Okay so let me start out by saying when it comes to attendance I get an A+. I never call off. In 5 years I have called off maybe three of four times total. I have been starting to experience burnout like I never have in my life. I have been exhausted before, but this is on another level. I cried at work yesterday, and I simply don't do that. It took my patient almost coding before someone would come help me. Unfortunately, I also let my vulnerability show at work, which again, I don't do. Fast forward to today, I called off because I didn't sleep at all last night, I had a terrible migraine from all the stress at work yesterday, and yes I'm so burnt out that my mental health could not take another day.
So here is where my problem gets worse. I caught wind from a friend at work that the charge nurse was telling my manager how incompetent I am at my job (which is not true guys) and how she had to do my job for me yesterday. This is also not true. I was left on my own yesterday in the fast track area of the ED with tanking patients all day, and my charge nurse did not come to help until my patient was unresponsive, and I broadcast overhead that I needed help. When I was done helping that patient, I come back to my desk and she said I called the family for you. I thanked her and mentioned I had to call another family member for another patient and she offered to call them, so I let her. Today, she tells my manager that she had to do my job for me because I was too stressed. I know she is just trying to cover her own butt for putting inappropriate patients in the fast track area, with one nurse, when I voiced my concern with how sick these patients were.
Now, I'm just concerned with how I will be perceived by my peers, my manager, etc. I feel like I should have just bit the bullet and went to work, migraine/bad mental health and all. Today was supposed to help me reset, but now all I'm doing is stressing more.
Physical health and mental health are linked; don't of them as separate things. Too often there's a bias that physical health is "important" (worth calling off for) and mental health is "fluff" (kinda nice to pay attention to once in a while, but not essential, so suck it up, Buttercup). But if you have a migraine and didn't sleep, then that's your physical health suffering, even if the root cause was mental (ridiculously high levels of stress). Without question, it's an absolutely valid call off.
Hospitals are overwhelmed at the moment. I'm not in the ED, but I came home yesterday and cried. I was working a COVID unit, and it was my 4th day in a row, and it's like the Spring is repeating itself with the fast deterioration of seemingly stable patients and deaths. I got a text this morning looking for people to pick up (RNs, CNAs, sitters, unit coordinators, monitor techs), but instead of going in, I'm sitting here in my PJs typing this with my dog next to me. I'll be back tomorrow, and I expect my Thanksgiving will be about as fun as my Easter was on the COVID unit, but I need to take today to sip my coffee and walk my dog in the daylight. No guilt.
Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.
First of all, thank you for your service to your community.
Second, please take some time. Vent a little. Then sleep as much as your body will allow and do something you enjoy. If you can't enjoy anything right now, do something comforting or restful.
Third, everyone responds to stress differently. Looks like your charge blames others when she's stressed. Everyone knows people do that and no one has time to worry about what you are doing because they're all busy worrying about themselves. Your actions will speak for themselves during this time.
Just don't think about what others think of your practice.
Let it go.
Recharge your batteries. Much love to you, I am right there with you, taking a much needed day off after dealing with way too much.
At our facility where it was usual to have codes every day and staff would get hurt. Call ins happened. But our staff never made anyone feel bad about it. We always said take care of yourself, and mark them down. Nobody ever got out of hand of their responsibility that they were needed to be there. It was probably the nicest thing I can say about my job.
On 11/27/2020 at 7:59 PM, Stillcrazyafteralltheseyears said:
At our facility where it was usual to have codes every day and staff would get hurt. Call ins happened. But our staff never made anyone feel bad about it. We always said take care of yourself, and mark them down. Nobody ever got out of hand of their responsibility that they were needed to be there. It was probably the nicest thing I can say about my job.
I loved my team, but as things became worse and worse, the passive aggressiveness with even very few call outs built up, making an even bigger mess. I think had this been seen as OK (on occasion), then things would have been smoother. But honestly, my ER really has become a mess and it started with leadership and went down from there.
Ugh..im sorry you're having to deal with this sort of thing. It's not bad enough with high acuity patients circling the drain, but also having to deal with a coworker who is attention hungry and doesnt think twice about throwing one under the bus to make herself look good. I don't know what the deal is, but if a nurse happens to be reading this and this is your MO, stop it already. Y'all are everywhere and its disgusting.
Consider yourself warned..and never ask this nurse for help or accept help from her. It's truly unfortunate as its the patient who ultimately suffers but she's not beyond placing more serious blame on you & in just a matter of time, she will
I am in pre-op/post-op now.....and love it. I would say it is less critical thinking, but I traded that for a very REWARDING job.....a job I love and look forward to and feel like myself again. I actually laugh and joke and am dependable again....I am actually recuperating emotionally/mentally/and even somewhat physically now that that huge weight is off of me. I miss maybe 1% of the ER.....but nothing else. The trade-off is so worth it and I truly love being a nurse again.....I feel genuine and actually reach other to help others again....whether it's coworkers or patients or friends or family. I really do encourage you to try something else....this is coming from someone who has been there done that and waiting way too long to switch specialties. There are nursing jobs that are SO MUCH BETTER. I wish you the best and you are always welcome to PM me if you want to know more about what a better side of nursing is!
Looking at this from the CYA perspective, I think I would record in writing the incident with the unresponsive patient.
If you have an Incident Reporting link like eMers, use that, and if not, record it all in an email to your manager, stating clearly that your used your assessment skills to identify that you needed help, requested it, and it was denied. Nobody can call you incompetent if you identified a need that required assistance, its not a failing its a professional decision.
And if you are union, record it all again on an unsafe assignment form, I forgot the name of them.
The charge nurse failed you and is shifting the blame to you.
Be clear about what happened, and write it all down before you forget any details.
You have enough stress right now, without being blamed for the failings of others.
Take a day or two off, get the writing done the first day and chill on the second!!
Burnout is definitely a thing. Callout if you feel the need: management doesn't care if you're burned-out and screw up, only that you screwed up. Honestly you're manager sounds like a *** who couldn't nurse her way out of a paper bag.. Was an ER nurse 35 years, pulled back to ER for Covid after 2 years in Endo. I took the month of July off ( vac. time ..my Endo boss is great) when the worse was over. I came back a new person.
Do not even listen to them! The charge nurse offered to help and she did, that's part of her job to help a drowning nurse who she assigned to be alone in the busiest part of the ED. So no she didn't do your job, she helped out which is HER job, and then whined about it.
Nursing these days is about doing the best that you can with what you've got. I'm in the ICU and I get 3 patients at a time regularly now. It is what it is, we do the best we can. People might have things to say about this or that, but they are also people who will not step foot in a covid room. At the end of the day YOU are the one who did the work and took care of those very sick patients. They are lucky to even have you as staff. So keep your head up and know your worth and don't listen to the people who do little but say a lot. There's too many chiefs, not enough Indians!
Regarding a call out-- I wouldn't call out unless you really can't make it to work. But only you know if that applies to your situation.
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turtlesRcool
718 Posts
Physical health and mental health are linked; don't of them as separate things. Too often there's a bias that physical health is "important" (worth calling off for) and mental health is "fluff" (kinda nice to pay attention to once in a while, but not essential, so suck it up, Buttercup). But if you have a migraine and didn't sleep, then that's your physical health suffering, even if the root cause was mental (ridiculously high levels of stress). Without question, it's an absolutely valid call off.
Hospitals are overwhelmed at the moment. I'm not in the ED, but I came home yesterday and cried. I was working a COVID unit, and it was my 4th day in a row, and it's like the Spring is repeating itself with the fast deterioration of seemingly stable patients and deaths. I got a text this morning looking for people to pick up (RNs, CNAs, sitters, unit coordinators, monitor techs), but instead of going in, I'm sitting here in my PJs typing this with my dog next to me. I'll be back tomorrow, and I expect my Thanksgiving will be about as fun as my Easter was on the COVID unit, but I need to take today to sip my coffee and walk my dog in the daylight. No guilt.