I was just reading the reminiscing thread and one of the posts was stating something about how the nurses had to stand up when a DR. walked into the nursing station.
Welll...Get this. We have a brand new nursing unit with a nursing station. The nurses station has a long desk with approximately 5 computers. 2 are for the secretarys, one is for the charge nurse.
Behind the desk there is a thin area that houses pt. charts, med. teaching sheets, fax machine, printer. Adjacant to that is our tiny little med room with both of our omnicells. Put this way, it's a good thing noone is too large.
Anyways, then there is a room adjacant to the nurses station. A nice beautiful room, lots of shelves, at least 7 computers, nice computer space. I think you get the picture. I though we were quite lucky to have such a great room for charting. But noooo, that room there is for the "doctors", so if we are found in that room by a Dr. then we need to leave and search for a computer elsewhere.
I feel that it is really quite demeaning to the nurses and aides that work on the floor to have basically nowhere to chart. It's a thorn in my side!
We are getting a new unit (ICU) and the first complaint was that the proposed nurses station was to small, and that we couldn't see the pt's. Mngmnt's response? You should be in the pt's room's, not at the station.
I work nights. In the dark, sleeping pt's room, you want me to sit. And who is watching the one ot two other pt's for, since if the other nurse has three, and I have three, and we are both in one pt's room, that leaves two pt's on their own....:trout:
For all the complaints that I have about where I work, I have to honestly say that the MDs aren't among them. They, just like the rest of us, have their bad days, but for the most part they are a great group. It's nothing for a Dr. , after an especially hard day, to send up pizzas and drinks to thank the nursing staff.
Just last night I had one to call me at 2:00 in the morning to tell me that a pt in preterm labor we had transferred to another hospital had delivered, was doing well (both she and the baby) and that she had sent a personal message, via him to me, thanking me for all I had done for her.
Another night, another of our MDs was beside me drawing up and giving meds for his own pts because we were especially busy and short staffed to boot. He even did his own charting as to the care he had given - even helped me do some admission work on a pt!
Specializes in ICU, CCU, Trauma, neuro, Geriatrics.
We also have a doctor room of computers, there are also computers in every patients room, that is where I do my real-time assessments. There is a computer on the med cart and we have 3 COWs(computer on wheels) on the unit also. I find I can sit on the shelf with the ac/heater by the window in each patients room while I chart so my feet are not screaming at the end of my shift. I have also started confirming meds at bedside in their wrappers so as to get used to what is coming...scanning the patient ID band and each med package seperately in the rooms. Real chairs are usually occupied by docs, secretaries, NP, pharmacy, case manager, social worker, and charge nurse. Actually it seems when I find a seat at the nursing station, someone calls for assist of something or another so I don't get to chart anyhow. If I chart in the patient rooms everyone leaves me alone.
At my old job they removed the charting table because pts families would see us sitting there charting, reconcilliating MARS etc and complain to the nurse manager about how lazy we were "just sitting there" so we got to do that part of our job standing up. Thank god I left. Now I work at an institution that employs doctors that find it appropriate to yell and berate nurses on a regular basis. One in particular even threw a phone at a nurse in ICU- he's still working there. They also frequently refuse to return pages when they are on call @ hs (even when your pt has a SBP of 240)
Why do you put up with this? I would really like to know.
At my old job they removed the charting table because pts families would see us sitting there charting, reconcilliating MARS etc and complain to the nurse manager about how lazy we were "just sitting there" so we got to do that part of our job standing up. Thank god I left. Now I work at an institution that employs doctors that find it appropriate to yell and berate nurses on a regular basis. One in particular even threw a phone at a nurse in ICU- he's still working there. They also frequently refuse to return pages when they are on call @ hs (even when your pt has a SBP of 240)
Throw a phone at me, and you will find yourself facing an assualt/battery charge. Refuse to answer a page repeatedly, I document who I paged and the times, then I document the time I notified that person's superior and the superiors response and I let everyone that I am documenting this.
Specializes in Med Surg, ICU, Infection, Home Health, and LTC.
we also have a doctor room of computers, there are also computers in every patients room, that is where i do my real-time assessments. there is a computer on the med cart and we have 3 cows(computer on wheels) on the unit also. i find i can sit on the shelf with the ac/heater by the window in each patients room while i chart so my feet are not screaming at the end of my shift. i have also started confirming meds at bedside in their wrappers so as to get used to what is coming...scanning the patient id band and each med package seperately in the rooms. real chairs are usually occupied by docs, secretaries, np, pharmacy, case manager, social worker, and charge nurse. actually it seems when i find a seat at the nursing station, someone calls for assist of something or another so i don't get to chart anyhow. if i chart in the patient rooms everyone leaves me alone.
when i try to chart in the patients room, the patient and the family keeps talking away to me and looking over my shoulder or asking questions. or they decide to need the bathroom or another blanket and so on.
when there are usually three and four plus visitors at a time (we have large families down here so 14 plus in a room is not impossible) i can't even write a complete sentence without interuption let along do a shift assessment. my brain can't listen and answer another person and chart a sentence at the same time. lol.
i belive that it would be time to start to "paper train" some of those who still think that the nurse is less than a professional. "We" used to take care of docs who didn't treat us with respect, phone calls q 30mins, "oh gee doctor i'm so sorry to bother you but ....." , "oh gee doctor i feel so bad about calling you AGAIN, but your pt ....." and so on. And needless to say, being oh so pleasant, but not the least bit helpful for other things, finding charts, "extra" sheets of what ever form they were looking for, eventually they will ask for some meeting and THAT is when it can be discussed... remember calmly and never never compromising pt care.
That is the most childish post I have ever read on here. No wonder they don't treat you like a professional.
I was just reading the reminiscing thread and one of the posts was stating something about how the nurses had to stand up when a DR. walked into the nursing station.
Welll...Get this. We have a brand new nursing unit with a nursing station. The nurses station has a long desk with approximately 5 computers. 2 are for the secretarys, one is for the charge nurse.
Behind the desk there is a thin area that houses pt. charts, med. teaching sheets, fax machine, printer. Adjacant to that is our tiny little med room with both of our omnicells. Put this way, it's a good thing noone is too large.
Anyways, then there is a room adjacant to the nurses station. A nice beautiful room, lots of shelves, at least 7 computers, nice computer space. I think you get the picture. I though we were quite lucky to have such a great room for charting. But noooo, that room there is for the "doctors", so if we are found in that room by a Dr. then we need to leave and search for a computer elsewhere.
I feel that it is really quite demeaning to the nurses and aides that work on the floor to have basically nowhere to chart. It's a thorn in my side!
This reminded me of something that happened to the nurses on my unit about a year ago. I was taking a pediatrics class that was being offered by my hospital. We were in a large meeting room and different lecturers spent the morning educating us on all different topics. At noon, there was to be a luncheon for the doctors with a pediatric presentation by one of our local peds doctors.We were invited to attend this presentation. As noon approached, the educator walked up to the podium and asked if all the nurses could move to the back of the room so that we could clear the front for all the doctors that would be showing up. I was appalled. It made me realize that there is clearly the "them and us" attitude and I do not think it takes place just at my hospital. On that day, I realized how it must have been when a black person was asked to sit at the back of the bus. How sad that one human being feels they are better than another. We have a long way to go.
Specializes in experienced in 11 areas of nursing.
i completely agree with what have been said on the previous postings. as a pre-nursing student working in a hospital have had the opportunity to witness how nurses are treated by their nurse manager(and other nurses because of seniority), also they have to do what doctors want propmtly so not to upset them uhhh, soo scary! i don't want that for me! when there is camarederie, work is a breeze otherwise is stressful, is already enough with what a nurse goes trough on a daily basis at work, how can this be solved?
Throwing a phone at a nurse or anyone would be considered assault and battery in a court of law. At my hospital, because of abusive doctors, a code "control alert" was instituted where staff were to come to the nurses station and stand silently around the staff member who was acting out, with arms crossed. This has only been needed ONCE before word got around. There are still some rudeness problems, but the atmosphere is usually much more professional.
the doc I mentioned was reported to mgmt but never the authorities. he was reprimanded @ work by being forced to take an anger management class (which didn't "take" by the way) if it were me he would have seen me in court. I am amazed every day at the behaviour he is allowed to get away with.
the doc I mentioned was reported to mgmt but never the authorities. he was reprimanded @ work by being forced to take an anger management class (which didn't "take" by the way) if it were me he would have seen me in court. I am amazed every day at the behaviour he is allowed to get away with.
You need to always keep in mind that this doctor pulls in a huge amount of revenue for your hospital. As long as that happens, doctors will be allowed to do pretty much any thing they want. I had a doctor slander me in a meeting in front of 7 other doctors and nurses. The hospital came to me and asked what I wanted to do. I stated that I wanted proof of his allegations even if it meant extensive chart reveiws. The hospital wrote him a letter stating my request. He never responded to the letter. The hospital called me and told me they were not going to go further with it and suggested that I just forget it and move on. I am angry still (it has been 6 months) and considering seeing an attorney against the doctor...and the hospital for allowing this to go on. So...it really is a losing battle as far as I'm concerned. I'm beginning to have many regrets about choosing this as a profession....oops...occupation.
I was just reading the reminiscing thread and one of the posts was stating something about how the nurses had to stand up when a DR. walked into the nursing station. 
Dewgrl
30 Posts
We are getting a new unit (ICU) and the first complaint was that the proposed nurses station was to small, and that we couldn't see the pt's. Mngmnt's response? You should be in the pt's room's, not at the station.
I work nights. In the dark, sleeping pt's room, you want me to sit. And who is watching the one ot two other pt's for, since if the other nurse has three, and I have three, and we are both in one pt's room, that leaves two pt's on their own....:trout: