Crazy busy floor...need to vent

[MsKris_CarolinaGirl]

So I volunteered (on my weekend off i might add) to work a few hours of overtime. I had originally stated that I only wanted to work a couple of hours just for a few extra bucks so that i could afford to surprise my boyfriend with something for being so great while i've been past ******. Those few extra hours turned into 2 full shifts. I was a little heated to say the least. My first shift I got called in on saturday morning at 6:23 to cover a shift for a girl who had "called out sick". I dont mind helping out so i said sure. She even told me that I didnt have to come in until 9 so that i had time to mentally prepare.

Seeing as it was saturday our therapy list was rather short so we didnt have to get all 54 of our patients up and dressed to go to therapy. My coworkers knew that I wasnt coming in until 9am and yet didnt even begin to try and help get my patients ready. Without me being there they still had 4 CNA's to cover.

I walk into work all of my incontinent patients were soaking wet and I had to immediately get 2 of my patients ready for therapy that they had within 45 minuets. I was beyond upset. I spent the entire morning running around no break no nothing taking care of my patients. When 2pm hit I was so ready to go home. Then the on-call nurse calls and ask me to stay and cover the other shift. I immediately told her no, she understood why and then asked me to stay until 5pm when she could get someone else in to cover me. I agreed like a fool still fuming about what had taken place during first shift.

After work my boyfriend and I went to dinner and after 3 glasses of wine and venting to him about my day I felt better.

The next day I was asked to come in from 12-7 I once again foolishly agreed to come in. No one knew I was coming in and when I arrived they all immediately jumped on me with orders for what they wanted me to do. I nipped it in the bud quickly telling them that i already knew what i was supposed to do when i arrived at work and none of it included what they expected me to do. Im not doing the work you dont want to do and that included taking their vital signs that should have been done within their first 2 hours.

On a sunday with no therapy and no requirement to get up patients that wished not to be up why in the world would you not have been able to accomplish your work within 5 hours. What if i decided not to come in? What would you have done then? Im the youngest at my job and the girls think they can take advantage of that. I dont care if you have kids my age, i am not your child and you will not take advantage of me. Uggggghhhhhhh vent over lol

[SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN]

Sounds like you work in a place that has an unhealthy culture that fosters laziness. I know you probably feel bad, but learn to say NO! That's the only way to stop them from asking you to fill every time they have a hole in the schedule, and it isn't your fault if they have staffing issues.

If you're doing it for money, that's one thing. But even so, you're volunteering to work to fill a need. If you agree to work overtime and do so for the specified hours, you should feel no guilt at telling them you won't stay/won't work overtime again tomorrow.

I never used to work overtime because I didn't want to put a target on my own back. For some reason, people who volunteer tend to get taken advantage of, and that seems to be true across the board. Also, I value my free time more than I value money. :-)

[Hygiene Queen]

You beat me to it Soldiernurse22!

Right on!

I just saw this yesterday.

We have an awesome nurse who picks up many extra shifts (anywhere in the hospital) and who was totally taken advantage of recently.

I can't tell the story, as it is not mine to tell, but it was pretty bad.

I told her that, from then on out, she needs to say "No!"

I learned pretty quick, long ago, that you will be used and abused for saying "yes".

Promises of "coming in for just a couple of hours" often turn into "oh, you can't go home yet!"

Before you know it, you're working a double and have the crappiest assignment.

Your coworkers have no work ethic.

A good team would be working hard to get their work done (especially if they were short!).

Not only were they not completing their work because they were short, but they fully expected you to take your own assignment and do everything they "couldn't" do.

Hmmmm... how does that work?

The writing is on the wall.

They will take advantage of you.

You know that any favors you do will not be returned in kind.

You know that their promises ("you can go home afterwards") are empty.

You know they will let the residents suffer because "MsKris can deal with them when she comes in".

I would let management figure out how they are going to staff for shortages.

That is their problem, not yours.

Here's a tip: if they want to call you in (and if you need the extra money), tell them you want a bonus.

If they say "no", then you say "no".

If you don't need the extra money or the stress, JUST SAY "NO"!

Take care of yourself and best wishes,

Hygiene

[studentnursemon86]

Honestly, if you come in and your patients/residents are soaking wet with urine, you need to report it. Just because you are coming in at 9, someone has to be responsible for your group before you come in. The fact that they didn't change them or do anything for them for the first 3 hours is a clear case of neglect and needs to be dealt with.