Good nurse vs bad nurse

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Does anyone else constantly have this battle with themselves? Some days I leave work feeling like I was a good nurse who made a difference but then other days I leave feeling like a complete failure. I've been working PRN in LTC since August & still feel completely lost somedays. I've been tempted to take a couple of FT positions thinking things would get easier that way but that would really mess up my school schedule...just trying my best to make a difference & constantly feeling like I'm falling short.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

Being PRN really doesn't leave you much of an opportunity to develop any routines or establish continuity of care for your assignments. Unless I'm mistaken, your assignment probably varies each time you work, so that may be the difficulty.

Routines, continuity and familiarity help to make the employee's job easier in LTC. So you might just be being harder on yourself than you really need to be. Good luck.

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I've gotten a lot of positive feedback from everyone I work with so I think I am pretty hard on myself. I just expect quality care for each resident & for everything to get done, and be done right! Seems like there aren't enough hours in the day sometimes...

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Geriatrics, LTC.

there are definitely NOT enough hours in the day and there never will be. all you can do is your best. I never feel like a "complete failure" because I always do my best. Sure some days I don't feel like I even get to every resident, (I am responsible for 20, 1/2 my unit). But usually I feel pretty good.You are in school too, so you can't possibly give 100% to both. You can't. As you get older you won't look outside yourself for kudos, and in nursing you hardly ever get a pat on the back. Just do your best and hold your head up. Best of luck...

Namaste

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Well I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. And I'm not dependent on outside kudos, I know they're few & far between. But I do always give it my best & I know that's all I can do. Just wish I didn't think of more things I could have done on my way home after every shift! Just takes time, I know.

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Specializes in Psych, LTC/SNF, Rehab, Corrections.
Does anyone else constantly have this battle with themselves? Some days I leave work feeling like I was a good nurse who made a difference but then other days I leave feeling like a complete failure. I've been working PRN in LTC since August & still feel completely lost somedays. I've been tempted to take a couple of FT positions thinking things would get easier that way but that would really mess up my school schedule...just trying my best to make a difference & constantly feeling like I'm falling short.

I don't feel like a 'bad' nurse and I'm not one to take work home with me. Once I leave the building? Out of sight; out of mind.

It's more like I've never felt so proud of my work and so 'let down' about 'the state of things' simultaneously.

I feel like my best really isn't good enough. I don't know.

There are too many of them and too few of us. Too much to be done with too little time to do it in.

I'm always worried that I'm going to forget to do something or somethng's going to bite me in the butt down the line because I did something improperly and didn't know otherwise(I'm talking about paperwork).

You run all shift long.

I worked on New Years eve and I didn't eat. Neither did the other nurse.

We just clocked out on our lunch-break and kept working. The census has dropped and we're supposed to be doing hour lunches. Well - I was busy doing insulin/BS and passing 6 a meds...and clocked out 15 min late.

But...do you know what makes me angry about all of this? It's not the fact that I didn't get to eat. When I work 8's, I usualy don't (imo) have time to eat.

It's the fact that, in our next meeting, we'll once again have to sit around while management goes on and on about 'time-theft' and how they're going to take it out of our checks and blah, blah, blah. It's the fact that I'll have to answer for my late punch outs as if I'm some unscrupulous person...when I came 10 minutes before shift and stayed 20 minutes after the end of my shift. The other nurse stayed longer. Waiting for our relief. Scrambling to do paperwork that was sprung on me last minute since neither one us had ever done night shift.

OFF the clock!

We're not stealing anything. It is they who steal from us!

I didn't even bother doing a time-sheet correction form. I'm keeping my damned extra 15 minutes.

Take THAT, 'powers that be'! LOL

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Floating is hard. When I floated I felt like a "good nurse" as long as all my residents were alive, medicated and not soiled at the end of the night....

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I don't feel like a 'bad' nurse and I'm not one to take work home with me. Once I leave the building? Out of sight; out of mind.It's more like I've never felt so proud of my work and so 'let down about 'the state of things' simultaneously. I feel like my best really isn't good enough. I don't know.There are too many of them and too few of us. Too much to be done with too little time to do it in.I'm always worried that I'm going to forget to do something because I wasn't You run all shift long. I worked on New Years eve and I didn't eat. Neither did the other nurse.We just clocked out on our lunch-break and kept working. The census has dropped and we're supposed to be doing hour lunches. Well - I was busy doing insulin/BS and passing 6 a meds...and clocked out 15 min late.But...do you know what makes me angry about all of this? It's not the fact that I didn't get to eat.It's the fact that, in our next meeting, we'll once again have to sit around while management goes on and on about 'time-theft' and how they're going to take it out of our checks and blah, blah, blah. It's the fact that I'll have to answer for my late punch outs as if I'm some unscrupulous person...when I came 10 minutes before shift and stayed 20 minutes after the end of my shift. The other nurse stayed longer. Waiting for our relief. Scrambling to do paperwork that was sprung on me last minute since neither one us had ever done night shift.OFF the clock!We're not stealing anything. It is they who steal from us! I didn't even bother doing a time-sheet correction form. I'm keeping my damned extra 15 minutes.Take THAT, 'powers that be'!LOL
I learned early on in my first LTC job to just call their bluff when it comes to the "time theft" threats. If you're gonna fire me, then do it. Otherwise please shut up and leave me alone.
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Specializes in LTC, Hospice, Case Management.
I didn't even bother doing a time-sheet correction form. I'm keeping my damned extra 15 minutes.

Take THAT, 'powers that be'! LOL

I know it's hard but try to remember...everyone has a boss, including your boss. Someone above him/her is breathing fire down her throat asking why she can't control the overtime. I know there are some really bad DON's but if my nurses can explain to me WHY they were over then they give me ammunition to take to my supervisor. Many times explaining that they had 2 admissions, one d/c to ER and a couple falls stops all discussion and keeps us all out of trouble.

(I have never accused the staff of time theft...Sounds ridiculous).

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Floating is hard. When I floated I felt like a "good nurse" as long as all my residents were alive medicated and not soiled at the end of the night....[/quote']

I agree...some nights that's about all I can get done!

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Specializes in ICU, telemetry, LTAC.

Pain, poop and hunger. If your patients don't suffer from pain, don't lay in poop, and aren't hungry, you're doing well. If, on top of that, nobody has any life-altering events, you're doing really well. If you get all your paperwork done on top of those things it's a blooming miracle!

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I feel like this a lot! Especially working on nightshift because I don't get to speak with the families and since I work ICU it feels like much of the time my efforts are futile. Some days I feel like I'm on top of everything and sometimes I feel like I could have done better. It also doesn't help that nurses put each other under a microscope constantly. We do what we can and try our best. I know I'm going to get a lot of grief for this comment...but at the end of the day it's just a job. I know we do very special things and touch the lives of many but being so hard on each other and ourselves isn't good for our profession. Many times we don't get to see the great things we accomplish because patients get discharged and we don't hear from them again. I know you do a good job because you care! Don't make things so black and white (good vs bad) because we all know the medical field isn't!

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