Is it all political?

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

I'm currently a pre-nursing student in Utah (though I did a year and a half of nursing school in Ohio prior to moving to Utah-never finished), and I've been reading a lot of posts here over the past few weeks, and it seems like so much of nursing is political. Women fighting amongst themselves, scratching their way to the top by dragging everyone else down. Is nursing really this political? I've never been much for large groups of women in the first place, and this seems to re-iterate my concerns about it...Is there anyone who enjoys their job, and doesn't feel like it's all a bunch of political mumbo jumbo that gets in the way of actually CARING for patients? This is the kind of thing that makes me want to go to med-school after all...I just don't have a desire to "play the game."

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I'm currently a pre-nursing student in Utah (though I did a year and a half of nursing school in Ohio prior to moving to Utah-never finished), and I've been reading a lot of posts here over the past few weeks, and it seems like so much of nursing is political. Women fighting amongst themselves, scratching their way to the top by dragging everyone else down. Is nursing really this political? I've never been much for large groups of women in the first place, and this seems to re-iterate my concerns about it...Is there anyone who enjoys their job, and doesn't feel like it's all a bunch of political mumbo jumbo that gets in the way of actually CARING for patients? This is the kind of thing that makes me want to go to med-school after all...I just don't have a desire to "play the game."

Med school has its own games to play - most professions do.

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Specializes in ICU, ER, EP,.

Actually that political mumbo jumbo like Jcaho is WHAT DOES get in the way of caring for our patients. Some days it seems that it no longer matters if the care has been done, just be sure to chart it. There are more clip board carriers to check up on my documentation. NO one there to evaluate my care. That's why many of us are frustrated, well me at least.

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Specializes in Acute Hemodialysis, Cardiac, ICU, OR.
Med school has its own games to play - most professions do.

Indeed... you'll find this in every field, from childcare to the Presidency. Eventually you realize that you can't control the world (and aren't expected to) -- you can only control how you react to it. Just as in any field, you may have to look around a bit to find the right unit/employer for you -- took me 5 years, but now I ENJOY going to work.

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Actually that political mumbo jumbo like Jcaho is WHAT DOES get in the way of caring for our patients. Some days it seems that it no longer matters if the care has been done, just be sure to chart it. There are more clip board carriers to check up on my documentation. NO one there to evaluate my care. That's why many of us are frustrated, well me at least.

My feelings exactly. I worked my last med-surg bedside shift last week (I have a new job at the hospital) and spent the time doing:

1. Two admissions, with all the requisite paperwork, reconciling home meds, getting orders, badgering the pharmacy to send the meds, etc.

2. Documenting assesstments, education, and plan of care on 5 patients (not including the nonsense we have to fill in with new admissions)

3. Getting organized for report for the next shift so they don't give me the frowny face because I haven't mapped every patient's DNA for them

4. Retrieving test results for patients and families

5. Oh, and occasionally I was able to actually do some patient care.

6. On the way home, I realized I forgot to "activate" the sleep apnea protocol for one of the patients, oh, well.

Yesterday, as part of my new job, I saw a patient in a contact isolation room who was just a mess. Sputum on her gown, feeding tube leaking, pulled off her nasal cannula, bed all messed up, needed her brief changed, etc. I fixed the above things, but frankly, I didn't have the heart to find the nurse, cause she is probably in some paperwork hell of her own...

Oldiebutgoodie

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oh, it's very political. not just review people like jcaho, but admins, because of the popularity of suing when nurse janey didn't fluff grandma's pillow just right. you think i'm kidding? many complaints against nursing care are legit, but so many are also of the "you-gotta-be-kidding-me" variety. most nurses have to be able to love their jobs in spite of the admins they work for, because admins make it downright unpleasant. you can try and stay out of the politics but it's hard.

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I have been a nurse for 9 years and have worked in hospitals for 12 years and have never had management problems or infighting among nurses. Sure there is the occasional "shark" well known to everyone to avoid, but the job was still fine.

Nursing requires fine tuned interpersonal skills. We do not hide in cubicles all day cut off from contact with others. Nurses are in each others' face all day; and small annoyances get magnified.

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Specializes in Day Surgery, Agency, Cath Lab, LTC/Psych.

I actually don't find that to be true. The "fighting your way to the top" thing really doesn't demonstrate itself as heavily in nursing as it does in other professions in my opinion. Nursing is a team sport. Every unit has a few bad apples and people to avoid but for the most part nurses and support staff help each other out to get things accomplished. As far as seeking promotion and all that...a lot of nurses don't want to be "promoted" to charge nurse or nurse manager. Personally, I love being a staff nurse and am not seeking to be "promoted." Every job has its political side but for the most part nurses are pretty easy-going, down-to-earth people who will help one another.

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Specializes in Government.

I worked in a male dominated profession before nursing. Most of the issues are the same. For me the big difference is that the stressors of a 24/7 occupation bring out a different set of problems for staff. I think if nursing was half male, you'd still have fights over Christmas, holidays, vacations and promotions.

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Specializes in Trauma ICU,ER,ACLS/BLS instructor.

they just can't stop it (games people play)

( the spinners )

can't get no rest

don't know how i work all day

when will i learn?

memories get in the way

i walk around

i can't hear a sound, folks talkin' loud, but i

don't see at all

i gotta get away, gotta get away, i don't

know where to go

it's hopeless so

i guess i'll leave it alone well i

spent all my day

fixin' up to go somewhere

thought i was late

and i found she wasn't there

i guess i'll find

love, peace of mind, some other time, but i

still have today

i gotta get away, gotta get away, i don't

know where to go

it's hopeless so

i guess i'll leave it alone

games people play

night or day they're just not matchin'

what they should do

keeps me feelin' blue

been down too long

right, wrong, they just can't stop it

spendin' all day

thinking just of you

twelve forty-five

headed for the subway home

i took my time

'cause i felt so all alone

not far away

i heard a funny sound, took a look around, and i

could see her face

smilin' as she came, callin' out my name, so i

know where to go

we'll take it slow

guess i'll call it a day

games people play

night or day they're just not matchin'

what they should do

keeps me feelin' blue

games people play.....translate

t_pixel.gif

some posts just bring a song to mind,,,,,,

politics are everywhere,it is how u choose to deal with them that counts. be a game player ,and it will effect ur work and mind set. just do ur thing, myob as much as possible, and love the job ur in!

theres nothing like what we do!:monkeydance::monkeydance::monkeydance:

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

All working environments have their "culture" and politics. That's a given. Learning how to play well with others is part of life. Nurses that know how to do this are better off than those who think it's a game they don't want to play because you wind up isolating yourself and making it more difficult than it has to be. Going with the flow, treating everyone how I want to be treated, firmly asserting myself when necessary, letting go when necessary and advocating for my patients, my staff and myself. It's not a game, but I've got to learn how to work well with people I'm spending 40 hours a week with and with an organization that's paying me to be there.

The overwhelming majority of us in nursing are just going about day to day doing the very best we can for our patients in often stressful conditions. We don't play games, we don't gossip and tear each other down, we aren't catty and we don't eat our young. Come join us if you will.

The forums can be a bit intimidating for sure, but we come here mainly to vent our concerns and frustrations.

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nursing is a lesson in survival skills.

not only in keeping your pts alive, but also managing the demands thrown at us from 10 different directions.

tremendous communications skills, a healthy knowledge of human dynamics, knowing how to gracefully appease everyone simultaneously, and strong leadership skills, are key to survival.

acting like you're in control (even when you're falling apart) and having command of any given situation, will get you respect.

you'll know how/when to finesse the least important to priority task/demand, while making everyone feel they're being listened to.

it's an art.

and it's a journey.

whether politics comes into or not, is irrelevant.

you'll be prepared to handle it.

as we do everything else.

ultimately, we have to answer for our pts and ourselves only.

keep those priorities in mind, and you'll do fine.

best of everything.

leslie

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