I have worked on a Neurology floor for about three years. I really enjoyed it for the first two, even though there are bad nights (just like anywhere). I feel a strong empathy for stroke victims and have a strong desire to help them overcome their new disabilities. We also take care of spine surgeries, and I really feel a sense of pride when I've finally coaxed them out of bed and we've taken a good stroll down the hallway (even if I haven't peed in 8 hours lol.)
I understand that no job will be perfect, but this past year my list of... problems with this job are adding and adding. It's not necessarily the work I do... well it's not the work I do with the patients that bothers me (lol excluding the one situation that I will describe below.)
About a year ago, we've had a change in who does the scheduling. Obviously it was for the worse. I might work a night, be off a night, work a night, be off a night, work two, be off one... etc. There is no rhyme or reason to it. I want to start a family, but I honestly don't know whether I'm coming or going and I'm always incredibly tired. There's grievance number one. Okay, so not so bad. Cruddy schedule.
Next grievance: We are already short, and nursing service says they have to take one from us. Floor manager says at staff meeting "please call me next time this happens."
It happens again, we call...
Response: "Well I don't know what I can do about that."
In many, many situations, I feel like our management does not step up for us in hospital wide matters like on other floors.
Next:
Current situation: Patient has been on the floor for *MONTHS* awaiting placement. Said patient is combative, and all options are refusing. Even entering the room with protective garb (gown, gloves, masks with face shields) we leave the room many times with scratches. The patient has ripped my mask off and spat in my face while I was attempting to.. prevent them from hitting my coworker who was sitting 1:1. Trying to tell the story without giving out any specifics, but of course every nurse had their own idea of what would settle the patient... and nothing worked.
It's not about the patient, but the fact that I feel like we finish a night of getting basically beaten up by a patient, to come to a staff meeting where we're basically told nothing but what we're not good enough at this time. My vacation request was ignored, and patient satisfaction is seeming to come before patient safety, etc way more often.
Just feels like management now is incredibly detached and stares at numbers more than what's going on on the floor.
I know that in my experience trying to switch departments now is a friggen nightmare! I went into nursing partially so that I could move around and change it up but somewhere along the line hospitals decided they didn't want to do this anymore and it's like you are pigeon-holed into whatever you started in. ESPECIALLY if you want to go to a different hospital and attempt to get into a new specialty, all you get is a standard reply email saying you don't have experience in that area. I had a place tell me they would rather hire a brand new grad for the ICU then someone with 3 years of med/surg/tele experience. Stupid.
irishrnbsn
16 Posts
I know that in my experience trying to switch departments now is a friggen nightmare! I went into nursing partially so that I could move around and change it up but somewhere along the line hospitals decided they didn't want to do this anymore and it's like you are pigeon-holed into whatever you started in. ESPECIALLY if you want to go to a different hospital and attempt to get into a new specialty, all you get is a standard reply email saying you don't have experience in that area. I had a place tell me they would rather hire a brand new grad for the ICU then someone with 3 years of med/surg/tele experience. Stupid.