Lazy, demanding staff

[probable cause]

What ever happened to strong work ethics?

[tonchitoRN]

i was one of those who gave it my all. i stayed late (for free). i cleaned and restocked the med cart etc. i covered everyone who went on break. i did my share plus some. i did draw the line at cleaning floors and bedpans (nope, not me).

i also burnt out.

now when i go back to work i will do what is expected in my 8 hour shift. no more free time. i will continue to help co-workers but i will only be accountable for what i do. i will not be held accountable for others.

i don't like team nursing because there is always someone in the team who is not holding their own. and i do not want to pick up the slack.

the payoff is i will be home on time with my family and i will be happy. and i will go to work with a fresh attitude and smile when i see patients.

i am an administrators nightmare because i think it is time for nurses to set limits on what nurses do. i also think that the current people graduating are what is needed to set some new insights into nursing.

time for nurses to be nurses and leave the housecleaning to the housecleaners.

[wv_nurse 2003]

Originally posted by mattsmom81 (quote)

"We have to deal with reality. Nursing schools today put out a DIFFERENT product than 20 years ago...but it's all we have. What I see facilities do many times is enable the poor employees and push the good staff until they're exhausted...burnt out, etc. We have to guard against this trap. "

Wow--so so so very true. This is nowehere close to being an "all or none" situation. Yes there are lazy nurses, yes there are dedicated nurses. Recognizing one doesn't automatically discount the other. And its not just in nursing, but in every walk of life.

One person may recognize today's workforce as being "lazy" while another would see them as being "assertive" in their right not to be abused (no breaks, no lunch, etc). No easy answer in making better managers either--I've had managers who worked their way up through the ranks--and had a "clue" about what was going on, but din't know how to "manage" (example: wanted to continue to be everyone's friend). Other managers became managers just by virture of their degree--and had been taught the skills, but couldn't get respect from the staff because they had never "been in the trenches".

*sigh* where do we begin.....

[JMP]

Recently I came across a problem in this field.

Another RN who was not "doing" the job. I work in ICU and patients can not sit up and say, "hey, no one bathed me, no one has turned me". You see what I am getting at. The bare minimums NOT being done. This action, by this RN, puts into questions EVERYTHING. Is this RN giving meds? Is this RN doing treatments? You see what I am saying here???

Others have also noted this lack of minimum care. But I was the one who talked to the RN. I told this person I knew that things where being charted that HAD NOT been done. I am giving them THIS chance to change. HOWEVER, if this person continues, my nurse manager is my next stop.

I have NO IDEA in the world why this person is not doing the job. Because they are quite capable of doing the job.....IF THEY actually do it. Much of this RN's time is spent chatting, on the computer, on the phone....... and it is the patient who suffers.

I think work ethic plays a role here, obviously. This person, when confronted did not say much. They mostly changed the subject and I found myself bringing them back to the subject at hand more than once.

It is problem. I will not ignore it. I have to be the patient's advocate....no matter what.

[JMP]

Just re-reading my post and have to enforce that I will follow up with this matter. I will never look at this RN in the same way again. It is upsetting, disappointing.

[zuchRN]

Gosh! I am mortified by all the anti management statements. First, I want to say...An interview is a crap shoot. I have read books, gone to seminars, done the reference checks, and none of it matters. An interview is a crap shoot. Sometimes you do good and have a wonderful employee, but 9 times out of ten---you just end up shaking your head. It does not mean that there is a lack of leadership.

It is so hard to terminate someone. Even when you are in the probationary period, it doesn't matter. Even in at will states...doesn't matter. The first thing people do is go to the unemployment office. Then they make an EEOC claim. These calims are often slanderous and malicious torwards the supervisor. So, you really have to look long and hard prior to terminating someone.

Not only that, but you really have to pick your battles. It is not realistic to think that you can just terminate everyone just like that. If managers do that, the floor is short and then guess what??? All the complaints come. Sometimes you have to bide your time. Sometimes it is better to try to work things out with someone. It just depends on the situation.

I believe that there is a decline in the work ethic. people come to get a pay check rather than because this is their calling. I am a nurse because this is what I was meant to be not because of what I get paid. A lot of people are und4er the false pretense that nurses make a lot of money...NOT. When they find out what it is really like there are again unhappy employees.

I guess the only point that I was trying to get across is that in any team there are those who are wonderful and then those who aren't. There are good managers and bad managers. I think you all should walk a mile in each others shoes before you make judgements such as lazy and selfish.

[Rapheal]

Originally posted by sanakruz

"... He BLEW- I started crying- I started to say "we can apply the nursing process to this problem...." "WHAT"S THAT!!!! " he said with a hateful look.

[/b]

Yikes!!!!! A clinic director without any idea of what the nursing process is. Not even a clue?

[mattsmom81]

Tonchita, I hear ya loud and clear. count me as another nurse who doesn't want to be in charge anymore. Just want to do my own work. I do it well, but I agree...I don't work off the clock or give free OT anymore either. I'm also not quite as 'helpful' as I used to be. The above is often not appreciated and they just expect more of it.

I've heard some nurses younger than me (I'm 47) posting things like 'we all just need to pitch in and give 120% and

get us through this' (the latest buzzword is 'shortage')

I've gotta warn younger nurses...this is the same song different verse for 20 plus years now. It's always the similar unreasonable push, do more with less, do more caretaking and 'saving' in the workplace.. This is not really new. I've seen precious few useful changes to the nurses plight over the years.

Nurses who speak up about poor working conditions are generally not rewarded. Who can blame some nurses for becoming passive aggressive? It is a result of the treatment we have been given over the decades.

As was said, we give our all, sacrifice, go the extra mile....then we get older, our health and backs give out and the health care industry doesn't care. We are just replaced by younger models.

I totally agree limits must be set. We tire of our lazier coworkers . But they are not breaking their backs. Maybe they're the smart ones here..as they are not the ones getting hurt. I'm looking at them a little differently these days.

I'm back to work after multiple injuries and surgeries...but I have a whole new attitude and I'm determined to take care of myself and not fall victim to the martyr role in nursing...it is SO propogated out there.

And I hope ya'll are taking care of your dear selves too!:kiss

I reread this and it sounds negative....sorry....I worry about younger nurses falling prey to the same trap I and many of my generation did.

[JMP]

Mattsmom

I hear what you are saying, and I think we all have to do "what we have to do" to get by. However, for me anyways, I can not turn my back and ignore obvious patient care not being done. Not to say I AM GOING to run over and do it, but I will call the person on the fact they are not doing it.

Iknow things on the floor can sometimes be different and perhaps more of a challenge, and I am speaking as a ICU nurse who for the most part always has a 1:1 pt ratio.... so in my view there just is no excuse for being lazy and indifferent.

Not that it happens alot, for the most part the RN's I work with are hard workers with good work ethics, but there are just a few that try to slide by without doing even the basics- like bedbaths, linen changes and regular turns of their ICU pts. To me, it is totally unacceptable for me to turn my head and ignore it. I do however, think this is a different issue than staying overtime and doing other nurses tasks for them.

In the end, it is the pt I am there for. As I have said before, I remain the pt's advocate.

[caroladybelle, BSN, RN]

I had a couple of units that I have busted my rear for - the manager rarely cared or respected me for it but my coworkers did. Invariably, when I left, the manager wanted me back.

One of the things that I have learned is "A job is a job is a job" - management in corporate America does not take care of its employees therefore the employees do not take care of the company.

I used to put in the extra time off the clock, I used to come in on my day off, take phone calls etc. - invariably I got s^&*(ed. I also missed trips, vacations with friends, time with my child.

As such, I put in alot of time, I give my employer good value for the money but my own time is my own time. I take my 30 minute break and I help my coworkers and I stay busy, but I don't kill myself with the extra hours - because its not worth the time away from my personal pursuits in the long run. Is that extra day you put in going to matter to your manager in case of layoffs - probably not (my personal experience). Does that time matter to those you care about. YES YES YES.

[JMP]

Reading this thread over, I see right away one thing that sticks out- union vs non-union.

I work in a unionized enviroment- which is the case in most hospitals in Ontario (Canada). Doing over and above does not mean much in the unionized enviroment- which is a bad thing- one thing that means EVERYTHING- is seniority.

I think that work ethics suffer in unionized enviroments, but that does not mean that unions are bad things- they are good on many fronts- BUT they also have their down sides.

When you work in an unionized enviroment, personal ethics- work and otherwise must guide you...... find a mentor and stick with them- somone you admire. Try not to call in sick UNLESS you are sick. In the long run, when you are finished your career it can be a career not just a JOB. You can be proud of what you have done and not ashamed of what you did not do.

[ChainedChaosRN]

ZuchRN, great post, you said some things I wish I would of.

One thing good that developed from this post, is when I went back to work and gave extra extra praise to my dedicated hard working staff and extra extra counseling to the ones that need some guidance and extra extra documentation that "attempts" were made to salvage that person.

I am determined not to be disheartened because I have to sit through hours of union grievances and arbitrations for firing people I found sleeping, or disappearing from the job for hours, or slapping a patient. The end result justifies the means. One less undesirable employee for others to have to put up with.

Just a little insight as to what your leader might be doing while they are gone AGAIN for another day to a meeting, or behind a closed door for 5 hours in a meeting.

My pet peeve through the years with all of this is: Why not hire some one to deal with all the staff issues...and let the "Director of Nursing"...actually be a nurse 100% of the time.

I guess it's too simple of an idea to actually catch on.

[Chuckie]

I don't know about other places but I find the work ethics in my facility is poor with the RN,LPN, PTCA and other areas of patient care.

We have a recovery room which refuses patients that are asleep because they are too much work we have IV nurses that feel 3 IV starts in an 8 hour shift is too much work for them.

We have RNs that take several hours to recover one patient because it lets them look like they are busy.

We have transportation people that wait over an hour to take patients back to the room because it keeps them off the floor for over an hour.

We have perdiem nurses that want hours but only want to work 45 minutes to 1.5 hours a day. Anything more is too much.

We have perdiem nurses that want hours but refuse to pull call or work weekends.

We have nurses that only call in sick on days that have a large schedule of patients.

We have nurses that will sit and wait 2 hours for a patient to come to recovery then at this exact time they have to go take their "official" break.

We have nurses that are gone 45 minutes when they take there "official" 15 minute am break.

We have nurses that save all their charting for after the shift just so they can take the overtime.

We have nurses that refuse to go to lunch at a specific time because they are not able to lunch with their littlel group of friends.

This is just a few of the work ethic problems. We have the late arrivals, the early leavers and the large group that ***** about everything else inbetween. What is the deal why to we put up with it. It will not change unless some of these people grow some self esteem and self worth. With the shortage Nurses feel that they will not get fired no matter what they do. This is a wrong attitude and a bad one. I would rather work a nurse short than with one that is lazy, useless, *****y, talks bad about the systems and other people. This attitude brings everyone down including patient care. So get over it and work that is what you are getting paid for.