Get used to it... nursing is only going to get worse!!

[DebRN06]

our mgr came on the unit and called a "brief meeting" to, as usual, harp on us about hourly rounding, our scores, complaints, etc. after listening to her tell us how horrible we are and hearing her speak to us patronizingly, i finally told her that she needs to work on the unit for a day so she can understand where we are coming from & what we go through(not the first time i have made that suggestion). she, of course, says that she has already been there/done that (which i might add was >20yrs ago and on a different type of unit) then she says, "you better get used to it, nursing is only going to get worse." :angryfire:angryfire:angryfire i couldn't help it... i said, "with nurse managers that don't stick up for us and our profession... yes it is!"

oops, i said it outloud, and in front of everyone (but am glad i did)...

[eriksoln, BSN, RN]

This kind of thing happened not too long ago on my unit, except it was our nursing supervisor with a silent nurse manager. Needless to say, with multiple meetings of snippy comments and blaming regardless of the concerns/solutions brought up by staff - there was a mass exodus. I mean everyone except 2 people quit (RNs and CNAs) and they went PRN! No one wanted to work on this unit!!

Now, months later, there is a new manager, new supervisor and slowly, very slowly, the nursing staff is being built up.

I guess it takes everyone quitting to make a statement. Wouln't it have been more cost effective to have just listened in the first place?

Yep, it does. Dont forget, a lot of people in these positions are there because their uncle knew some CEO in highschool, not because they are the best person to fill the role. For some reason, that trumps a good nurse or two in most situations. Now, if a lot of nurses leave, to the point where the unit cant function, then that leaves administration with no choice. We call it "voting with your feet". Unfortunately, its the only way to get through to management/administration.

[prmenrs, RN]

OFF TOPIC:

Medic---I like your Sisyphus cartoon.

[tntrn, ASN, RN]

Last night I took over on a labor patient who just beginning the second stage at 1500. She delivered at 1600. Her baby was over 4000 grms so there were the q 30 minute v/s on him, plus blood sugars, plus the q 15 minute assessments on mom, plus the kid didn't really want to nurse. At 1830 I was able to find a few minutes and chart all those q 5 minutes things from the active second stage (thankfully she didn't push for 2 hours). At 1930 after I gave report to another nurse, I started the charting for the delivery and recovery. With computer charting which is supposed to solve all our problems AND cut up our steak, I wasn't finished until 2045.

Nursing is not getting worse, but it's on a downhill slide, IMHO!

[morte, LPN, LVN]

This kind of thing happened not too long ago on my unit, except it was our nursing supervisor with a silent nurse manager. Needless to say, with multiple meetings of snippy comments and blaming regardless of the concerns/solutions brought up by staff - there was a mass exodus. I mean everyone except 2 people quit (RNs and CNAs) and they went PRN! No one wanted to work on this unit!!

Now, months later, there is a new manager, new supervisor and slowly, very slowly, the nursing staff is being built up.

I guess it takes everyone quitting to make a statement. Wouln't it have been more cost effective to have just listened in the first place?

not nec., now they can hire cheaper nurses......one hospital i know, closed a unit, reopened it 6 months later, just to get rid of the senior nurses.....

[StNeotser, ASN, RN]

Although I disagree with the way she treats you, I think what she is saying is correct. I think the demands on nurses ARE going to continue to increase.

This is scary - increase to what? Seems a lot of us are already not peeing or eating, staying over, and doing what ever we can. What will it take to stop the madness? That many patient deaths or med errors that eventually some of us will be up before a Congressional committee saying "I never peed on my twelve hour shifts and yet still I couldn't take care of 15 patients at once" or something similar? Eventually they'll have to stop reading stupid articles in The Readers Digest about nurses don't wash their hands and make med errors because they're not paying attention and realize bad nursing care is down to something else.

[LilyBlue]

Yes, I actually do believe things like that will start happening. I am already up to nine telemetry patients with no breaks at all for 14 hours at a time, and every month at the staff meeting we are ******* at about not having done something well enough and told about yet a new document we will need to do every one hour or whatever.

[twistedpupchaser]

I think that the NM can make or break a Unit, the first unit I worked on had an NM as described above. I have worked on another unit where the NM tried but had trouble in the job as she was new and out of her depth. The unit I am working on now has the best NM I have ever seen. She works overtime constantly to get her job done because she is often found helping on the floor.

This NM has the backing of the ER Consultant in battles ./c management about staffing and other issues, constantly fields complaints and works as a shield for her staff. The only problem with this person? No, it is not that she is fictional, she wants to come back on the floor because she misses it! If all NM's could be like her we would be a happy(er) bunch.

[diane227, LPN, RN]

Nursing will not get worse unless you allow it to. You have to learn ways to work around the system. You are going to have bad days. If you have an unsupportive nurse manager, just take it with a grain of salt. I have been lucky that for the most part I have always had good managers and I have learned to work around the one's that were not. I made it so hard for one that she just quit. You have to know your limits and your rights. Put stuff in writing when ever you can and keep a copy. You never know when you will need it. Be polite but direct and always end your request or question with "looking forward to your reply". You gotta hold her feet to the fire but you have to be nice about it.