I am officially broken. Vent.

[missladyrn]

I feel totally beat up and wiped out. I had a full patient load last night, 4 of which were confused. This was my second night like this, I asked NOT to have them all back. So what did they do?

Split them up for the day shift and gave them smaller patient load and gave them all back on night shift plus a fresh post op total care. Sorry we are short? AGAIN? Bed alarms are no good if no one comes when they go off.

The staff is spread so thin everyone is literally too busy to see past their own mess. No one CAN come. I literally can't be in all 4 of these rooms at the same time, forget the rest of my patients possibly calling.

One confused patient, over 6'2 decided to jump out of bed take off all his clothes pull out all lines, ivs, and drains and run down the hall. He spit on me and pushed me out of the way. My forearm is purple from where he grabbed me earlier in the night. Bed alarm going off, no one comes to help.

Then I get chewed out for "letting him get out of bed". I had called the md twice about his agitation and asking for something, md said no. House supervisor came after I called to see my patient load and laughed and told me good luck.

Thanks a lot. I hurt all over and just got spit on, I did not LET him do anything, I am simply not big enough to even come close to getting him back to bed if he doesn't want to. I don't have time to start all new ivs and clean up the blood bath because all my other bed alarms are going off.

I have been trying to keep these people in bed all night for 2 nights and I JUST CAN'T DO IT ANYMORE. Charge nurse had a full patient load herself. I am not superhuman. And neither is the CNA, who is just off orientation. I have a feeling she might not come back at all after the week we have had. I am considering the same.

I can't even sleep and I am so tired. No matter how much you do and how much you kill yourself to get stuff done, all they care about is what you didn't get done. I am sick of the abuse. I am sick of killing myself coming home tired and broken. I have not called in sick in over 4 years, but tomorrow night I think I might need to.

I just can't even imagine going back right now. All I do is work and sleep. I tried to take a vacation in May, but working nights and trying to be normal for a week just made me more tired.

[jasnms]

At one facility, we had a box that went directly to the DON. I have had those nights and was always the charge nurse. Even though I would try to assist, my own patients would go wacky on me. After numerous times of sending messages to the DON, I met a Clinical Nurse Specialist who actually came to the floor to see what needed to be changed. It took the CNS and I about two weeks to come up with solutions. One was based on patient acuity. If the day shift needed the extra people, the night shift needed someone extra as well. Another was to tell the house supervisor that they could send new patients to other floors that had plenty of nurses and not enough patients. Or to float one of the nurses from another floor. We also came up with a floating nursing pool where nurses would work different floors. A lot of nurses applied for these positions and it helped alleviate some of the frustration. However, if you feel that you need a break, take it. We all need a time out just to relax and not come home feeling frustrated and undervalued. It will make you feel better.

[brandy1017, ASN, RN]

I feel for you, the confused, agitated, altered mental status drive all of us crazy. It is impossible to be everywhere at once. Where I work they are finally getting sitters because they don't want to have to pay for the medical complications when a person falls and injures himself. Even still patients get up fall and hurt themselves as we can't be everywhere at once.

I suggest you take a well deserved and well needed mental health day!

[nicegirlnurse]

I'm feeling your pain, too, and I don't work on a floor, I work in the ER now. Last night, I had a patient come in with a possible CVA--which turned out to be a major bleed-- who needed to be flown out, and about 20 minutes later (While my head bleed was still there) got a working code in one of my other rooms. We are ALWAYS short of nurses AND techs. It just doesn't seem safe, and although management says they are "working on it", not much has been done. To top it off, they are not wanting to grant vacation time because we don't have enough staff and are asking people to work extra days. HOW is that going to make us actually want to come to work??

[OnlybyHisgraceRN, ASN, RN]

I completly understand. I took a mental health day this week and got docuumentation from my doctor. MHD are needed every once in a while...

[SHGR, MSN, RN, CNS]

How is it that all these posts about working short, being so short staffed, and not having enough nurses on a shift occur simultaneously with so many posts about new grads being unable to find jobs? Nurses that wanted to work that night shift with you last night!! Arrrgh. It's ridiculous. Yes, there is a nursing shortage- it's happening all over right now. It's just, they're not hiring nurses.

[nursiejojo]

Hello-

All I can say is...hang in there. 7 months is 7 months. If you DO NOT take the time to take care of your self FIRST, then you cannot take care of your patients. I honestly think it is time to search for a different position, and maybe a different specialty. I work in Pediatrics/PICU, and I can say where I have my bad days, they are NOTHING like you all have been describing! It depends on where you live how bad this nursing shortage truly is. I live in Phoenix, and while there are areas that are short nurses, these are the same hospitals that are not hiring due to budget cuts, preventing new nurses from ever finding work after they graduate. The claims are that is just costs too much to train a new nurse. Its a vicious cycle, really, but hopefully one that will be fixed soon. Hang in there! Take the night off, have a glass of wine, and just take a mental health day to regroup and possibly reevaluate your career.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Thanks everyone. I am feeling a little better, but still can't sleep. I have the worst headache ever, not sure if it is from lack of sleep or stress. I really want to call out tomorrow, but I am terrified of calling in sick, always have been. Oh, and to clarify, I have not called in sick in over 4 years, but. Have only been at my current job for 7 months. The thought of having the same patients back is enough to make my stomach turn.

Shame on that supervisor....I would have called the MD myself and gotten some meds for those patients or fouind a way to dig up a tech from somehwere to help and hung out there myself to helop out, may be do your paper work or chart checks. But I konw many supervisors don't do this.

By the way you are looking pale to me.....:hug:. Maybe you should call in sick.

[CrunchRN, ADN, RN]

That sucks in every way. So unfair. Take the sick day as medicine for your stress headache!

[Missy71940]

Sounds like my week. LOL Then I ran into my Aunt and she told me about the huge bonus the doctor friend of hers just got and I only get a 2% raise.

[wilsonbl5150]

I think you probably need more than a sick day. If what you describe is a typical night you should start looking for something else IMMEDIATELY. Knowing that you're not going to be there for much longer can provide some peace of mind when things go crazy. I also can't stress enough DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!!!! C.Y.A, because it sounds like your supervisors and facility would not have a problem hanging you out to dry if/when something bad happens.

[Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN]

There is no nursing shortage. There is a staffing shortage. Hospitals are doing this to make more money. It is at the expense of safe working conditions for nurses and at the expense of safe care for the patients. Believe me, while your hospital is crying poor, they're still giving bonuses to the CEO.

Finding another position elsewhere may not solve your problems, because this is a trend that seems to be widespread and growing right now. It may be that the only way to get away from it is to get out of the hospital environment altogether; an infusion clinic, dialysis, hospice, home health, urgent care, endoscopy clinic, or something NOT in the hospital might be a little better.

I was seeing the same trend in my ED, so I left for a small specialty niche. It's with the same company that owns the hospital, but it's an outpatient service, and we actually make lots of money for the company, so they're not looking to cut our staff or downsize us. It reminds me of the Eye of Sauron in the Lord of the Rings. I feel like my department has this cloak of invisibility that prevents the eye from being able to see us.

There is a lot I miss about the acute care environment, and someday I may go back, but not until I see the pendulum swing back the other way. Sadly, I think it's going to take a few sentinel events and wrongful death lawsuits for that to happen.

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

This is happening in all aspects of healthcare. In my outpt clinic we are about as short staffed as we can be. You cannot provide the patient care that your patients need let alone deserve. Mistakes happen, things get overlooked. Oh yeah and our satisfaction score better be over 95%. HA. NEVER GONNA ******* HAPPEN!!! You can have the biggest smile on your face and use whatever catch phrase they want (it is my pleasure, thank you for your hospitality, etc) but if you don't have the staff to provide any care your not going to get that 95% satisfaction score. Oh and we are going to have to cut your benefits, but the docs/ceo/cfo/cno are still getting their bonuses. It is enought to make your head spin.. I wish you the best of luck. Call in sick and take a day of rest.