I'm a little upset about something I read on Facebook tonight. Let me start by saying, I usually take things with a grain of salt when it comes to Facebook, but something about this has rubbed me the wrong way. This post comes from an "experienced" nurse and self-proclaimed DON. My issue is not with the care the pts loved one received, but how this nurse vented her feelings towards all new nurses.
Let's all save ourselves the aggravation and debate and agree that what happened to the patient is wrong, and does not work in a culture where Zero Harm should be the goal; however, to say "New nurses are coming out with an insufferable, know-it-all attitude, and overconfident in their skills. New nurses, you're pissing this veteran off". Wait what did just read??? Surely ALL new nurses do not fit this mold, and to assume all new nurses are this way is just wrong.
She also goes on to say "You're the reason I won't hire a nurse with less than three years in the field. I would have fired you for this, and the two nurses before you for patient negligence. I've fired people over less. I hold my nurses to my personal standard, and that bar is set high, ladies and gentlemen. Shame on this nurse. I am embarrassed to call her a member of my noble profession. "
I get it, she's upset, her family member was hurt, but to say that she won't hire new nurses and that these three nurses should be embarrassed to nurses is WRONG. She has forgotten what it is like to go to work everyday terrified that because she is a new nurse she might kill someone. WE ARE ALL HUMAN, mistakes will be made; however, we need the experienced nurses to teach, and to guide and mentor the next generation. Maybe that is what is wrong with that ICU unit is that there isn't a good training program. This is not what I want the public to think about nurses. We should be team members, build each other up, because if one of us falls we all should. Shame on her... I am embarrassed to call her a member of my noble profession.
Eh. I wouldn't take that personal. She's obviously very upset about not only what one nurse did, but all of them. It was just a vent bc her family member received less than acceptable care in her opinion. I get it in one sense. I've had family members in the hospital like my mom and let me tell you...if I see you ain't treatin' my mama right you'll know it. I understand the nurses side though, so I am understanding of the workload and stress. So I'm not quick to slay you, but . Her family member, it seems, is barely hanging in there. She's worried, she/s stressed and wouldn't we all be.
Where I work, we had an issue when a nurse with 30+ years of experience did not noticed that a baby's hand was turning dusky from an art line until the whole hand became necrotic. It was spotted by the night nurse with less than two years experience. QUOTE]
What go me is that she said she was trained by the best nurses, on the floor. Many newer nurses aren't getting good orientation as far as quality and length of time. Maybe that ranting nurse should have a little understanding about the fact that a lot of good nurses have gotten fed up and checked out early. Or retired, only having made a difference for those they came into direct contact with. Of course what happened with her loved one would be aggravating. But to assume it all happened because 'new nurses are arrogant' would be wrong. How about over worked? Under trained? From what I've seen, employers no longer invest in lengthy, good orientation periods unless the orientees sign a years-binding loyalty agreement. The previous generation job-hopped too much for nurses to be trusted. Employers don't care about great care, they care about money.
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
I think what raised this nurse's ire was the lackadaisical care and the cavalier attitude. If she was mentored by the best, and now she's seeing a loved one receiving substandard care, I can see why her ire was raised.
I have personally worked with many new grads (from different schools) who are all absolutely top-notch. They impressed me with their skills and work ethic. I have also worked with people whom I wondered if they'd even been to nursing school. So the FB poster really did overgeneralize but I'm going to cut her slack because of what she experienced in that hospital.
I did notice in that post that the hospital was desperately trying to contact her and issued their standard disclaimer about how they take such things seriously. No, they take damage control seriously. Hiring, orientation, mentorship and patient care? Not so much.
This person was faulted for taking her grievance to social media. But it got everyone's attention, didn't it? If she had gone through "proper channels" I have no doubt someone would have put on their sympathetic frowny face, told her "I'm sorry you feel that way. We take this SERIOUSLY." Then they would have offered her a cafeteria coupon and buried her complaint. (But maybe that's just me being cynical about hospital administration.) Maybe new grads are not the appropriate targets here. Maybe social media is not the appropriate venue. Maybe this nurse isn't all she claims to be. But I think she still has a valid complaint.
I did notice in that post that the hospital was desperately trying to contact her and issued their standard disclaimer about how they take such things seriously. No, they take damage control seriously. Hiring, orientation, mentorship and patient care? Not so much.
This person was faulted for taking her grievance to social media. But it got everyone's attention, didn't it? If she had gone through "proper channels" I have no doubt someone would have put on their sympathetic frowny face, told her "I'm sorry you feel that way. We take this SERIOUSLY." Then they would have offered her a cafeteria coupon and buried her complaint. (But maybe that's just me being cynical about hospital administration.) Maybe new grads are not the appropriate targets here. Maybe social media is not the appropriate venue. Maybe this nurse isn't all she claims to be. But I think she still has a valid complaint.
She may have a valid complaint, but unless she has a large amount of money to spend in the event that the hospital pursues a libel or defamation of character lawsuit, she should follow proper channels.
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
She may have a valid complaint, but unless she has a large amount of money to spend in the event that the hospital pursues a libel or defamation of character lawsuit, she should follow proper channels.
Really? They're going to go after her for airing her personal experience? In the era of Press-Ganey has a hospital successfully done this? Of course I'm not familiar with the libel statutes in that particular state. What state are they in, anyway?
I saw this post this morning, it's wrong on so many levels.
First off, it's a one sided story. We don't know anything about the patient or situation beyond what this one person is saying. Actually, if you read through the comments a couple posts claim to know the family and deny the story this nurse puts forth. An alternative story is the iv was traumatically pulled when the patient was getting out of bed. You know if you have an iv in an AC that gets pulled, without pressure applied (family doesn't know better maybe) it's going to bruise. We don't know if blood thinners, or other conditions played a part, we don't know anything about the no cuff other than the family members claim. I, for one, am not going to crucify the nurses at this hospital for substandard care when the reality is we have no idea of the care this person received.
Again, as far as the submissive attitude of the nurses, one sided. How many times have you been understaffed and over worked, and approached by a family member with a very aggressive nasty attitude? Are you likely to be nice as pie to them when you haven't eaten in 12 hours, or peed, or attended any other personal needs? If someone is instantly accusing you of things in a very aggressive tone are you going to put up walls? If you can honestly say no you are a better person than me! And the scissors, for goodness sake this woman harps on and on and on about the nurse not having bandage scissors! Do you know how many pairs of bandage scissors I purchased, that grew feet! Get over it already.
This woman's high opinion of herself grates on me. Her post is a complete attention grabber, she wants attention for her own "I'm so wonderful" platform. She goes on and on about how she would never do this, and she would fire you for this, and she is so gosh darn wonderful and amazing that she gets to be a DON and she can fire you for this. Puke. Grow up. She comments multiple times on her own thread, screen shotting private messages she is getting, arguing with the hospital staff who ask her repetedly to contact them or respond to contact attempts. She seems to think she is "fighting the man" and deserves the back pats from all those wonderful people she is saving from sure death at the hands of this hospital. She is exactly what is wrong with nursing.
As a new nurse, there are things for me to learn from her post, good and bad. While I most definately do not know enough of nursing to say what should have been done and what should not have, I can speak on experiences that I have.
I am very particular about trying my best to do things the correct way, not just a short cut or whatever is easy for me. I have been that way since I got my CNA license 8 years ago. For me it doesn't matter if it takes 5 minutes or 50 minutes, I am taking care of someone else, and they deserve to be cared for on the highest level possible.
I am very proud to have graduated from a college that preaches about doing complete head to toe assessments every time you meet a patient and to treat your patient first, not just what the monitors tell you. There have been times, as a student nurse, that I have been told by more experienced nurses that I was more worried about something wrong on a patient than they were. I think that when we get to the point where we don't worry about abnormalities with our patients is when we are the most dangerous.
I have heard that nurses makes the worst patients and it is true. Though I am not saying what happened to the patient in this story is okay in any way, there are different ways to handle things. I have had no problem with going up the ladder when there have been things that I did not agree with while being treated or having my kids treated in any facility. Would I have put it out publically like this nurse did? Maybe not. It not only speaks down to the nurses she is talking about, but it doesn't put her in a good light either. There are more ways to handle situations than to shout it out online.
I just loved all the awful comments on the fb post too, especially the ones by the original poster. Such as the one where she states how she "LOVES" to write up and report nurses. I edited it so her name isn't showing. Hope I'm not violating the TOS by sharing the screen shot with no name.
edit: sorry, didn't realize my iPad didn't save the image with no profile pic and I uploaded a new screen shot without the profile pic (name was already blacked out)
CBlover, BSN, RN
419 Posts
Eh. I wouldn't take that personal. She's obviously very upset about not only what one nurse did, but all of them. It was just a vent bc her family member received less than acceptable care in her opinion. I get it in one sense. I've had family members in the hospital like my mom and let me tell you...if I see you ain't treatin' my mama right you'll know it. I understand the nurses side though, so I am understanding of the workload and stress. So I'm not quick to slay you, but . Her family member, it seems, is barely hanging in there. She's worried, she/s stressed and wouldn't we all be.