13 hours without a break

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Well apparently this really does happen. As a newer RN, this is the first time it happened to me. I feel pretty frustrated. I don't know how I could have worked faster or smarter. My patients were stable, no crisis, I just had a lot of them and a few needed me pretty regularly, plus the usual shift-killers: admissions, new orders, and my new favorite: running out of IV pumps and poles and having to scrounge them from patient's rooms. MDRO much?

I wipe everything down with bleach wipes and let it air dry. Do they do more than that when equipment is "officially" cleaned?

I make little boxes on my brain for dressing changes, IVPBs, etc. This is the first time I ran out of room.

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Yep, this has happened to me pretty frequently over the last 23 years. Sometimes it makes me really resentful, and it can lead to burnout. It seems to me to be an understaffing issue. Whether more RNs or PCTs are needed I don't know, but if there is too much work for everyone to finish their tasks AND get a break, I think we are understaffed!

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

Make sure you get paid for all of those 13 hours!

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Make sure you get paid for all of those 13 hours!

I didn't, actually.

I don't make that mistake anymore. I now realize I work hard and fast, so if I cannot get it done, than I have too much work. My OT labor is no longer a donation to my for-profit, national employer.

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