Do you feel valued in your current nursing position?

Chaya, ASN, RN · Sep 20, 2005

Depends on by whom-I feel valued by my fellow nurses, my immediate supervisors and some of my patients and/or their families (not alway both together). However, Corporate views us pretty much in terms of maximizing the bucks we can bring in. As for the public in general, we're pretty much invisible unless Mom is in the hospital and actually needs a nurse, and even then they are pretty clueless as to how much and exactly what it is that we actually do.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Sep 20, 2005

I feel valued about 99% of the time.

Patients, management, and the majority of co-workers make me feel valued, however there are a couple of people at work that feel that LPNs do not have a place in the O.R., and take any and every oppportunity to express this.

Ironically those are also the ones that whine about the lack of teamwork they're involved in. Oh, i'm sure that has nothing to do with the bitter attitudes they have towards some of their co-workers. :rolleyes: Who wants to work with that kind of negativity?

It's things like that, that can bring people down, possibly make them feel as though they're not valuable. IF you let them.

allnurses Guide · Sep 20, 2005

Well, yes. I work in a small rural hospital so "corporate" doesn't exist. I probably feel valued from my supervisors (I'm a part-time sup myself), my DON and then my co-workers - in that order.

steph

**RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN** · Sep 20, 2005

I feel valued about 99% of the time.
Patients, management, and the majority of co-workers make me feel valued, however there are a couple of people at work that feel that LPNs do not have a place in the O.R., and take any and every oppportunity to express this.
Ironically those are also the ones that whine about the lack of teamwork they're involved in. Oh, i'm sure that has nothing to do with the bitter attitudes they have towards some of their co-workers. Who wants to work with that kind of negativity?
It's things like that, that can bring people down, possibly make them feel as though they're not valuable. IF you let them.

Wow, there is always an exception....right. You seem to brush things off your shoulder and keep moving. Awsome attitude Marie :nurse:

papawjohn · Sep 20, 2005

Hey Y'all

The bad news: It might be nice that you're appreciated by your peers but in the big picture, it doesn't amount to a pitcher of spit. The place that appreciation COUNTS is in administration and their agenda and values are NOT the same as mine.

I want my Pts to have extradinary levels of care--skin flawless, drsgs and lines spotless and tight. I want to be in the room with my pts where all the monitors and pumps that are my tools are located.

The Admin wants the chart and paper to be flawless--plan of care updated qshift, nurse's notes in just a perfect format, useless forms that document nonsense filled in. The want me at the nurses station where I can answer the phone before the 4th ring.

Grumble Grumble Grumble

Papaw John

control · Sep 21, 2005

I feel very respected, appreciated, valued in my current position, and I never thought I'd be able to say that as a nurse. :)

Tweety, BSN, RN · Sep 21, 2005

No. Our director just mandated that we have to be 110% productive. Which is obsene when 95 to 100% is hard work. Which means my ratio is 8:1 on a lot of days just to balance some bean counters budget and make our director look good on paper.

allnurses Guide · Sep 21, 2005

No. Our director just mandated that we have to be 110% productive. Which is obsene when 95 to 100% is hard work. Which means my ratio is 8:1 on a lot of days just to balance some bean counters budget and make our director look good on paper.

California is looking better and better, huh Tweety?:chuckle

It wasn't that long ago I had 8 or 9 and a few times 10 patients -

I'm having a hard time with two days and week and 5 patients at the most now. :rolleyes:

steph

USA987, MSN, RN, NP · Sep 21, 2005

I feel valued by MOST of my patients, SOME of my coworkers, and NONE of the administration.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Sep 21, 2005

I feel valued by MOST of my patients, SOME of my coworkers, and NONE of the administration.

Exactly!! :roll

Actually, my department manager/DON and most of the house supervisors are wonderful.........it's this one assistant manager who also does charge, but won't help out on the floor when we're all drowning out there, who gets under my skin. She doesn't care if we're sick or hurting or overwhelmed, or if we've got patients scattered all over the place---she's on us like a bad smell if we're not running to answer that call light (but do you think she'd actually go and answer one?! :nono: )

The rest of the administration is like this manager: long on talk, especially during Nurses' Week, but very short on action when it comes to valuing nurses. We are viewed merely as expenses, not assets; if it weren't for our department manager, we'd probably still be manually lifting massively obese patients instead of using the 1000-lb. capacity hydraulic lift she purchased for the floor, or catheterizing everyone suspected of residual urine instead of using the bladder scanner.

It's not that I really mind all this; I'm paid well for what I do, and I enjoy my work, if not the actual job itself. But when an administrator passes me in the hall and inquires "How are you?", I'm half tempted to say "I'm fine. I'm always fine. I'm a HORSE."

'Nuff said.

liveintheOR · Sep 27, 2005

The answer is NOOOOOOOOOO---that's why I'm looking for a new job after 13 years. I work in surgery now, but don't even care if I find another OR job. Sad day for me because I love surgery, but can't take the ABUSE anymore!