Need to vent

Nurses General Nursing

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Hello. I've been at my job for a year and I am a new nurse. I am starting to become resentful of other nurses. Where I am LPNs are not allowed to do admissions. So some night RNs may have 7-8 patients and 1-2 admissions. LPNS may have 7-9

patients. Admissions take 1.5 hours of paperwork, tracking down the dr, putting in orders etc. you lose time with established patients. I have the upmost respect for all the nurses at work LPNS and RNS. A lot of LPNs have helped me adjust and learn the past year.

I have a problem when I am at the nurses desk plugging away, call bells are going off and these nurses have been in the back for 2+ hours ( part of that was break) talking and shooting the breeze. Hard to stay focused when you hear consistent laughter for over an hour from behind the closed door. If they are charting they should be upfront to help with lights if the aide needs help or answer the phone when the secretary leaves. The nurses left at the desk end up breaking their concentration to answer lights and the phone.

It happens with certain LPNs a lot and it's hard to keep working hard and not get resentful. I know saying anything to management will not get anything done and will not be good for me.

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You got to get out of their. Why? Because you can't fix it and you lost your joy. Unfortunately Nurses are nothing but part of the room charge to hospital administration. Go back to school and be a Family Nurse Practitioner where you can actually have an impact and help people. That's what my wife is doing.

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I know it's annoying to have to ask people to do their job, but if you need them to help, you have to ask for it.

They either don't realize what they're doing (which is doubtful), or they're taking advantage of you. If they don't realize, and you tell them you need them to sit out front, then problem solved.

If they're taking advantage of you, then keep in mind that people can only do that if you let them. And you are letting them do that by sitting out at the desk, being annoyed, not saying anything. If you have asked them and they're ignoring you, you have to be more direct. When the call light goes off, find out what the patient needs, then go get that nurse and tell them that you can't do it because you're in the middle of something.

Things like this will keep happening...maybe not constantly, but it will come up again before you retire. You have to figure out a way to resolve issues you're having with your coworkers, or you'll be perpetually irritated and overworked.

And if nothing helps...well, you've been there a year. It might be time for a change of scenery.

Good luck!!

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Specializes in ICU.

Well I'm a guy so I like to keep it simple. If I'm doing the lpns admission and the lpn is sitting in the back chatting while a call light is ringing, we are going to have a very blunt and direct talk about the concept of teamwork. It is not worth growing frustrated over, simply directly tell them to do their job. It eliminates the passive agressiveness that is so commen in nursing. Problem solved.

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Step one--- Knock, knock, knock "I am sorry to disrupt, but I am attempting to do the 952 admissions that we have had. The bells are goin off like its marathon bingo night--and the CNA is out straight. Could you please answer some of the call bells? You rock! Thank you!"

Step 2----Knock, Knock, Knock "We have call bells going off, and I need assistance with them. Could you please start answering call lights as your priority this evening? Thank you!"

Step 3---Knock, Knock, Knock "I am unable to answer the amount of call lights that are going off. I need you to be at the nurses station, and answer the lights. Mary, please go to room 352. Ann, please go to room 302. And if you all will follow me to the call light board, we can see who else needs assistance."

Final level-- At report in the beginning of the shift, make it clear that your expectation is that the priority be call light response. That this is a trackable situation that you do not want anyone to get into hot water over. That you have to begin to do incident reports if the licensed nurses are ignoring call lights to hang in the break room. That they need to take their breaks in the allotted time, and otherwise, need to be where they can respond to call lights. Period. End of story. And follow through. Every time.

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You got to get out of their. Why? Because you can't fix it and you lost your joy. Unfortunately Nurses are nothing but part of the room charge to hospital administration. Go back to school and be a Family Nurse Practitioner where you can actually have an impact and help people. That's what my wife is doing.

Wow. That is really insulting. I guess if you're not an NP, you don't make an impact nor help people. Just. Wow.

ANYWAY, I hear too often, "You need to quit and find another job, " in response to venting. I wonder where all those perfect jobs are that are awaiting us who vent.

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Thanks for all the advice however saying anything will cause more problems because the supervisor and Nurse manager were both in the break room with them. I do speak up for myself when I need help. Most the nurses are team players and we help each other. There are just a few who abuse the rules and it's frustrating. Not ready to leave yet as I have just started my BSN program.

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Thanks for all the advice however saying anything will cause more problems because the supervisor and Nurse manager were both in the break room with them. I do speak up for myself when I need help. Most the nurses are team players and we help each other. There are just a few who abuse the rules and it's frustrating. Not ready to leave yet as I have just started my BSN program.

I don't see why the supervisor or manager being present would affect you asking for help in a respectable way. I'd at least stick my head in the door and say, "Hey guys, I'm drowning out here. Is anyone due to come off break anytime soon??"

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