I wished I worked @ Wal-Mart

Nurses General Nursing

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So at work yesterday I sent a message to pharmacy saying I hung some vancomycin late.....then I noticed that it had been discontinued, so I sent a message saying that it had been discontinued, so that they would know that I didn't hang it....later I also noticed that they left off one of my medicines from my order, so I refaxed the order, well later I got a threatening phone call from the pharm. Manager yelling @ me asking why I refaxed it...why am I sending messages..that my explanation of why doesn't make sense to anybody...that I shouldn't have done that...that the entire thing was my fault. So naturally I tried to defend myself...then she cut me off and said I didn't want to mess with her...and I know you got me on speaker phone and other people can hear me...and she's the wrong person to mess with..and that she would fix the order. I went home so upset after that..I'm so sick of working so hard to be a good nurse, only to have stuff like that happen. Why am I doing this? I wish I worked @ walmart.

"seek first to understand, then to be understood." best advice out there.

sometimes we do things that we think are helping, but instead it is really creating more work for the person on the other end. we get mad at them because we think they are unresponsive, when in reality we're not doing what is needed. they get mad at us, we get mad at them, a vicious cycle is started. no one is trying to be difficult. as a matter of fact usually the opposite is true: we're trying to be helpful but are inadvertently creating more work for the other.

sometimes to just stop, make a phone call and say, "there seems to be an issue here and i'd like to resolve this for both of us. what am i doing wrong or could i do it differenlty that might make it easier for you?" you'd be surprised how much better life becomes when we all get on the same page.

i was on a committee one time for scipp issues. we were complaining that pacu would fax orders to pharmacy before bringing a patient up to the floor and the meds not being in the mar before they get there. we found out that registration wasn't getting the patients into the computer on a timely manner, therefore, pharmacy could do nothing with the orders faxed by pacu. pharmacy would either pitch the orders, or keep "watching" to see when the patient was in the computer, thus creating more work for their staff. in the meantime, the floor has now re-faxed the orders and pharmacy now has to double check the two order sets to make sure nothing is different. nursing is mad at pharmacy for "not doing their job." pharmacy is mad at nursing for doubling their workload. in reality, the problem was with bed-booking and registration and nobody knew it!!!

i think working 4 hours in pharmacy should be a part of all nursing orientation. or at least getting an orientation about what they do, what happens when we send down orders, etc. complaints about pharmacy seem to be big issue. i really wish i knew how they worked. i have a feeling nursing complicates the problems and if we just did things a little differently, things would go more smoothly.

(an orientation to registration and bed-booking may not be a bad idea either btw.)

and the reverse is true as well. maybe if they understood more of what we go through, they could do things differently as well.

everyone hates committees. but sometimes, getting everyone in the same room and telling "their side" opens a bunch of eyes and solves a bunch of problems.

that exact same situation arose at my hospital a couple of months ago when we went to a new computer system. there were quite a few changes in the way things were done and processed as a result. those changes left everyone in every department pulling their hair by the end of shift. the night time staff on our unit handled the situation just how you described and we have a wonderful relationship with rx and lab as a result.

however, here's the irony... like you, rx didn't get the med profile done in a timely manner because pts weren't in the system because registration hadn't put them in yet. registration hadn't put pts in the system because the admission order hadn't been faxed to them when pts arrived from the pacu with the order (post op observation holds couldn't be admitted until the exact minute they arrived to the floor). our clerks had been trained to do this when they had their orientation on the new system but not the rn's. we had no idea we were supposed to do this and since we have no clerk at nights on the weekends guess what...? it ended up being our fault anyway! :banghead:

long story short... rx could do their part because admitting couldn't do their part because we had no clerk to do their part (which became the rn's responsibility who didn't even know it was a task that needed to be done in the first place!). see the conundrum? the bottom line is, everything seems to always falls back on us, doesn't it? all this leaves me wondering just one thing...

is my local wal-mart hiring? :smokin:

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

Isn't it ironic that in nursing that we get blamed when:

- Resp txs are late/do not get done

- Lab doesn't draw blood from our pt

- X-ray/MRI 'forgets' about our pt

- Food is cold (I LOVE this one.....)

- Meds are not in the pt's drawer, so you are late giving them....

I could go on and on and on.......:eek:

It seems like we oftentimes get the blame, when other depts/ancillary staff screw up. What's up with this??

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Sounds like you need to file a complaint with her supervisor. Unacceptable behavior for sure.

Great advice. Follow it.

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Specializes in Cardiac/Tele/CVICU.
Don't throw the "I wish I worked @ Walmart" card out there into the universe, it could very well come back as a reality. And trust me, there are countless numbers of unemployed nurses out there who would kill to be in your shoes, especially ones with thick skin that can brush this incident off. What happened to you is a blip on the screen of your career, you worked hard to be where you are - embrace the fact that you have a privileged post in these economic times. Move forward. You're going to let this one piece-of-trash person re-evaluate your entire nursing career? :uhoh3:

Oh come on now, I think the OP just needed to vent a little steam.

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Specializes in Med/Surg/Tele/Onc.

Let me reword what I said...I think people complicate problems by not trying to see the other side before they jump to conclusions. I didn't meant to imply nurses are always to blame. Often times other areas need to see our side as well and are also at fault. I mis-typed in my previous post.

Sometimes, however, we (people in general) jump to conclusions and react with griping, instead of stopping to look at all sides as objectively as possible.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

SO are you resolved to take it on yourself to act? That is the only way things will change. IF need be, read some good books on self-assertion. NEVER give away your power whether in a hospital or at Walmart.

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Specializes in CMSRN.

I frequently wish I could work at Target. I already know where everything is and red is my favorite color. :)

To the OP I hope this issue will get resolved or at least forgotton. It probably won't be the last time either.

Good Luck

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Specializes in Cardiac ICU.

At any time, did the pharmacy even communicated back to you for clarification after you've given them explanations and such? When they said they didn't understand your explanations, did they tell you first or go to your manager first?

This pharmacist needs to learn how to communicate with people and not throw a tantrum. On your part, I hope you documented what you tried to do.

I miss my $10/hr library job every time I deal with staff on a power trip. Please, hang in there.

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, Emergency, SAFE.

You shouldve hung up the phone, and sent another pharm message letting them know when the supervisor wanted to be a professional, you would gladly speak to her on the phone. :devil:

*Yes, i know hanging up the phone isnt very professional either, but Ill be damned if im yelled at for something that trivial.

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Specializes in MOHS surgery.

trust me. you don't want to work at walmart.

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"Seek first to understand, then to be understood." Best advice out there.

Sometimes we do things that we think are helping, but instead it is really creating more work for the person on the other end. We get mad at them because we think they are unresponsive, when in reality we're not doing what is needed. They get mad at us, we get mad at them, a vicious cycle is started. No one is trying to be difficult. As a matter of fact usually the opposite is true: we're trying to be helpful but are inadvertently creating more work for the other.

Sometimes to just stop, make a phone call and say, "There seems to be an issue here and I'd like to resolve this for both of us. What am I doing wrong or could I do it differenlty that might make it easier for you?" You'd be surprised how much better life becomes when we all get on the same page.

I was on a committee one time for SCIPP issues. We were complaining that PACU would fax orders to pharmacy before bringing a patient up to the floor and the meds not being in the MAR before they get there. We found out that registration wasn't getting the patients into the computer on a timely manner, therefore, pharmacy could do nothing with the orders faxed by PACU. Pharmacy would either pitch the orders, or keep "watching" to see when the patient was in the computer, thus creating more work for their staff. In the meantime, the floor has now re-faxed the orders and pharmacy now has to double check the two order sets to make sure nothing is different. Nursing is mad at pharmacy for "not doing their job." Pharmacy is mad at nursing for doubling their workload. In reality, the problem was with bed-booking and registration and nobody knew it!!!

I think working 4 hours in pharmacy should be a part of all nursing orientation. Or at least getting an orientation about what they do, what happens when we send down orders, etc. Complaints about Pharmacy seem to be big issue. I really wish I knew how they worked. I have a feeling nursing complicates the problems and if we just did things a little differently, things would go more smoothly.

(An orientation to registration and bed-booking may not be a bad idea either btw.)

And the reverse is true as well. Maybe if they understood more of what we go through, they could do things differently as well.

Everyone hates committees. But sometimes, getting everyone in the same room and telling "their side" opens a bunch of eyes and solves a bunch of problems.

Since we seemed to be involved with all disciplinaries, shouldn't it be more resourceful for the other professionals to work as a nurse for 4hrs during their orientation than vice versa. We can shoot 1 person to 5 different areas to orient or 5 persons to 1 area to orient. (which sounds better?)

I doubt seriously with the way the economy is that any nursing manager would be willing to let a newly hired nurse orient 4hrs in each discipline section in the hospital....(joking but follow me)

Everything is the nurses fault or everything can be improved if nurses do something...let's start holding the other professionals accountable to the same standards...

It is 2010. it's time to flip the script...

Please don't take me literally. Figuratively, we have no power...

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At Wal-Mart you would have the manager treating you the same way, and you would be getting paid less.

but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be centered around an atmosphere with such time-sensitive dealings that could mean literally the difference between life and death...

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