Never enough-vent

[anotherone]

I am just writing this thread to vent since I have no where else to turn to regarding this or other nursing matters. It might not make much sence since I am not the best at expressing my feelings etc......I am a newer nurse ( 5 months on a med surg floor). Sometimes we are very short staffed. Today we were short one aid and a nurse. Anyway, a pt's family member yelled at me because his/her family member had not had, and I quote, "am care done yet and I thought nursing care was better here" at the time it was 9am. I was still finishing my assessments and 0800 med pass. Frankly, that was low on my priority list. I hate being thought of as a bad nurse because of this when I was RUNNING AROUND trying to finish my med pass, deal with other issues, had done am care on other pts. Etc...... I HATE this part of the job the most. It is never enough. I can never do enough. One time a pt's visitor complained because I didn't get the group of 5 visitors chairs fast enough...(took ten minutes). COME ON ! I have to actually FIND the chairs, drag them there...etc and if I can tell from the hallway that another of my pt's needs to have their trach suctioned, then that IS THE PRIORITY. not chairs for visitors......... I have worked with the public in all my other jobs but as a nurse this really gets to me.

[casper1]

I hear you. My last shift I was running down the hall to draw a stat blood on a patient. When a visitor came out of another room and asked me to get them a soda. I mentioned to them that their family member was NPO and was not allowed soda. The Visitor said or it's not for the patient it's for me, I'm thirsty.

I can't beieve families are so incensitive that they would eat or drink in front of a NPO family member.

[Annaiya, NP]

I know how you feel. I've been a nurse for almost a year and a half and my manager came in early the other morning to talk to me about a complaint (the first ever) that she received about me. It was the grandmother of a patient who complained. She felt that I should have been the one rocking her crying grandson, so that she could sleep. Apparently she didn't notice how busy I was with my other patients, and I had been in her room a lot offering what I could to try to help him sleep. (Lortab, bouncy seat, relaxation music, etc.) She was just a horrible person and I realize that, and I'm not hurt by the complaint I'm mad. It is just so frustrating when I work myself to the point of complete exhaustion each shift and people still feel they need to complain. Not to mention the hospital as a whole did a good enough job to get her grandson home 4 days after having open heart surgery. I also hate that I've spent so much of my time at home thinking about this.

[elprup, BSN, RN]

People need to be educated. The only way they are ever going to be educated about what Nurses do is through us and the media. How about a reality show were people have to deal with everything Nurses do? That would be funny and educate.

[resumecpr]

I would have handed the family some soap, a basin and some linens and had them "particiapte in patient care."

[Florence NightinFAIL, BSN, RN]

This happened to me recently. I had 4 pts, discharge & admission. Very, very busy 'no time to sit down' shift. One of my patients was an A&OX, fully independently elderly patient. After her assesments I gave the bathing supplies to her and told her to wash herself.

When I came back a while later to give her a medication her daugther was there and started laying on me. These were her complaints:

1. I did not wash her mother.

2. I placed her gown on the bedside table, making her mother cold.

3.I did not get her a fresh, new gown.

I apologized and said that since her mother was independent, she was perfectly capable of bathing herself and putting on her own gown. The patient disagreed and said that as I nurse I had to wash her. And I should have placed the gown beside her mother. I asked her without sarcasm 'Does your mother have a problem with her arms that she is not able to reach a few inches for her gown'?

As for the new gown, since it was put on yesterday, it was not stained, and she was being discharged this afternoon, I did not think it was necessary.

She got really upset and said that she was going to report me. I smiled and told her that was her right. I gave the mother the medication and quickly left to tell my manager.

Strangely, she did not report me. And I wouldn't have cared if she did. I'm not going to give a capable person a bedbath. I even make the patients who have limitation at least wash some part of their body - be their face, or even just their fingers. I'm really into encouraging independence. Sitting in that hospital bed all day and having us do things for them like a baby does not benefit anyone.

And it's a hospital - obviously things are not going according to a schedule. I give myself the whole shift to do a bedbath and don't limit myself to the ridiculous few morning hours when its the busiest time of the day, esp on a fast paced med-surg floor.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

There's a lot of days that nursing just makes me hate people.

[GRUNGE]

i think some of theses people unrealisticly expect one on one care. they think that just because the pt is their sole focus that they are ours as well. they dont realize we have seven other centers of peoples universe to care for

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

I know how you feel. I've been a nurse for almost a year and a half and my manager came in early the other morning to talk to me about a complaint (the first ever) that she received about me. It was the grandmother of a patient who complained. She felt that I should have been the one rocking her crying grandson, so that she could sleep. Apparently she didn't notice how busy I was with my other patients, and I had been in her room a lot offering what I could to try to help him sleep. (Lortab, bouncy seat, relaxation music, etc.) She was just a horrible person and I realize that, and I'm not hurt by the complaint I'm mad. It is just so frustrating when I work myself to the point of complete exhaustion each shift and people still feel they need to complain. Not to mention the hospital as a whole did a good enough job to get her grandson home 4 days after having open heart surgery. I also hate that I've spent so much of my time at home thinking about this.

What was the point of her being there at all if she was going to have a stranger try and comfort the patient? What a nasty woman.

[DogWmn]

OH how I'd long for the old time strict visiting hours....7-9 pm only 2 visitors in the room, and only immediate family. Food and drink was for the patient NOT the visitors. There were very very few exceptions.

[Orange Tree]

I agree with them ...and I let them know that I wish each patient had their very own nurse/CNA and that no one ever had to wait for anything. I also mention solutions that have worked well for other families, such as hiring a dedicated sitter/caretaker for their hospitalized relative. I let them know that although it's not the least expensive option, it does ensure that their relative's comfort needs do not have to be balanced with the needs of other patients. They are always first in line by default.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

oh how i'd long for the old time strict visiting hours....7-9 pm only 2 visitors in the room, and only immediate family. food and drink was for the patient not the visitors. there were very very few exceptions.

my only problem with this post -- and it's a gigantic one -- is that i can only give it one kudos!

[enigmaticorange]

That's just how people are. They don't understand what nursing is..they figure we just pass out pills all day. As far as the am care situation, you could have done the this "I'm sorry for the delay in her morning bath, but it's because we're so short staffed. I'll get to it as soon as I can. However, I can set you up with towels and a basin if you would like to bathe her." Bet that would've shut them up.

My behind would be is big trouble if i told a family we had staffing issues. It is a hospital, not Denny's. You tell someone there is not an adequate number of people to care for patients....they don't take it well. Even if they have no idea what we put up with on a daily basis with unsafe staffing issues.