[No Stars In My Eyes]

Uggghhhh! I'm sorry for such a crappy shift!

On my unit, we'll get patients sent to us that SHOULD have gone to the unit, but whoever sent them to us didn't feel like waiting for the unit to transfer someone out for a bed. So, we get the patient, we're responsible for all of the admission documentation AND keeping the person alive long enough to secure a bed on the unit on the fly. Which means ... If we're full, we have to send someone to med/surg, then we have to receive a transfer from the unit after getting the room stat cleaned and notifying family. Then we have to do all of the transfer documentation. Then we have to wait for the stat clean in ICU, then we have to transfer the patient out. Meanwhile, we don't have premixed drips, or protocols for those drips to just hang them when nursing knows it's needed. We have to call an MD (who may or may not be hospitalist - I hate calling a private practice MD in the middle of the night).

And, when we shouldn't have been involved in this at all anyway, we now have to document an admission with history and assessment on the one going to the unit, an assessment on the one we got from the unit, and all beginning of the shift assessment/tasks/meds on the patient we are transferring out. I hate to jinx a patient like this, but thankfully this hasn't had a disastrous result yet. It's scarier when ICU can't transfer anyone out. We'll have our normal load of 4:1, but we'll spend our whole night with the ICU-worthy patient. I, personally, have only dealt with this twice and it's enough to make me want to just leave and never come back. We shouldn't feel helpless and desperate to keep a patient alive with zero resources to do so.

Ha! And people say night shift is easy.

AND...it is ESPECIALLY easy on the WEEKENDS, ain't it!!

[whichone'spink, BSN, RN]

The call nurse for endoscopy could have recovered the last patient he had on Sunday. He didn't need to bring the patient to me. Better still, he could have at least brought up a gurney instead of a bed. It's easier for me to take the patient back in a gurney or wheelchair (because endo procedures are short and patients are fully awake after 15 minutes) than it is to transport a patient in their bed. Douche!

I really do wish another nurse was hired for weekends. I'm kind of getting stretched. Some shifts I don't get to have a decent break until after 5:00. But this is why I have a $5.00 differential. Because no one else wants to put up with bulls*** every weekend. I'll stick with it for a little bit, but it is starting to get old.

[ixchel]

AND...it is ESPECIALLY easy on the WEEKENDS, ain't it!!

DUDE.

Our "nonemergent" Friday night admissions won't see the inside of the cath lab until Monday, and likely won't be discharged until Tuesday. (The definition of "emergent" is this elusive, complicated concept in which the moon is in the house of Scorpio and the groundhog sees its shadow at midnight on the lunar eclipse. Due to the continuously changing conditions of the astrological chart, results may vary.)

[mrsjonesRN]

Uggghhhh! I'm sorry for such a crappy shift!

On my unit, we'll get patients sent to us that SHOULD have gone to the unit, but whoever sent them to us didn't feel like waiting for the unit to transfer someone out for a bed. So, we get the patient, we're responsible for all of the admission documentation AND keeping the person alive long enough to secure a bed on the unit on the fly. Which means ... If we're full, we have to send someone to med/surg, then we have to receive a transfer from the unit after getting the room stat cleaned and notifying family. Then we have to do all of the transfer documentation. Then we have to wait for the stat clean in ICU, then we have to transfer the patient out. Meanwhile, we don't have premixed drips, or protocols for those drips to just hang them when nursing knows it's needed. We have to call an MD (who may or may not be hospitalist - I hate calling a private practice MD in the middle of the night).

And, when we shouldn't have been involved in this at all anyway, we now have to document an admission with history and assessment on the one going to the unit, an assessment on the one we got from the unit, and all beginning of the shift assessment/tasks/meds on the patient we are transferring out. I hate to jinx a patient like this, but thankfully this hasn't had a disastrous result yet. It's scarier when ICU can't transfer anyone out. We'll have our normal load of 4:1, but we'll spend our whole night with the ICU-worthy patient. I, personally, have only dealt with this twice and it's enough to make me want to just leave and never come back. We shouldn't feel helpless and desperate to keep a patient alive with zero resources to do so.

Ha! And people say night shift is easy.

We have the same problem, honestly. We will hold med surg overflows or pcu overflows to "keep our census up." Day shift wont get admissions all day. On night shift, we are guaranteed to get an admit. We always do. So then we transfer a med surg patient (sometimes 2) out to the floor after we have already done night meds and assessments on, then have to clean the rooms ourselves because house keepers have left early or just won't answer the phone. Then we get two more patients we have to chart on. It's an endless crap storm on night shift.

It doesn't make sense to me that you admit someone just to transfer them back out...

[mrsjonesRN]

DUDE.

Our "nonemergent" Friday night admissions won't see the inside of the cath lab until Monday, and likely won't be discharged until Tuesday. (The definition of "emergent" is this elusive, complicated concept in which the moon is in the house of Scorpio and the groundhog sees its shadow at midnight on the lunar eclipse. Due to the continuously changing conditions of the astrological chart, results may vary.)

Sounds like our fellow who had to wait for the holidays to pass to get a pacemaker...never mind the fellow was symptomatic with a hr of 20..