Crappy Nurses Day

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · May 9, 2009

The doctors in our hospital gave us this weird drinking container with a compass attached to it. I laughed my A-- off. Was the compass there to help us find our patients?

For those days when you don't know whether you're coming or going, I think.

diane227, LPN, RN · May 10, 2009

I agree with you guys. Let's try going a full day without the housekeeping shift and she how the day goes. I guarantee you they move up to the top of the list of required staff real quick. I try to give my housekeeping staff on 3-11 a little gift from time to time. They are all so nice and work so hard. It reminds me of my mother. She worked in housekeeping for many years in a hospital until it became too hard on her back. Little did we know that what was causing her back pain was actually cancer. She had a huge funeral, all the people she worked with and all the administrative staff of the hospital where she worked. I know that the people really appreciated the work she did.

schroeders_piano, RN · May 10, 2009

We don't even have a Nurses Day at our hospital.....we have Hospital Employee Day ( management stated that the former title made other workers feel "left out.":lol2:

This whole Hospital Week stuff chaps my backside. The hospital I work in now celebrates Resp Therapy week, Lab Tech week, Health Information Week, Physical and Occupational Therapy month, Administrative Professionals Day, Environmental Services week, Volunteer week, Dietary Services Week, etc. But we no longer celebrate Nurses' week because we might offend someone. A group might "get left out". The group getting left out is the nurses. I'm not asking for gifts or anything of that nature, but if everyone else can have a week and PT/OT gets a month, then by golly give me nurses' week back.

3boysmom3 · May 10, 2009

This whole Hospital Week stuff chaps my backside. The hospital I work in now celebrates Resp Therapy week, Lab Tech week, Health Information Week, Physical and Occupational Therapy month, Administrative Professionals Day, Environmental Services week, Volunteer week, Dietary Services Week, etc. But we no longer celebrate Nurses' week because we might offend someone. A group might "get left out". The group getting left out is the nurses. I'm not asking for gifts or anything of that nature, but if everyone else can have a week and PT/OT gets a month, then by golly give me nurses' week back.

Too much to keep up with anyway. Why not just show appreciation to everybody, all the time. As I mentioned in my previous post, my hospital is good about that, unlike a lot of places, and I know I'm lucky. I don't like to have to keep up with a lot of "events"; I can't even keep up with bringing food for the monthly birthday party on my unit, lol.

evilolive, BSN, RN · May 10, 2009

My nurse's week has been fair. I work 11-7 in LTC/rehab, and felt forgotten about. I came in one night this week and saw two staff nurses and one per diem walk out when they were leaving for the night with a beautiful orchid and card. The per diem even took some pizza home that days/evenings got. My two CNAs and I had nothing left for us. The next morning, didn't hear a thing from my ADON. I was a bit frustrated and I felt left out, as night shift generally is.

The next morning while giving report I did get my orchid and card, signed by the DON/ADON/Administrator, on top of that I also got a crappy little "nail kit" and my yearly eval, haha. The day nurse that had received her gifts the day before was literally ****** off about the fact that the ADON didn't get to sign her card the day before, she was also like "ooh, what's in that little box" (the nail kit). She was all whiny, saying "oh there's no way I'm not getting that, I want that!!!" Please, it's a $3 gift from corporate with our logo all over it... it's not that great!

I do hate feeling left out, I miss the BBQs, massage chair they have come in, etc. for the nursing staff. I know it's probably my own responsibility to find the time to come in between noon and 6pm when all this stuff goes on, but it's tough when you're generally sleeping at that time. I would love a nice brunch though!

Overall, I feel that the CNAs deserved to be included in nursing week, since they are part of nursing staff. They are my eyes and ears at night when I'm tied up with something else. I think maybe this week I'll get them each a card and a small gift card or something. They deserve it too, and I think they have a CNA week, but I've heard that it's usually not that great for them.

3boysmom3 · May 10, 2009

We don't have CNA's in my department, but otherwise in our hospital I think they do get a nurses' day gift.

I worked nights long ago. It is lonely as far as not feeling included in hospital activities. (The up side was not having to be around when all the political drama was going on--)

I would have thought, though, that your night supervisor would have been given the items to pass along to you guys, as well as the money to buy fresh pizza for the night crew.

evilolive, BSN, RN · May 10, 2009

Actually, I am the night supervisor! I only heard from the 3-11 supervisor that the administrator had bought about 15 pizzas during the day and that many people not in the nursing department had taken a lot of it. There was no note left for me, and no money unfortunately.

diane227, LPN, RN · May 10, 2009

Why don't we just have a staff celebration week, for everyone, working as a team. I hate this little separation of people into little groups. Plus, instead of giving me a cup give me a gift certificate for something I can use like a Starbucks card.

3boysmom3 · May 10, 2009

Actually, I am the night supervisor! I only heard from the 3-11 supervisor that the administrator had bought about 15 pizzas during the day and that many people not in the nursing department had taken a lot of it. There was no note left for me, and no money unfortunately.

Poor planning on admin's. part. No matter how much pizza you put on the table at one time, it ain't gonna last long! What would have been really nice would have been for admin. to buy another batch and bring it around him/or herself during the night. We used to have an education director who, whenever there were those pesky inservices that everyone has to attend, would actually come in on the night shift and do them, so that night folks didn't have to come out during their sleeping hours for them. It would mean a lot, I'm sure, to see that someone would literally go out of their way outside of their work hours, for the crew who goes out of their way to be there so that the rest of them can go home and sleep. I admire you night folks!!!

eldragon · May 10, 2009

At the LTC facility I work at, there was a printed notice on the breakroom door, announcing it was nurses week or something like that.

The place I work rewards you with a paycheck and that's it. There's no verbal back-slapping or high-fives going on in that place. If you've gone a day without being yelled at by the DON, I guess it's been a good one.

I've been there 15 months and have only called in once during that time. I have never been late either. I always give 110%.

So last week I found out that I have a rare eye disorder and need to have further tests done stat to see what treatments may save me from BLINDNESS, and my DON told me I had to find someone to cover my shift.

REALLY?

Let's see. Eyesight or a lousy job from hell that takes a pint of blood from me everyday.

This one put me over the edge. I'm putting in my notice this week and won't have to worry about nobody covering my shift or me missing my eye appointment.

loricatus · May 10, 2009

I've been there 15 months and have only called in once during that time. I have never been late either. I always give 110%.
So last week I found out that I have a rare eye disorder and need to have further tests done stat to see what treatments may save me from BLINDNESS, and my DON told me I had to find someone to cover my shift.
REALLY?
Let's see. Eyesight or a lousy job from hell that takes a pint of blood from me everyday.
This one put me over the edge. I'm putting in my notice this week and won't have to worry about nobody covering my shift or me missing my eye appointment.

I am so sorry for you and hope you can get the treatment you need.

It is a shame that a good nurse isn't valued and efforts made to retain. You are better off gone. Maybe someday they (meaning that broadly) will realize we are not machines or slaves.

3boysmom3 · May 10, 2009

Wow. By all means, take care of your sight. When a facility cares nothing about its employees other than that their warm bodies show up for a shift, it's amazing how they then wonder why morale is low.

Are you going to purchase COBRA insurance so that whatever eye care you will need will be covered? I know it's expensive but you may be looking at some really expensive care down the line.

I lost all of the vision in one eye, after all sorts of fiascos involving retinal tears, surgery, neovascular glaucoma, more surgery, couple of other surgeries, and finally collapsed retina. Too much mush in there to work on anymore. My eyesight in my other eye is very, very nearsighted and has been since I was a child, but it is correctable with lenses, so I can see OK to work, drive, read, and do anything I want (except catch a baseball; no depth perception, lol. Or do an Accucheck easily for the same reason- but I can do them, just a little awkwardly). I did have one leaky vessel in my good eye that required a laser treatment a few yrs. ago, but so far it's doing OK with no further problems. Looking at those statements you get in the mail from social security occasionally, if I were to become completely disabled I would get what amounts to half of my current salary, so at least I'd have something, and my house will be paid off in a couple of years so that's good. (I hope there IS any social security at retirement or whenever I do need it!!!)

Sorry, didn't mean to get off on a tangent about myself, just wanted to say that I know firsthand how valuable your eyesight is, and by all means, you do whatever you need to do to take care of it. That facility you're leaving can find someone else to kick around.