Work frustration poll - page 4

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Who is the biggest source of stress and frustration at your workplace?... Read More

Mar 19, '03
Occupation: VTS RN Specialty: 23 year(s) of experience in Neurosurgery, Vascular-Thoracic Surgery ; Joined: Dec '02; Posts: 1,190; Likes: 15

Too many managers...not enough nurses. The other day we had 4 nurses on the floor looking after 19 patients....and there were 4 managers (who know jack sh*t) running around supervising the 4 nurses on the floor...it's just incredible.
Mar 21, '03
Occupation: NICU Traveler Specialty: NICU, L&D, OB, Home Health, Management ; Joined: Oct '00; Posts: 402; Likes: 18

I have to say FAMILIES!!! In L & D they are in and out, giving advice, getting in the way, contaminating fields, sticking their noses into other parients rooms . . . I could go on and on. When did labor become a spectator sport?
Mar 21, '03
Occupation: Telephone Triage Joined: Dec '02; Posts: 158; Likes: 3

I also would select all of the above.

I left bedside nursing because of the politics and butt kissers, but I won't go back because of co-workers. (You know eat our young [or fresh meat in this case] Policy.) I already been down that road and I won't go back to bedside nursing so a new group of nurses can give me crummy assignments, etc...until I PAY MY DUES.
Mar 21, '03
Occupation: FT RN Cardio/pulmonary unit/telemetry Joined: Mar '03; Posts: 11

All of the above.

The public, administrators, managers who ignore common sense.

Nurses can not use mechanical lifts to position patients up in bed for those quick boosts to help with resp. distress and routine positioning. Do the vital signs at the start of shift, administer meds, restart I.V's, get report, document real time, deal with chest pain/sob/ events,moniter 6 telemetry,....for 12 hrs, day in day out.
All at the same time. ...For years.
Apr 8, '03
Occupation: Registered Nut Specialty: Most of it ; Joined: Oct '01; Posts: 531; Likes: 85

Staff nurses who like to blame registry for everything. Actually had a Charge Nurse draft a butt scorching letter to my agency with a litanyof complaints about my imcompetance, patient had to wait over an hour for discharge orders (hello, I don't write them, the Doc does and where the hell was he?) patient on PCA and family c/o altered level of consciousness, PCA not on basal rate, just removed the button from reach. My favorite, "did not teach a patient straight cath instructions prior to discharge (patient demenstrated correct technique t/o shift and it was so charted, but sometimes you just rub a staffer the wrong way and this one really has it out for me, calls me a BRAT! etc. My attitude is, don't hate me because I'm beautiful! I am competent, kind, a team player and compassionate with my patients, professional with my partners in health care. One idiot isn't going to change that.
Apr 9, '03
Occupation: registered nurse Joined: Jan '03; Posts: 175; Likes: 5

Originally posted by fancynancy
All of the above.

BUT I voted for FAMILIES

I worked in LTC for many years and the families could make a sane person go NUTS :roll

When I was unit coordinator yes I would say that a good part of my day was spent kissing the "problem" families butts. We had one daughter who refused to have us do her moms laundry and then would call on cell and want us to put the laundry bags out in the parking lot for her NOW

Now I work in acute care and get my fair share of little old ladies from the nursing home. I enjoy them and they appreciate the attention I give them. Everything changes when the families come to visit.

One lady in particular is a frequent flyer and her daughter is INSANE
(moms MD has recommended that she "see" someone) She is the MOST annoying person you could meet. One day I have "MOM" and I see a big sign over her bed TAKE BP ON LEG !!!??? Shunt in L arm so OK we take in the right arm. I couldnt find rhyme or reason to take it in the leg- check the orders and the chart. Lucky for me her MD was at the desk- he never heard of it- never ordered it either "just take it in her arm......"
Found out later from another nurse that was the daughter who insisted that BP was taken on her leg and a nurse put the sign up to appease her. WTF

Me and daughter had it out last discharge about nystatin powder ! She wanted MORE POWDER to take to nursing home The tiny bottle was empty I said they will order her stuff when she gets back to NH. Threatened me "you BETTER get the powder NOW" while "MOM" is on the strecher ready to go !!!!
She argued with me, there are no doctors there + they cant put orders in until friday for delivery on wed ??? Where does she come up with these things ?? She left despising me and powderless............

She's baaaack and I wont take that district for a million bucks, saw the daughter yesterday at the desk and I looked right thru her- like she didnt exist :imbar Im getting cynical I guess but my heart goes out to those NH nurses who have to deal with this insane woman on an everyday basis

deb
Apr 9, '03
Occupation: Nurse Educator: love those students! Specialty: Med/Surg,ER,L&D,ICU,OR,nrs. educator ; Joined: Apr '02; Posts: 968; Likes: 41

I have to vote for admin. as he is from "the old school" and the board are all "yes men". DON tired and fed up, so we have lived with no change for 5 years waiting for his impending retirement, but now with stock market drop,.....indefinite. Depressing!
Apr 14, '03
Joined: Jun '01; Posts: 10,070; Likes: 8,409

My vote will always have to be for administration and politics. The facility I left in July of last year has made no attempt to address any of the issues I brought to their attention when I left. I didn't get an exit interview, so I wrote a letter to the recruitment and retention chairperson. Received a very nice, totally patronizing letter back indicating that my concerns would be investigated, and another from the VP of nursing (or whatever they're calling the position now... who can keep track?) stating basically the same thing. The unit manager of patient care (who is a lovely woman and had only been in the job less than a year) then sent out a memo to the staff asking if they all felt the same as I did. They, of course, all said "No" because they didn't want to see her in any trouble. So naturally, nothing changed.

There's a good deal of political manoeuvering going on at my new facility as well.

*Our peds CV surgeon is viewed as He-who-must-be-accommodated , even to the extent of having a ventilated patient cared for in the hallway. Not kidding!

*The only individuals who are ever considered for financial support for attending conferences are those who are preceptors. Aren't we all expected to keep current?

*Management calls the home of any individual who calls in sick to see when they'll be back to work.

*They keep expanding programs and opening new ones without making any arrangements for additional staff parking. (It took me more than six months to get a staff parking space, and it's on the 14th level of a rented parkade off hospital property, with no security. )

*The standards and practice committee, consisting of our clinical instructor and CNS plus a couple of staff nurses, continually comes up with questionably necessary new policies that are in oppostion to the center-wide policies but which must take precedence. Wouldn't you know they all include more nursing time and significantly more charting?

I could go on and on. I won't. You're welcome!:wink2:
May 12, '03
Joined: May '03; Posts: 9

Edited - spam - TOS violation.

Last edit by Nurse Ratched on May 12, '03
May 12, '03
Occupation: poor nurse Joined: Oct '01; Posts: 2,293; Likes: 86

Aw grow up! Geesh......

Edited to add.....Thank you Nurse Ratched!

Last edit by Furball on May 12, '03
Apr 23, '05
Occupation: RN Specialty: 10 year(s) of experience in ICU,ER ; Joined: Jul '03; Posts: 614; Likes: 298

I am going to have to say the patients/families. I work in the ER and we all know that if you walk into an ER and 3 nurses and a doc jump on you...well, you will be grateful when you are on the road to your recovery. However, for all those that have cough/colds,chronic back pain,toothaches, and pesky vaginal discharges.....you're gonna have to WAIT! These people are unbelievable. They wait for 2 or 3 hours and by the time you walk your tired overworked butt into the exam room with a smile plastered to your face....they are rude and snappy. You know, I really am sorry all those annoying MVC's and acute MI's make that guy that's "allergic to toradol and codeine" with the backpain wait for his dilaudid or vicodin. And not only that, expect us to fill out an "indigent form" so that our pharmacy will basically give him his Rx. THEN we have to pay for his cab ride home and even in some cases a hotel room. And these Aholes are the ones that get the Press-Gainey malarky survey. Oh...and I love the question that asks them to rate "the nurses' skill level" EXCUSE ME?? Nothing against plumbers or butane truck drivers...but come on...can they accurately RATE our skill performance? An OD patient once put on her survey under that question...."it hurt when they put the tube down into my stomach"....uh...duhh.
So..(calming down now)....it would have to be the ungrateful lot of ER abusers. The people that truly need us do thank us. Thank God for them. One positive comment from them makes up for 20 negatives of the loser abusers...=)
Apr 23, '05
Occupation: icu Specialty: 15 year(s) of experience in critical care ; Joined: Jan '04; Posts: 162; Likes: 22

I am so sick and tired of having to fight with nursing supervisors over nursing patient ratios .FOR THE LAST TIME THEY AREN'T NUMBERS THEY ARE PEOPLE (administration do you here me?) I am in the middle of a grievance right now because a "nursing supervisor" told me she was ASHAMED of me for refusing an er admit. The er was trying to admit a etoh who received allot of sedation and still wasn't down, no Foley and 1 puny little #22 in his wrist.In the middle of report the nurse states"And I have to call you back because he just fell on the floor" In the mean time another patient loses his airway and is requiring an emergent bronch he was also a crazy big man who was requiring the 4 nurses on that shift to care for him,so now he cant breath and he's really nuts and continues to be a WWF wrestler.another patient is intubated on 2 pressors. one other is fresh post op intubated pacer placed. So ok im thinking 3 night nurses coming on in 40 minutes.One of them has under a year icu experience ,one is a travel nurse, no ancillary staff ,because that never happens to us.so Mr. etoh will be insane ,Mr. wwf just lost his airway because he was suctioned down his new trachea too aggressively is being bagged, and we can just forget about the other 3 patients because these rns coming on will be up to their teeth in 2 combat situations.But hey the supervisor sees them as being able to take 6 patients 3 nurses 6 patients and by the way who is going to be the code nurse? So I said NO I want the drunk more stable before we admit him and I want to know what you can send for ancillary help. NOONE was the answer and "I just assessed that pt in the er and he was asleep was the other response. And we all know how the sleeping etoh goes right?He is either playing possum or he will require intubation from all the valium haldol and ativan he received thru his puny little 22 in his wrist with a limb restraint over it. I stated no I will not take him now. It will be shift change and their is an emergent situation on the unit it would be unsafe to send up the ETOHer under these circumstances with no plan in place, so up comes the SUP .She's ashamed of me and so ,on And here comes the ETOH on a stretcher And aren't we all just bleeping bleepy bleeped bleeps are the words from the sleeping babe as he is spiting and kicking and now has no puny #22 in his wrist anymore.And here's comes the night shift followed by the pulmonigist to do the bronch and med HO. {we have no ICU doc) AND shes ashamed of me. Whatever. It gets better. Yesterday I went to MRI\MRA ,CT, hida, Vascular Ultrasound with my patient (all day event) I was also the charge nurse.I transferred one of my patients to step down, ,assisted another nurse in cardioversion,verified that the travel er nurse they assigned to us was not cut out for the unit(pt vomiting ,leaves him ,RT comes to get me to help,then comes in room and demands it is time to put him back on bipap ok. so I go to nurse manager explain my findings explain that I will be off floor most of day with my patient and she needs to step in. she does. well now its 5pm ,I am at hida, and the unit calls to tell me I have to take an ER admission. I hang up and call nursing supervisor. I said do you know where I am? she states Ya off the floor. you have a half hour and you have to take report. I am only 45 minus into scan. And I still need to go to ultrasound. I said I cant take a patient I am not there. WELL the numbers say and I am the one nurse with one patient blah blah blah!!!! So It is always a fight. Im tired.Something has to give.
Apr 24, '05
Occupation: RN Specialty: 10 year(s) of experience in ICU,ER ; Joined: Jul '03; Posts: 614; Likes: 298

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wow, sounds like you need a rest. But please, don't feel like you or your dept. are singled out. I have worked in ICU and I know what it's like to get those "sloppy" ER pts. I heard my fellow ICU nurses fussing all the time....the pt's jeans are still on, no foley, bloody face, and on and on. But, I came from working in the ER and I know what it's like down there. I am back in the ER now and I wouldn't trade it for anything. The thing is, when you only have so many trauma rooms and ambulances calling in, the pts you have need to move to the next level. Are all of them "stable"? Maybe not.... but that's why they are going to the ICU. I can totally sympathize with you on the frustrated overworked part. I have had 2 very critical unstable pts, 1 very demanding pt. with even more demanding family members, and an ambulance coming in with a code...no name, no mechanism of injury, no info except...well, he's coding. I can't tell the ambulance..."I am not ready for this pt. now". They would just look at me like I grew an extra head and wheel him on into my room. So we get the code back, and as one of my fellow nurses take care of him while I try to call report on one of my other pt's that I felt like I've neglected with that silly code and all, the floor nurse is blowing me crap because there's no foley?? I want to laugh. Believe me, I know that the floor is busy too. I've been there. But I've had floor nurses get all huffy because I won't read them ALL the labs (which is available on computer) or give them a detailed report of my assessment (which they are supposed to do themselves and can compare any discrepances with my notes). Their heads would spin if they got this "report"...."40-something male found down in a parking lot, intubated with cpr in progress"..........and that's it.
I am not saying at ALL that floor nurses have it "easier" than we do. It's hell up there sometimes, I know. I am just saying that we all work on the same team. We are ALL overworked. We are not just having a party in the ER and wanting to "dump" our pts. on you as popular belief would have it. I would love saying..."sure, we can hold that ETOH'er because there are no other pts that need that room and if they show up, we'll tell them that we can't take them right now"
I just think that sometimes we all forget that we need to walk a mile in someone else's shoes. It's much healthier than being frustrated/enraged over a puny 22 in a wrist and no foley. I can almost promise you that it was not a personal attack against you.
You should float to the ER sometime. You might like it and God knows we need the help...=)

Work frustration poll - page 4

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