Do nurses take more crap because of their percieved role in health care?

Nurses General Nursing

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By this I mean we are always percieved to be the self sacrificing gentle voice of reason, who never needs time to themselves or breaks and never gets mad at anything. And is not SUPPOSED to get upset even when things are totally outrageous. I'm speaking about a situation about a year ago, when I worked LTC, I would bust my hump passing meds on my hall, some days on 2 halls if we were short, and when I woud finally by some miracle get a break, lo and behold a resident would walk into the break room, get refreshment from the machines and ask when I would be back out there. Now please pardon me, but I resent the living hell out of this approach. My break time and lunch time is MY time to be alone with my thoughts, or eating, or conversing with a co worker. To let residents dictate how long my breaks are is aboslutely ridiculous and insulting to me personally. Just needed to vent about this, and ask if any of you have had similar experiences, and couldn't say anything because of the Nancy Nurse tag the powers that be throw on us without asking us first. That's why I love Home Health Care. I'm never going back to facility nursing again!!! Peace and love to all, WW.

Specializes in obstetrics(high risk antepartum, L/D,etc.

Federal wage and hour law states that hourly employees are to have one 10 minute break (paid) for each 4 hours worked time. Next thing you know, "they" will want us to "upgrade" to a higher status by being salaried! :rotfl:

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Specializes in obstetrics(high risk antepartum, L/D,etc.

Federal wage and hour law states that hourly employees are to have one 10 minute break (paid) for each 4 hours worked time. Next thing you know, "they" will want us to "upgrade" to a higher status by being salaried! :rotfl:

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The reason these unfair treatment are going on and on is because we also let it happen. Imagine working a 12 hr shift working like a dog, running here and there, taking care of pt's beyond your safety load, assuming the responsibilities of CNA's, Secretary, Housekeeper.. and being the shock absorber of all the complaints from the family member, doctors and other departments... and in the end we are being perceived as the irresponsible one because we failed to do things that in reality shouldn't be our job. And oh yes.. a lot of times I would realize that I haven't eaten since breakfast because my head is already spinning and only to realize at the end of the shift that I haven't had the chance to go to the bathroom at all. Not mentioning that I always stay more than an hour or 2 beyond my shift with no break at all without being paid. And it's okay!!!! Because we're all tolerating it.

Floor Nursing will never change because the only way for the nurses to get out of all these crap is to quit and work in the other field of nursing where they can find respect and dignity for themselves.

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Do nurses take more crap because of their 'percieved' role in healthcare? Sure we do. We are perceived as the handmaidens, workhorses, ultimately responsible for everything by TPTB. We are now 'customer service reps' not professionals. Administrators sell this image.When we are young and if we happen to be pretty we are sexual nymphs for the men to fantasize over as well. Public perception needs to change but the media and TPTB fosters all this crap so I doubt it will.

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Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.
Federal wage and hour law states that hourly employees are to have one 10 minute break (paid) for each 4 hours worked time. Next thing you know, "they" will want us to "upgrade" to a higher status by being salaried! :rotfl:

We all need breaks to recharge and be at our best. We shouldn't give these up.

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I have to agree with everything that has been said, I hate it too, when families dictate the care of a pt. regardless of what the pt. wants, and the "key" people, most of the which don't have a license to nurse, I might add, go along with whatever!

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I'll weigh in with my vent of the week. Why in Heaven's name are saline flushes now considered a "medication" which cannot be left in the patient's room?!?! It was bad enough when I had to start stuffing my pockets with needles b/c I couldn't leave those "unattended" in a patient's room -- but now...my pockets either bulge with saline flushes or I have to run back and forth to the med room each time I need a flush.

I understand the need for safety in the hospital setting but how could the even the nuttiest patient find any way to harm himself or others with a pre-filled, normal saline flush syringe -- with NO needle, only a luer lock???

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...and how about the techs who complain to tptb that nurses asked them to get a bedpan for a patient?

my facility expects '110% from everybody on this team' only it means that the nurses have to do everything.

my reply: "this is how i did the job. tell me if my expectations are off. when i worked as an ed tech, my focus was to keep the nurse out of the room as much as possible. i got the patient back from triage, get them in a gown, on a monitor, vital signs taken, then let the nurse know the patient was there for him/her. i don't see that here.

"i bring the patient back [from triage] and do all of this by myself -- but the 'paramedic' tech is all too happy to start an iv, draw blood, and get a foley in, without my direction. so i'm supposed to change the suction canisters too, stock the rooms, do my assessments, medications, confer with doctors/residents, send report/get report, do patient education and keep the family happy? what about the delegation part of the nurse practice act in il? what about the parts of my license that i am responsible for protecting?"

their reply: "the techs don't like to be 'delegated to'. they believe it is demeaning [if they cannot do exactly as they please]...if you don't like it, you have a choice to make." :angryfire

...next!

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Thank God our break room is locked! Unless they know the code, they aren't getting in!

I agree that nurses are expected to pick up the slack for everybody else. We seem to be the catchall profession. I have always said I will help out when my NURSING duties are done, but will not spend my time on the unnecessary when I have NURSING duties to attend to. If support staff doesn't like it, that's too bad. Are they going to put in the IV for me when I'm busy taking out the garbage or getting a blanket?

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Thank God our break room is locked! Unless they know the code, they aren't getting in!

I agree that nurses are expected to pick up the slack for everybody else. We seem to be the catchall profession. I have always said I will help out when my NURSING duties are done, but will not spend my time on the unnecessary when I have NURSING duties to attend to. If support staff doesn't like it, that's too bad. Are they going to put in the IV for me when I'm busy taking out the garbage or getting a blanket?

All right fergus!! That's the way to be!! We need to start taking back our basic rights, and if Mgt. doesn't like it we should vote with our feet. I KNOW that the patients are important, but we also have to look out for ourselves too if we are to give quality care to them.

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I just quit my job over this - I was running like a chicken without a head - two doctors on the phone with test results, two patients just back from surgery/endoscopy, and a new ER admit waiting in the room. Two aids sitting flirting with a doctor. I ask them to clean a patient up while I answered the phone and dealt with family questions about said surgery/endoscopy/admit. They went ballistic, and the charge nurse's reply? "Well, we all have to help" - this is to me, implying I have to clean the poop before I speak to doctors/family/ER staff. So, next day I hand in my notice. And what would have happened if I hadn't spoken to doctors/nurses/family members? We all know the answer to that.

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Lord, what we put up with sometimes is almost criminal.

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