Is My Hospital The Norm??

mamason · Apr 18, 2008

I went to work today (I work per diem) and hadn't been in for a few weeks as I was doing another job elsewhere. Well I was back on the floor with five patients, and it was terrible. One IV came out, along with tons of blood, everywhere. Another wanted to leave AMA, another had a ? of a PE, another DNR decided to stop breathing, and yet another would do nothing to cooperate. I can't stand a whining patient when it comes to pain. I spent so much time trying to give pain meds and he'd refuse, yet whine he was in pain. It was crazy. To make matters worse, the LNAs are horrible. I even caught one lying to me today. The patients all act like you're a terrible nurse. I'm running in all directions and an eight hour shift took 10 hours with no breaks/lunch. This isn't due to my not being on this floor for awhile, but is the norm for all nurses. I left worrying about what I missed, I feel inadequate, incompetent, you name it. The truth of it is I don't think I'm close to being a bad nurse. Working at this hospital makes me sad. I just go home and worry I missed something important. I've told my boss that and she that's a sign of a good nurse. I just signed up at a staffing agency, but worry about going to unknown hospitals with minimal orientation. I really don't want to work as a nurse any longer, but am going for my Masters and believe I need to do so for a while longer. Does anyone go through this, is this really the norm everywhere?? Maybe I'm just experiencing the worst of the worst. Thanks.

I've gone through situations similar to this. And it is horrible when it happens. But, for me, this type of assignment happens about 4 out of 10 times when I work. There are just weeks where every pt is nutty on the unit. But, I am not the only one who experiences it on my unit either. It happens to all of us. Just a bad day! :no:

TazziRN, RN · Apr 18, 2008

Working at this hospital makes me sad.

I think this says volumes. You need to work elsewhere. That's the nice thing about nursing, you can go anywhere and find a job, and there are so many different aspects of nursing available, not just floor nursing. Nursing is just like any other job: if you don't enjoy what you're doing then there is no sense in staying at that job. I would leave and not even look back. Don't leave nursing unless and until you have tried other areas and still feel the same way. I'm willing to bet it's that job, not nursing in general.

RN1989 · Apr 18, 2008

That's been the norm that I've seen lots of places in the last few years. You are not alone.

NightshiftRN69 · Apr 19, 2008

I've had alot of nights like this.... I work 8's and 12's. I think the lastest that I've stay is til about 10 and my shift ended at 7:30. Almost every day during my 50 minute drive home I go over the shift and try to figure out what I missed. It's hard and with some hospital caring more about paper care than patient care it makes it even harder. I just pray every night on my way to work that I do no harm, physically, mentally or emotionally. And ask God to help me know when to act and what action to take.

DutchgirlRN, ASN, RN · Apr 19, 2008

i started losing it on med/surg after 6 years of full-time days. i left and went to hh. the change was sooooo refreshing. we're lucky that nursing is so diverse.

miko014 · Apr 19, 2008

That sounds like a fairly normal shift to me. I don't know why we stand for it, but we do. Sometimes the combined acuity of your assignment can just be too much for one person to handle. I would say that happens to me about half the time. Though I have to ask...isn't it okay for a DNR to stop breathing? Assuming that they are there for comfort care and are in the process of dying, it sounds like one thing went the way it was supposed to! Just be thankful it was your DNR pt who did that and not your PE pt!!!!! Sorry if I sound crude. My floor is the designated hospice unit, so I see a lot of DNRs. I know if you don't deal with that a lot, it can be really hard. Heck, it's really hard anyway, but if you're not used to it, I think it would be a lot worse.

So you're not alone! If you have any ideas for improvement, let us know! :icon_hug:

Wendy_RN · Apr 19, 2008

This is the very reason I left my last job. I was told in my interview that I would have 4 patients max, which was a full load with the type of patients. That never happened. On a good day I had 8 patients. Most days it was 9. I never got off work before 9PM. I left wondering what all I had missed and thankful that everyone was still breathing, including me. When I asked another nurse, who had years of experience, how she dealt with it, she said that she just prayed each day that no one died on her watch. I found another job because I just could not deal with the conditions any longer. All places are not the same. For me, it was the place of employment that made me miserable, not the profession.

gospursgo07 · Apr 21, 2008

Sounds like we work at the same hospital!!!

I was ready to quit last week....I do 12's and it was my week of 3 in a row.

I had a group of 7 pt's; 2 with Heparin gtt's, 2 with chest tubes, one with TPN, and one with a HUGE dressing change that had to be taught to family before d/c....

I was run ragged by the end of the 1st day...almost in tears. My charge was off that day. When she came in on day 2, she said " I heard you had a rough day yesterday", and to that I replied "Yeah, I did, mostly because it seems that pt acuity has no meaning on this unit".

There are 2 sections on the floor many of us call the "dungeon" d/t the fact that they are ALWAYS busy....no idea what it is, but the pt's who are in these modules are HORRIBLE....

I feel your pain; and am ready for a M-F nursing job :)

CHATSDALE · Apr 21, 2008

i have seen floors which never seemed to run smooth, they have driven many a good nurse away from hospital

pick another venue of nursing

medsurgrnco, BSN, RN · Apr 22, 2008

I suggest you check out agency work before you quit your job. I didn't last long doing agency work. Minimal orientation, new computer documentation systems, unhelpful regular staff, was given the difficult patients, frequent cancellations.

wabisabi · May 3, 2008

My friend, who finally began working as a MSN-Nurse Practitioner last year, says her job now is so easy compared to being a bedside hospital nurse she can't believe she gets paid for it (and gets paid well). Bedside nursing IS the hardest nursing there is and we all know it. Get your MSN if you want to. Oddly, your life will be easier. Being "just an RN" is much harder and that will never change no matter how long you practice or how good you are.