My Patients vs Our Patients

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Depending on which side of the floor I'm assigned to and which nurses happen to be scheduled (and appropriate staffing, I suppose), I can have either a good shift or a stressful shift. With the right nurses, we cover for each other, answering call lights and, if another nurse is tied up with a rapid response or something critical, will pass some of their meds. With other groups, I feel like there is no reciprocation and I'm taking time away from my own patients because it makes me crazy to hear a call light go for too long, or to hear a bed alarm sound and to not run to check it, or let a phone at the nurses station ring and ring when nobody else will answer it. By the end of my shift, I'm my nerves are a mess and I feel like my pt's have gotten less than they deserved.

I can't be the only nurse who experiences this. How and where do you draw the line? I'm tempted to hide down the end of the hallway or in a patient's room so I can finish my charting without constant interruptions.

Any suggestions or strategies?

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I have no answers, just commiseration.

I would never leave a patient to be hurt or in danger, but there are some that RNs take advantage, or simply work slower than me.

If it happened frequently with the same person, I did try to talk to that person. Sometimes that worked, sometimes not.

Good luck.

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I decided about a year into nursing not to help the people who don't help me. I got tired of running behind everyday after doing their work and mine (while they sat back and relaxed). I will step in for life or death emergencies, but not much else.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Ugh, I have worked with people like that. If it's a bed alarm I will always respond no matter who the patient belongs to. Beeping IV's are like nails on a chalkboard so if I hear one, I'll hunt it down.

I say something in these situations. You have to or it won't ever improve. I'll say hey I've been getting your call lights, bed alarms, and IV's, but I really need to chart now. Can you stay on the hall and keep an ear or for your patients? It would be great if you could help me out too.

To be more blunt, I've told a hallway partner that they are leaving too much and I am having to care for their patients, that they need to stay on the hall.

No one likes working with these people, but instead of running ragged you need to say something.

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"I feel like there is no reciprocation and I'm taking time away from my own patients."

They are all your patients. No matter what SIDE of the floor they are on.

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"I feel like there is no reciprocation and I'm taking time away from my own patients."

They are all your patients. No matter what SIDE of the floor they are on.

"My" patients are the ones I chart on.

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Sounds like OP is so busy helping Our patients that she doesn't have time to chart on My patients.

Wonder if the other nurses leave on time?

Bet they do.

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