My nursing career has spread over several hospitals and units, and in all my years I have never been more ashamed and frustrated to be a nurse as I am nowadays.
Between hospitals lack of money and the constant fear of being sued I have noticed a shift from caring about the patient to caring about proper documentation and "saving your own butt".
I am seeing a lack of comraderie between staffmembers, as they no longer have eachothers backs, but now overlook one another and write eachother up numerous times.
We are expected to document in both the paper and computer flowsheets, and are immediatly written up if something is charted in only once.
Animosity now exists between the ER and the floor, rolling their eyes.. refusing report and patient.
Management once had our backs and supported us when accusations were made from families or other staffmembers, but now they merely make a note in our file of the incidence, not wanting to cause waves as their own positions of middle management are unsteady.
Management now does 'quality assurance' everyday double checking our charting and making daily notations on how to improve our written word.
We have checklists for everything.. checklists to monitor the chescklists.. it really has become quite ridiculous.
I personally once was in the middle of moving a trached patient on a vent from stretcher to bed, and the nurse manager came in mid movement to ask about the MedReconciliation.. never once looking or asking about the status of the critical patient.
In defense everyone is acting out in fear of their job, fear of the DOH, CME, or Joint Commission showing up... all suits who do not understand the medical profession nor have realisitc expectations. I would truly like to see anyone of the Commissions work a full 12 hour shift in a busy ER without being allowed to have their bottle of water at the nurses station.
Nursing is no longer the "art and science" we were taught in school.. it is now "charting and fending for oneself". I have seen many incredible nurses leave the bedside practice because they can no longer deal with the micro-management of insignificatnt daily tediousness. Make no mistake,
I am no bitter nurse that is tongue-lashing after getting in trouble, and I am making a realistic observation of how the nursing profession has quickly moved its focus off of caring for a patient. I really wish nursing could go back to what it was years ago when we had a a sense of pride and comraderie... I fear what the future holds.
