Taco Bell is hiring

[RoaminHankRN]

I used to work as an ER nurse and now a house supervisor. Two things about the job that baffles me are the floor nurse and on call staff.

What is with the attitude of some floor nurses and not wanting to take patients. When I call to place patients, oh the attitudes and excuses I hear.

Sure, ER should help out where they can and when they can. But when the waiting room is full and the hall beds are taken, cut 'em some slack. Do floor nurses understand the ER has an "open door policy." How many floor nurses have worked ER? It's a different world down there.

Remember most patients are admitted through the ER and it is their first impression of the hospital. Do you know what the biggest complaint on patient surveys are?

Second... on call staff. Two things to say about that. Save the whining for your spouse and if you don't like on call... Taco Bell is hiring.

Hank

[hoolahan, ASN, RN]

Ok Hank, and if you do your job correctly, then my comments shouldn't upset you either. Truce.

I have put in my time in hospitals, but I prefer to stay in home health, where my patients can have my undivided attention and I don't have any reason to find fault with what my co-workers did or didn't do or not do. It works for me. When that stops working for me, I will go work nights in Wallmart, and I am dead serious about that! $22 per hour for Wallmart isn't too shabby. I started my HH job at $22.73 per hour after 20 years of experience!!

[PhantomRN]

From reading your posts I get the feeling you are 150% for the ER all the time. Even if you are not the staff will think you are, because I can bet that is where you spend most of your day.

I say that with no offense intended. It is only natural to spend the extra time you have in the environment that is the most comfortable. So they are among the group that will get most of your sympathies, because you are there seeing them run their legs off.

[hapeewendy]

hank - in a post before the one you replied to I recounted a story about three admissions rollin thru the doors to the floor at the same time , thats what I meant by I have seen the whole "clean house phenomenon" in person..

and as for the term limited, maybe that was the incorrect word to use, I understand your "years of experiences" and negative ones at that, however surely all of your experiences with "floor" nurses cannot be negative ones? if they are I would be interested to know a.where these experiences took place and b. how you proactively tried to become part of a solution to the problem

your posts dont "upset me" everyone is entitled to their opinions, what bothers me a tad is that when someone responds to a post with their own opinion/experience base that it turns into a battle royal half the time

we are passionate people, I get that, I too am a passionate person when it comes to beliefs and opinions, possibly the idea that we get upset at posts like yours is that we "floor" Nurses feel lumped in some less than flattering pool of people.

no matter whether we are great nurses,or less than stellar ones, there seems to be some stark generalizations made by some people regarding floor nurses.

Just like ER nurses come to bat for eachother when insulted etc, so do floor nurses.

everyone could go on for hours about stereotyping diff types of nurses based on negative experiences, enough floor nurses have brought up striking resemblences throughout ER's all over america/canada but does that mean we should judge all ER nurses by the same marker? of course not

good bad or evil, we are all nurses, the greatest of us and the worst of us end up in all departments in a hospital , at any given time

its not about "being all above all of this"

its about the fact that a floor nurses job may be on the "floor" or unit or whatnot but that does not define him/her. so sometimes we get a little

*ahem* passionate about negative statements about unit nurses, its just sometimes frustrating when other depts dont see the other side to the whole "admit the patient" story, I certainly KNOW That the ER Is a madhouse, and that the nurses are run off their feet there, its just sad that sometimes people are blind to the issues surrounding the nurses that work on very busy med/surg/tele etc units.

yet again, I'm not directing my statements at any one person (IE - hank) because as youve said before you understand the work of a floor nurse.

cheers

[RoaminHankRN]

Deal Hoola!!

$22 at WalMart?

[RoaminHankRN]

Phantom...

How much would you like to bet?

Think before you speak:)

[RoaminHankRN]

Wendy...

Thanks for the spirted discussion!

I have learned from you all..

I am looking for some reasons why certain people act the way they do..

Maybe instead of posting here... I'll just continue to confront the nurse at work... ER or Floor nurse alike.

PS

If anyone would like to continue here though.. :)

[hapeewendy]

I agree that you should address the problems you are having with other staff at work.

but that doesnt mean we cant talk about it here either right?

I hope that people keep dialogue open

we can all shed some light and support one another

plus a difference of opinion is a good thing

nice to know were not all clones walking around

cheers

[SharonH, RN]

Originally posted by 4XNURSE

Sharon,

Sounds like you could use a hug.

{{{{{{{{{{Sharon}}}}}}}}}}

Hope that helps.

Sometimes It does us good to get it off our chest. Strong work!

ken :)

Ahhhhh, thanks a lot ken! It does feel better.

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

We had a system that took care of the bed-census-stuffing problem. When a patient left the floor, you had to call a number into the computer and put the bed number in.

That went to housekeeping and notified bed control the bed was empty.When housekeeping did the room, they HAD to post it by phone in order to get credit for the job done, and that also notified the bed was ready.

When a patient arrived on the floor they could only be put into the census in order to do orders, by the same method. If a patient checked out before the bed was put in, then the supervisor really came down on you .

I don't know whether this was a commercial computer program or something that our IT came up with, but it really helped.

P

[NurseDennie, BSN, RN]

P-RN -

We had at least a very similar system at the hospital I worked at. You had call the system number and report the pt D/C in order to get the room terminal cleaned. Then the housekeeper would either call another number or get the unit secretary to call the other number to report it finished. Same deal - then bed control KNEW when the room was ready. If the housekeeper or secretary didn't make the second call, then *I* did, because otherwise, bed control didn't know the room was ready, and - just like your system if I'd told the ED or PACU or whatever to send the patient, then I wouldn't be able to enter orders until the room was cleared by bed control.

I guess that wouldn't help if someone just liked the look of a nicely-made bed and didn't make the call if the housekeeping and secretary combo failed... Ewwww, but who wants THAT hanging over their head? I'd rather have the patient come in as soon as possible!

Love

Dennie

[mother/babyRN, RN]

The bottom line (and I have worked the er AND the floors) is that we are ALL busy and each area and situation is unique. I am always amazed that people from different areas don't cut some slack for each other. Nursing is its own worse enemy.

Our er never has to float when it quiet, and they shouldn't, but OB always has to and WE have to be around for what comes through the doors too...

The floors have ridiculous assignments and usually no transport on off shifts. The bottom line should be the patients and not arguments between nurses.

I still can't figure out how our ( and I say our because I can't speak for yours) are afraid of people in labor with everything they handle down there. It is nothing for them to request us to be on site for incoming pedi or newborn codes but then drop screaming OB patients off on us AND they call us to do fetal hearts ( which always amazes me.) I don't mind it as long as they respect the fact that we can be inundated too and too busy to do those little perks for them.

Hank, you sound really frustrated but I think we all are in all areas. We have just been told that we have to limit the amounts of pads and chux given to patients. Not too long ago the store room didn't want to send us blue bulbs as we were over our quota (excuse me???) Babies come on their own time...

I just wish we didn't put the blame game on each other because it is not the floor nurses that are the ultimate problem. It is the staffing situation and management....

I have to say that the other night we had a situation in which OB was already floated when the ER called requesting us to come down ( and do what?) and be there because they were expecting an infant not breathing. Scary for everyone, right? But, we don't belong there...Still, we sent down 2 people with an airshield ( leaving our then thankfully quiet uit) short, because we knew it would be a tense all around situation since a baby was involved.

Our staff was gone for an hour an a half, and sadly, the baby was DOA...Everyone had a difficult time with it of course. As soon as our staff returned, we got a call from the er that a patient of ours had come in for a labor check and we needed to get there immediately. Off we went, bypassing the er nurse who was in such a hurry to get rid of the screaming woman that she put her in a wheelchair and started upstairs, leaving the delivery person on her way to no one. I was in the nursery with a baby under the lights so sent the remaining RN to delivery and decided to have some fun with the ER nurse ( a good friend, by the way). When she arrived she screamed, almost as loud as the patient, who HAD to be fully by the way she was screaming, that I needed to get over there asap! I mentioned that I couldn't leave the nursery due to the bili light situation and that she would have to bring the patient over. The look of shock was priceless ( though I knew and she didn't) that another nurse was in delivery. Off she went through the doors. I had an LPN cover the nursery while I dashed over there and we ended up delivering the pt. I turned to thank the ER nurse and she was already gone!

The bottom line is we have to try and understand where other units are coming from. They are thinking the same things you are thinking. They are as stressed and tired , underpaid and uappreciated as you are. Placing blame, other than for venting, really only widens the chasm in my opinion, but it is only my opinion and 20 years in nursing......Hope things get better but I am not, at this time, too hopeful.....

[lever5]

It sounds like both ER and Floor nurses are put into difficult situations. We all get grumpy when that happens. These problems have been around since the dawn of time. The only thing we can control is our own attitude. I choose to just do my job, put my hours in and take what comes. It tends to make those around me do the same. They hire me for a 12 hour shift, if they want me to finish a job, I'm willing. If they want to avoid overtime, I'll go home. I just ask the charge person or supervisor to make that decision. They are the ones paid for that flack. When you are overwhelmed, just keep on going. Things will work out. This method had worked for me for years.