Name a situation that is not your responsibilty...

Nurses General Nursing

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Was talking about this with some other nurses. I am not sure if it is like this everywhere, but where i work, the nurse is responsible for everything. Any situation that occurs in the hospital can be manipulated to put responsibility on the nurse. Doctor's orders don't matter. Pharmacist verification does not matter. It is the almighty nurse that is responsible for all.

How did it become this way? Has it always been this way?

You want to know how to make a person crazy? Not annoyed, not angry, but actually mentally insane? Make him/her totally responsible for situations that he/she has absolutely no control over.

My current PRN job has a recent requirement that charges fill out a four page checklist with questions like "are the ceiling tiles intact" "is their mold in the icemaker" and many other questions more suitable to maintanence rather than nursing. I refuse to fill it out. For some reason, I think my days there are numbered.

I'd leave right along with ya. That's insanity and really shouldn't be your job. No way would I take on that kind of liability on top of what I already have. If they want to know about mold hire someone trained it it. Yeesh.

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Are you guys all responsible for figuring out every medication your pt is on? I sit down with the pt, find our every medication name, the dose, the route, the frequency, and enter it all in the computer so the doctor can come by and just check boxes. If the pt tells me the wrong info, it is my fault. even though the doctor is ordering it. I personally think it sucks.

edit.

i work in a very busy ER as well, just annoying.

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I've tried to think of any situation where someone will fail at pinning the blame on nursing but can't.

Grrr.

And in my short eight years total in nursing, it's always been this way.

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Specializes in OB/GYN, Peds, School Nurse, DD.

I'm a school nurse. I have a list of things-that-are-not-the-nurse's-job:

fixing broken glasses

providing deodorant after PE

flushing toilet "remnants"

wiping up students who poo/pee their pants

sewing ripped jeans

providing clothes for students who have dress code violations

babysitting disruptive students

pulling teeth

arbitrating interactions between custodial and non-custodial parents

:nurse:

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Specializes in LTC.
I'm a school nurse. I have a list of things-that-are-not-the-nurse's-job:

fixing broken glasses

providing deodorant after PE

flushing toilet "remnants"

wiping up students who poo/pee their pants

sewing ripped jeans

providing clothes for students who have dress code violations

babysitting disruptive students

pulling teeth

arbitrating interactions between custodial and non-custodial parents

:nurse:

I used to work in school nursing... I totally understand.

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Specializes in OB/GYN, Peds, School Nurse, DD.
I used to work in school nursing... I totally understand.

OH, I have another one: I am not responsible for taking care of your 14yo who was knocked up for the second time by her 27yo boyfriend when she goes into labor at school. I don't care if you can't drive, lost your keys, or whatever other lame excuse you have. It doesn't matter to me that you think she can't be in labor. I'm a former L&D nurse and I have a pretty good idea of who's in labor and who's not. You get your butt in here in 15 minutes or I'm calling Children's Services. WHat I didn't tell her is that we were calling CHildren's services anyway to press charges of child abuse and statutory rape against the 27yo scumbag child molester.:mad:

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Specializes in PICU, NICU, L&D, Public Health, Hospice.

does your cover pulling teeth?

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Specializes in Operating Room Nursing.

Ok major vent time here. We do way to many things at my work that take us away from the OR and our patients.

I am not a secretary. The other day I was in the middle of counting lap sponges during a laparotomy and the surgeons phone rang. This idiot actually yelled 'SUSPEND THE COUNT...I AM ON CALL". We just ignored him and I reported him for it.

I am not an orderly. I did not do a three year bachelor degree so I could push beds. If the orderlies are too busy to collect my patients then I am not going to do take on their role because the hospital is too stingy to hire more orderlies. The orderlies have these really cool bed moving devices which we're not trained or allowed to use so I'm not going to risk my back doing it.

I am not a stock person. We're expected to stock our supply area. This is something that really should be done by auxillary staff.

The list goes on. The more you do, the more it's expected of you. I've had enough. I just want to do nursing not be the general dogsbody.

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Specializes in LTC.

Reading about the consents makes me feel lucky. When I had my son by c section the nurse told me the md would talk to me about it and he did before it was in motion. I work in ltc and there are some things I simply won't do like make take or cancel appts for residents. I don't do maintainence I had a maintainence guy tell me to go mess with electrical wires that were sticking out of a wall on our back hall one night it was tripping our alarm system ummmm no way! I told him he was crazy as hell if he thought for one second I was touching it. I don't cook. I will heat up something or make a sandwich if I have the supplies. I won't go or allow any aides to pick up residents from the hospital. I've had a dew run INS with the er staff over this before. I'm not a referee during family disputes. And I will not run errands for or buy supplies for the facility because I used to do that and not once have I been reimbursed for my gas to take pee poop or blood to the lab or for the many times I had to go get spoons applesauce or juice when the dietary staff left without giving us any. I also don't play the part of the messenger anymore for the don .

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Specializes in Intensive care, Operating room.

I can remember in a new job orientation each department head got up and gave there two bits, the head of housekeeping actually said that if something spills on the new carpet after housekeeping hours, "get the nurse" I could have killed him!!!

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this is the best thing i have read up on this topic.

irrespective of the specific area of specialization, a [color=#225588]registered nurse is expected to carry out some basic duties of a nurse and also uphold the principles of nursing.

the primary [color=#225588]responsibilities of a registered nurse include, among other things, the following things:

* treat the patients

* educate the patients

* educate the public about certain medical conditions and precautionary measures, and

* provide emotional support as well as advice to the family members of the patient to ensure speedy recovery for the patient

it is the responsibility of the registered nurse to take the patient and the family members of the patient into confidence and advice them the precautionary measures that need to be taken and the things that should be avoided such that the disease or the ailment is cured at a relatively quicker period and the chances of recurring that disease is negligible.

the registered nurse should maintain complete record of a patient's medical history, the symptoms and such other related information, that will help him or her to diagnose the patient with certain tests and also critically announce the results. it is also the responsibility of the registered nurse to record the treatment carried out and medications suggested for cure, which will help in follow-up with the patient in post-treatment phase and also help in rehabilitation of the patient from the illness. the registered nurses can employ assistants under his or her control to carry out the nursing activities and also train the junior nurses, who, predominantly would be certified nursing assistants, or, in some cases, licensed practical nurses or licensed vocational nurses. it is the responsibility of the registered nurse to teach and train the assistants working under his or her supervision. no where in that does it mention the nurse being responsible for changing toilet paper rolls in toilets nor the other things people have mentioned, but unfortunately it seems that it is always the nurse who is the "fall guy/girl" for the blunders and stuff ups of others. let's face it, they'd be lost without us. i got that list of duties from here http://www.nursingstudenttutor.com/nursing/responsibilities-of-a-registered-nurse.html

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Specializes in ED, Med-Surg, Psych, Oncology, Hospice.

" I won't go or allow any aides to pick up residents from the hospital. I've had a dew run INS with the er staff over this before. "

You send them to my ED with 'pain' (analgesics on MAR but not administered), low Sats (99% here with no clinical signs IF you use a warm finger), running a temp (anti-pyretics on MAR not given or not given time to work) then yes, you better send your CNA BACK across the parking lot to get your resident, who had no idea why they were being bundled up and sent to the ED in the first place and didn't need to be be seen in the middle of the night.

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