"The last place I worked, we did things differently!" (and correctly)

Nurses General Nursing

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What about nurses who come from other facilities, who constantly critisize the way things are done where you work? They are always talking about where they previously worked, as if it were the gold standard.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Perhaps keeping an open mind would be the best advice for both parties involved.

This says it all.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
I'm moving to another state. I have only been an RN for one year, and the above quote is exactly how I'm feeling already. I'm just planning on keeping an open mind and remaining humble.

And with this attitude, I promise you, you will be fine.I have worked 4 different hospitals in 2 states. Things vary by place and state. I have caught myself saying "well we did it this way at County hospital" and had to bite my tongue. Probably a better way would be to share how it was done and why, but be open to learning the way things are done in your new place of employment without too much protest, unless you know for a fact, such practices to be dangerous.

Attitude is everything - on both sides.

As to small towns - I've only worked in a small rural hospital and we couldn't be further from hogan's reality . . . for which I am grateful.

I work on the med/surg floor, in OB and in the ER and our docs are all great, notwithstanding a few quirks (like the nurses). Our pharmacist is also topnotch. We do not have him in-house 24/7 but are part of UC Davis pharmacy and have access to them when he is gone.

We are also part of telemedicine from UC Davis.

I wouldn't call us backwoods . . .

steph

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

The rural hospital at which I was employed was not backwoods, either, Steph!

i think that a lot of the problems are the manner in which a suggest is offered..as noted op title the word correctly is pushed so that anyone who does not agree with them are backwoods idiots

docs deserve a night off once in a while when they swap 'on call' with an other doc they give report on the pts in the hospital and if there is a new admit from er the on call can get in touch with primary if they don't feel comfortable

and the docs in the small town are not more disrespectful than large city ones this is the type of person not the territory

if you have a suggestion give it with respect for the others, there may be a reason for the way they do it or they may listen to you and decide that you have a good idea and they can learn from it

as was said before, open minds can meet in the middle for the benefit of both

Specializes in emergency, recovery.

Hi,

I've been a nurse for quite a few years and have worked many places. As a traveler, agency nurse and staff. I can honestly say that for the most part most hospitals are NOT comfortable with change- whether the change would be beneficial or not. However, if the elbow is twisted (by an outside agency such as JACHO or trying to make a "magnet status" then and only then is change accepted as freely) you might see some changes but very slowly. I work ICU's and have worked ED's and recoveries as well as Insurance in the past. I could say to you tonite I have had it with nursing. There is too much rhetoric now. I have seen a lot of good in different places, but have failed yet to see a hospital facility that I am truly happy with. Maybe it's because I have seen so much everywhere else. The Quality of patient care has declined, the acuity has increased with the stress levels. Paper after paper is filled out to make some demagog person in the higher echelon look good. Organization and flow makes all the difference and I just see it getting harder and harder for me to take care of my patients. When you attend "so called" hospital orientations you always hear "we welcome your suggestions from the new staff", however, in reality when those comments are suggested, guess what? You get the answer that a lot of you have given on this thread-- Get over it, this is how we do it here. It's a shame that the nursing profession will lose me soon, I am dedicated and conscientious, however I am burned out. Burned out in Phoenix.

Specializes in critical care, renal/diabetic med-surg.

i am a nurse new to my facility and at the beginning i often found myself saying this. however, it wasn't because i thought my previous employer's policies were right - they were different, and i wanted to know why, since both places claim to base their policies on aacn guidelines and evidence-based practice.

here's another thought - maybe people who left their old job where they were comfortable and are now in a position where they are constantly feeling like they don't know anything anymore- maybe it's their way of expressing they do know a thing or two????

Specializes in Bloodbanking/Lab/Geriatrics/ADON.

I had the same experiance. I was told I was from UPtown. I was always told we dont do it that way here. My orders would disappear from charts. The nurses they hired were all from one local scool. It was like the stepford wives there. No one tought for themselves. I didnt fit in at all. I was always told that I was making waves. I reported them to the state. I also had the opportunity to get a visit while still working there from one of the highlevel execs. Who, when I said to her, Why arent these things being done this way/ that way? she wondered too. So, I was sort of vindicated before I left there. I would not want one of my loved ones there. It was a small town, with that good ole boy mentality and they didnt like outsiders!

In the words of my dear old mother, "There is more than one way to skin a cat." That doesn't mean one way is wrong and the other is right, there is just more than one way to get the same results.

I had the same experiance. I was told I was from UPtown. I was always told we dont do it that way here. My orders would disappear from charts. The nurses they hired were all from one local scool. It was like the stepford wives there. No one thought for themselves... It was a small town, with that good ole boy mentality and they didnt like outsiders!

exactly what I'm talking about

funny, I used the Stepford wives analogy last week...

i think that a lot of the problems are the manner in which a suggest is offered..as noted op title the word correctly is pushed so that anyone who does not agree with them are backwoods idiots

docs deserve a night off once in a while when they swap 'on call' with an other doc they give report on the pts in the hospital and if there is a new admit from er the on call can get in touch with primary if they don't feel comfortable

and the docs in the small town are not more disrespectful than large city ones this is the type of person not the territory

if you have a suggestion give it with respect for the others, there may be a reason for the way they do it or they may listen to you and decide that you have a good idea and they can learn from it

as was said before, open minds can meet in the middle for the benefit of both

I completely agree...

but our hospitalists don't report off to each other, or to the doc in the box...that's the problem...

you mentioned the "type of person not the territory"

agreed

chew on this: the owner of the hospitalist group (that admits 75% of all inpts, to both hospitals) is also the president of the hospital board...

do that math:o

Specializes in ICU/ER/TRANSPORT.

I tell them to shut their pie holes, that they are running with the big dawgs now!! Spend more time with your eyes and ears open and your mouth shut..don't touch anything unless we say and have your money ready for lunch cause the newbie buys.

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