I recently had a very bad day at work. I am a RN but had to work as a CNA because we were short. I am fine with that because I don't mind doing different things. However my load of patients were challenging. Half of them were incontinent of stool, 2 of them kept triggering bed alarms trying to get out of bed, 7 of them required assistance transferring from bed to chair or commode, etc. (I could keep going on but Ithink you get the idea). Only one of my patients was able to walk on his own, go to the bathroom by himself, and was fairly independent. Well anyway, after making sure everyone was cleaned and settled for the morning, I spent my day cleaning behinds, turning patients, transferring patients, telling them not to get out of bed, etc.
Later in the day around 2:00pm, my one independent patient puts on the call button. So I go to his room and he is angry that no one has been chatting with him or that he didn't get his face and lips washed before lunch. I asked why he didn't put on his call light earlier and he said that he shouldn't have to. So I do what we are taught and I apologize to him, but I also try to explain my situation but he and his wife say that the nurse yesterday was in here every second! I did not go into how yesterday was Sunday and our floor is much slower on weekends. I told them that I would have my manager see them. He then says he is a big contributor to the hospital and he is friends with the CEO so he is going to make a call.
This made me so furious I could scream. Here I am working my butt off for people who really need care, and this man who has no problem with his arms or legs is angry because I didn't shoot the breeze with him or offer to wash his lips before lunch. It was very difficult for me the rest of the day to pretend to be nice to that jerk. Our floor often gets people we call "VIPs" who are nothing more than people with a lot of money who want to be pampered like they are in the Ritz. I think it is unethical to give more attention to someone who doesn't need it rather than to others who can't do much for themselves. Days like this make me want to look for a way out of nursing.
"While you have your friend, the CEO, on the phone, please let him know that we are so short staffed we have RN's filling in for CNA's. It would be infinitely more cost effective for me to be taking care of patients in my capacity as a nurse and have enough CNA's to do what they do so well.;)"
Annisme
161 Posts
"While you have your friend, the CEO, on the phone, please let him know that we are so short staffed we have RN's filling in for CNA's. It would be infinitely more cost effective for me to be taking care of patients in my capacity as a nurse and have enough CNA's to do what they do so well.;)"