Hey, all, I have a situation that's been driving me nuts, maybe y'all can help me with it!
I work in the MICU, and I've been there about 6 months. I really enjoy what I do, and I do enjoy the people I work with. There's the same frustrations as everywhere else (low staff, high acuity pts, etc), but I really enjoy the experience overall.
Anyway, every now and then, I feel like some other nurses (very few) kind of give me an attitude if they feel I'm doing "too much" for my pts. Last night is a good example- woman with ESLD and ESRD, on CVVHD, mostly A&O on room air/occ NC (not common for us, most pts vented). We mostly sit right outside the rooms. Anyway, occasionally when she's startles awake, she is confused and will call my name. She just forgets about the call bell (little hepatic encephalopathy);on day shift she uses the callbell. She doesn't scream or shout, just calls my name. One of the other nurses says, "You can't let her call you like that! Tell her she must use the call bell or you won't come!" Honestly, I prefer her to call my name then try to crawl out of bed!
Also, I helped her brush her teeth, and another nurse stared @ me like I was an alien!! :uhoh21: I mean, she has to drink Lactulose and Bicitra- this is the least I felt I could to to help her. This pt is alert, and tired, and asked to do her bath in the morning, which was fine with me. So I was helping another nurse, because I had the time, and when I told her about it in passing ("oh, I'm going to do my bath in the morning, she asked and needs some rest.") I got a lecture! "You need to tell your pt that if she doesn't take her bath when it's offered, you may be too busy later! That pt is so annoying, she demands too much! You need to set some limits." The only thing this pt ever asks me for is a bedpan w/powder on it to make it more comfortable & to mix her Lactulose real well. I don't find this overly demanding!
Plz keep in mind while I'm doing this "extra" (not in my opinion) stuff for her, I'm still answering other pts alarms when other nurses are tied up, intervening on a pt who desated and had to be re-intubated, taking over midnight care of the nurse's other pt so she could stablilize the decompensating pt, helping turn and bathe other pts (we do not employ NA's)... etc. I'm not in my room giving my lady a manicure while the unit falls apart and then claim "I was too busy to help."!
Finally, one nurse finally grumbles something like, "I hope if I ever have her, she doesn't expect all this stuff from me!" What, a bedpan? Sleep? A toothbrush? Are they just upset that I'm setting a good example?? I don't know! I feel I'm a compentent nurse, and I feel this woman is just sick as anything and feels like poo and doesn't want to crap all over herself!
Seriously, guys, I feel good about the care I gave her (and my other pts), but then I feel bad about how those few nurses react to the "over" care I give!
Blah. That was long. Thanks for listening!
Peace,
Sharon
PS I did have some Gardenia lotion in my bag, so I put a little bit into a medicine cup to share with my pt because she's been here so long and I know she's tired of the hospital stuff, and I wanted her to have a little pampering. One of the other nurses complimented me on how my pt looked/smelled after her bath, and I was afraid to tell her what I did because I thought I'd get another lecture! What am I doing wrong?!?!
Specializes in M/S, OB, Ortho, ICU, Diabetes, QA/PI.
bless your heart - you just keep doing what you are doing - I don't think it's a matter of you giving too much care but maybe your co-workers not giving enough???
if you have the time and your other patient is getting the care they need, why shouldn't you try to make a person who's ill enough to be in an MICU feel a little more human???
To the OP: you go girl! That's what nursing really is, treating the patient, not the machines. Beds and baths are just as important as getting your meds on time, or is hygiene no longer related to health?
I see nothing wrong with it and encourage such treatment as long as 1) it's not interfering with being able to finish your portion of the workload 2) the patient isn't getting too spoiled by thinking that you're a maid or bullying you or 3) you're modest about it. I knew one very histrionic CNA and fellow pre-nursing student who would brag endlessly about how good she was to the patients, and was always yakking to groups and professors about her deeds. Whenever she tried to brag to me, I flatly told her that I did not care and that I too got A's and went the extra mile for patients, but without the histrionicism. I can't believe that she's 27 years old.
Oh my gosh! I would have loved to have had someone shave my legs (I was way too shakey) in my month-long stay. Every morning my internist would check my legs and I was worried he'd get stabbed! Bless your heart for thinking of that.
keep up the great work and caring, i too catch flack from other nurses who are too lazy to do their job and are only there to collect a pay check.
i just lost a pt that i had been taking care of for 6 months. he was vent depented c-2 c-3 fracture. after only 2 nights of me taking the time, to wash his face, offer something to eat, rub his forehead etc. he rquested that no one but me take care of him while i was on the floor
yes whe had him on the floor not the unit, long history there.
anyways, i have another pt that is dying from hiv that wanted fried chicken wings, well i took him some just 2 nights ago, that was the last meal he ate before slipping in a coma.
other co-works tell me how how sweet, well i have compassion for my pt;s because i have been one myself more times than i can count and i know first hand how soothing a touch can be or just to have some one to be at you side offering to help because they want too not because they have too.
i have been called florence nightingale and reply with " thanks for the complement and who better to follow" or either mother teresa which i give the same reply.
I have really learned alot from this thread. It was a question I had as a nursing student observing experienced nurses on my clinical rotations. Thank you to those of you who told the original poster that she was doing nothing wrong. That is a great concept, that there is nothing wrong in giving outstanding nursing care. I also appreciate the poster who mentioned the concept of not being a maid or letting the client take advantage of you. All the posts have helped me develop the right prospective.
I totally agree you are not wrong! This is not excessive especially if you are 1:1 with that patient and they are pretty much stable (as much as a patient that sick can be). I feel it is important for me to give that kind of care whenever I can because I know there are so many times when we are too busy to focus on the little things that can make a patient feel better and basically human. :)
Hey, all, I have a situation that's been driving me nuts, maybe y'all can help me with it!
I work in the MICU, and I've been there about 6 months. I really enjoy what I do, and I do enjoy the people I work with. There's the same frustrations as everywhere else (low staff, high acuity pts, etc), but I really enjoy the experience overall.
Anyway, every now and then, I feel like some other nurses (very few) kind of give me an attitude if they feel I'm doing "too much" for my pts. Last night is a good example- woman with ESLD and ESRD, on CVVHD, mostly A&O on room air/occ NC (not common for us, most pts vented). We mostly sit right outside the rooms. Anyway, occasionally when she's startles awake, she is confused and will call my name. She just forgets about the call bell (little hepatic encephalopathy);on day shift she uses the callbell. She doesn't scream or shout, just calls my name. One of the other nurses says, "You can't let her call you like that! Tell her she must use the call bell or you won't come!" Honestly, I prefer her to call my name then try to crawl out of bed!
Also, I helped her brush her teeth, and another nurse stared @ me like I was an alien!! :uhoh21: I mean, she has to drink Lactulose and Bicitra- this is the least I felt I could to to help her. This pt is alert, and tired, and asked to do her bath in the morning, which was fine with me. So I was helping another nurse, because I had the time, and when I told her about it in passing ("oh, I'm going to do my bath in the morning, she asked and needs some rest.") I got a lecture! "You need to tell your pt that if she doesn't take her bath when it's offered, you may be too busy later! That pt is so annoying, she demands too much! You need to set some limits." The only thing this pt ever asks me for is a bedpan w/powder on it to make it more comfortable & to mix her Lactulose real well. I don't find this overly demanding!
Plz keep in mind while I'm doing this "extra" (not in my opinion) stuff for her, I'm still answering other pts alarms when other nurses are tied up, intervening on a pt who desated and had to be re-intubated, taking over midnight care of the nurse's other pt so she could stablilize the decompensating pt, helping turn and bathe other pts (we do not employ NA's)... etc. I'm not in my room giving my lady a manicure while the unit falls apart and then claim "I was too busy to help."!
Finally, one nurse finally grumbles something like, "I hope if I ever have her, she doesn't expect all this stuff from me!" What, a bedpan? Sleep? A toothbrush? Are they just upset that I'm setting a good example?? I don't know! I feel I'm a compentent nurse, and I feel this woman is just sick as anything and feels like poo and doesn't want to crap all over herself!
Seriously, guys, I feel good about the care I gave her (and my other pts), but then I feel bad about how those few nurses react to the "over" care I give!
Blah. That was long. Thanks for listening!
Peace,
Sharon
PS I did have some Gardenia lotion in my bag, so I put a little bit into a medicine cup to share with my pt because she's been here so long and I know she's tired of the hospital stuff, and I wanted her to have a little pampering. One of the other nurses complimented me on how my pt looked/smelled after her bath, and I was afraid to tell her what I did because I thought I'd get another lecture! What am I doing wrong?!?!
I'm just a pre-nursing student, but I would be so happy if you were my mom's nurse if she were that ill! My dad was in ICU at a Raleigh hospital last year and one of his nurses used to always make sure he had powder and lotion after a bath (he always smelled nice!) and they couldn't have done more for him in my opinion. Your actions are very much appreciated by the family, I can assure you, and I would think that if you're doing everything for everyone that you're supposed to be doing, what's the problem? Isn't that part of the DEAL? I always thought it was!
I get teased as well because I have a little "goodie" bag filled with good quality disposable razors (the ones at our hospital suck), nice ponytail holders (because the rubber ones tear hair out), lotion, linen spray, etc. I shave women's legs and men's faces, put linen spray on the pillowcases, and apply scented lotion on the nasty feet most of our patient's have (I always get permission from family or patient, especially if I don't know about how sensitive they are to the lotions). But who do the other RN's come to when they want their rooms to smell good or to be able to shave their patient without slicing up their face? Me!
I take pride in giving my patient's as long a bedbath as possible because they are laying in bed 24 hours a day (I work in the ICU) and many of them have been there for weeks upon weeks. When I have a patient I know is going to die, I will make doubly sure they are clean and smell good for when their family says goodbye. It's the last memory their family has of them and I want it to be as positive as possible.
I wouldn't worry about the comments/lectures. If you are doing your job and not slacking, then it's not of their business how much "extra" you do for you patients. I would be happy to have you as my nurse!
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MamaTheNurse, BSN, RN
304 Posts
bless your heart - you just keep doing what you are doing - I don't think it's a matter of you giving too much care but maybe your co-workers not giving enough???
if you have the time and your other patient is getting the care they need, why shouldn't you try to make a person who's ill enough to be in an MICU feel a little more human???
keep on keepin' on!!!!!!