preparing to be one of them????????????

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Specializes in ICU.

Hello,

I just want to express my frustration after visiting my grandma in the hospital tonight. I am a pre-nursing student just waiting to be called for the program and after my experience tonight I'm both scared and confused about my future occupation. My grandma was admitted this morning with pneumonia. She is 82 yrs old and has COPD. It seemed like there were an abundance of employees, more than I usually see (and believe me I've spent plenty of time in hospitals) but not once did anyone come in to even look in on either one of the patients in the room. She is on a step down ccu and I guess I just expected more. I realize that there is a nursing shortage and on top of that, the nurses are responsible for numerous patients at one time.

I can't imagine not being able to give each one of my patients the care they derserve and should be entitled too. I don't know how I will feel about it once I begin working in the field and I'm afraid I'll have a hard time dealing with it. I guess I was just looking for a little insight from someone who actually has real life experience. Do you ever feel like you aren't doing your job? Do you feel like you are being set up for failure? I realize that with every profession, there will be those who slack and those that exceed what is expected of them.

Is that just the case with what I encountered this evening, were the nurses slacking or is this the norm? I want to be able to help people but if I felt like I was neglecting my patients every day because of no fault of my own, I'm not sure how long I could take it! :o

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho.

Makes me wonder if you were there in the middle of a shift change. It can be very misleading seeing the number of people around at shift change and it appears noone is doing anything. But they are, and im sure your grandmother was getting as much good care as anyone else there. Sure time is limited sometimes but please dont be mislead by appearances. It may not have been anything like what you were perceiving it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU.

Well shift change did occur while I was there. I arrived at 6pm and left at 8pm. Does shift change take 2 hours? There were alot of residents around too, not necessarily just nurses. I hope you are right!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

Can you share with us specifically what you felt should have been happening with your grandma in those 2 hours that didn't happen? Perhaps then we can better address your concerns.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU.
Can you share with us specifically what you felt should have been happening with your grandma in those 2 hours that didn't happen? Perhaps then we can better address your concerns.

I guess it wasn't that I expected them to do anything specific but check in every so often. I know there isn't much they can do other than make sure she is getting her meds but she is running a fever and has alot of chest congestion that she would fight to get up at times. She was sweating and had asked me to give her some wet clothes to place on her head. Isn't that their job? No one came in to take a BP or temp. Maybe my idea of what should happen while in a hospital is not practical but if you were well enough for them to just prescribe meds for you to administer yourself, then they would send you on your way and you wouldn't have been admitted in the first place. Am I right?:icon_roll

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics (Burn ICU, CVICU).
Well shift change did occur while I was there. I arrived at 6pm and left at 8pm. Does shift change take 2 hours? There were alot of residents around too, not necessarily just nurses. I hope you are right!

Actually, the complete shift change can take about two hours (at least where I work). The oncoming shift usually starts arriving anywhere from about 6:15 and the offgoing people usually don't leave until closer to 8:00 on occasion. Of course not all of this time is spent giving report, but you will see extra people around these times.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU.
Actually, the complete shift change can take about two hours (at least where I work). The oncoming shift usually starts arriving anywhere from about 6:15 and the offgoing people usually don't leave until closer to 8:00 on occasion. Of course not all of this time is spent giving report, but you will see extra people around these times.

Hopefully it was all due to shift change but it's not like it was the first time I've experienced it. I guess I was wondering, is there some type of requirement on how often you are supposed to check on a patient?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Infection Preventionist/ Occ Health.
I guess it wasn't that I expected them to do anything specific but check in every so often. I know there isn't much they can do other than make sure she is getting her meds but she is running a fever and has alot of chest congestion that she would fight to get up at times. She was sweating and had asked me to give her some wet clothes to place on her head. Isn't that their job? No one came in to take a BP or temp. Maybe my idea of what should happen while in a hospital is not practical but if you were well enough for them to just prescribe meds for you to administer yourself, then they would send you on your way and you wouldn't have been admitted in the first place. Am I right?:icon_roll

Not all hospitals require their nurses to do hourly checks on patients. If you grandmother didn't have any meds or vitals scheduled between 6pm and 8pm and she didn't hit the call light, then it is entirely possible for two hours to go by without seeing a nurse. I'm sure that shift change had something to do with it as well. Most nurses certainly will make sure that their patients are settled and reasonably comfortable before they sign off to the oncoming nurse.

Family members can and should attend to the needs of their relatives when they visit. Meaning that it is perfectly acceptable and maybe even expected for you to bring her a washcloth for her head or go to get her a fresh glass of water. Nothing drives me crazy more than a family that calls me for every little thing that they could do perfectly well themselves. (This is especially true when it comes to parents who don't do feedings or diaper changes on babies while they are in the hospital, but that is a separate issue).

Good luck in nursing school- your concern for your grandmother and other patients is an indication of your compassion.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Utilization Management.

To me, this is a perfect illustration of the invisibility of nurses. RN2B73 saw a lot of people in scrubs and assumed that they were all nurses.

In my hospital, they could've been secretaries, case managers, chart reviewers, IV team, transporters, housekeepers, patient care techs, wound care, or lab techs.

No one can tell. I often haven't a clue myself because we all wear scrubs.

Wouldn't it be nice if we knew which ones were the nurses?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
To me, this is a perfect illustration of the invisibility of nurses. RN2B73 saw a lot of people in scrubs and assumed that they were all nurses.

In my hospital, they could've been secretaries, case managers, chart reviewers, IV team, transporters, housekeepers, patient care techs, wound care, or lab techs.

No one can tell. I often haven't a clue myself because we all wear scrubs.

Wouldn't it be nice if we knew which ones were the nurses?

I agree. It can be very confusing when you to a hospital or office and everyone is in scrubs. I have been to offices where everyone from the receptionist to the doctor had scrubs on. I would like to see staff wear different colors so patients knew who was who.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Utilization Management.
I agree. It can be very confusing when you to a hospital or office and everyone is in scrubs. I have been to offices where everyone from the receptionist to the doctor had scrubs on. I would like to see staff wear different colors so patients knew who was who.

I think we should go even farther and have scrub tops that have a huge RN or LPN or PCT on the back.

But we don't have anything like that. Reason: the hospital doesn't want the visitors to start counting staff.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac Care, ICU.
I guess it wasn't that I expected them to do anything specific but check in every so often. I know there isn't much they can do other than make sure she is getting her meds but she is running a fever and has alot of chest congestion that she would fight to get up at times. She was sweating and had asked me to give her some wet clothes to place on her head. Isn't that their job? No one came in to take a BP or temp. Maybe my idea of what should happen while in a hospital is not practical but if you were well enough for them to just prescribe meds for you to administer yourself, then they would send you on your way and you wouldn't have been admitted in the first place. Am I right?:icon_roll

If it was the middle of shift change the out going staff was trying to get caught up on their charting so they could go home and the oncoming staff was trying to get organized so they wouldn't forget something that they needed to do during their shift. I'm sure that any one of them would have been happy to have provided your Grandmother w/ a cool rag if they had been asked but why would they need to since you were there?

I'm not trying to say that family members should have to take vitals or pass meds but why do people assume that when a loved one is in the hospital they can no longer do anything for them? If you were at home you would give her a cool rag, why not in the hosp.?

In many countries families are expected to feed and bathe their loved ones while they are in the hosp. The staff is to monitor their health and treat them.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment