Can I get some cool air?

Nurses General Nursing

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So summer is here and for other people it means sunny days, relaxing by the pool and being able to finally wear that cute sun dress you got on sale last winter. I however dread summer because it means, clothes clinging to me, having to take possibly 4 showers a day and literally living a nightmare at work. I have a/c on at home, in my car, but step into the place I work and it is a nightmare for me. I swear that place has got to be 80 degrees, oh that's not so bad you say. Well when your running around for 8, 10 hours yeah it's bad. Why can't they turn some air on, why do they think it's o.k. for people to be in that heat.Funny you walk through the front where the main offices are, it's nice and cool.I understand that people have different levels of heat tolerance. Fine, but what about us that can't stand the high temps can we get some air. You can put on a jacket, I however can not strip.The patients have their own a/c so they have the option of turning them off or on.Meanwhile those of us running around have to suffer, I'm not asking for ice cold just cool enough to where I don't feel like I'm going to pass out.I just don't understand why management thinks this is o.k. I guess their really waiting for someone to pass out.

You just wrote the story of my life! My sweat even sweats at work. I stay pretty much miserable in the summertime and you're right, management doesn't give a damn.

Currently I work in a 5 story office building... 24 hours on the weekends, 16 hours during the week. No, I am not running around.. .I know that is a LOT worse.

The weekend ventilation and cooling is quite different than the week days.

I recorded the difference .. 5 degrees warmer and 10% more humidity , with almost no air flow.. when there is only 5 nurses on the weekend.

I documented this, sent it to the building manager and the head cheesum. ( Other wise known as the director)

One nurse feels this is comfortable, I told her.. you can put on a sweater... you don't want to see me running around naked here.

As with any thing in nursing.. document.. document.. document. See my thread on being able to hydrate in the hospital setting.

Good luck and stay cool my fellow nurse.

P.s. Consider an OSHA report

Specializes in Nurse Scientist-Research.

One nice thing about Texas summer (okay, I'm reaching here) is that nobody questions air conditioning. I've been known to run the A/C (at home) in December or February. If I'm hot, I run it, there is only one window in my house that opens, so there aren't many options.

We do have trouble controlling the temperature in our different rooms. In the NICU, there are big ward-style rooms with 6-16 infants in them. There are thermostats, but we noticed about a year ago they changed them out and it's obvious since then that even if there are dials, they are dummies and they do nothing.

For a while, it worked to strap a heelwarmer to the thermostat, fooling it into thinking it was much warmer than it was, causing it to cycle on more and longer, cooling the room.

They "fixed" that problem. Now we have to call and threaten engineering, which doesn't always work. Some of our nurses bring small fans that they set on their COWs.

LOVE the heelwarmer on the thermostats. We've got a few on our dayshift that complain about the cold. Having worked with them, they just need to get off their butts and work a little harder. They'll turn all the thermostats up. So then when nightshift gets there, once I've turned all the thermostats down, it takes until I'm done with my first rounds for it to cool down at all, at which point I'm already dripping. Combine it with everyone on the floor being on contact droplet precautions, I'm going to have to start bending the dress code. Anyone know where I can get a bikini that has lots of pockets? And it needs to come in plus sizes...

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