why are nurses stations so chaotic?

Nurses General Nursing

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When I first got my present job (psych nursing) the med room was across the hall from the nurses station. It was so peaceful and quiet...just me and the patients at my half-door of course. (It's not the patients that bother me). So after a few months they moved the med room into a corner of the nurses station and walled it off with a door in between the station and med room that everyone wants kept open except of course when admin is in the bldg. This entire space including med room and nurses station is only about 12'X15' and at any given time we've got 2 nurses, 2 techs, 2 secretaries, 4 or 5 case managers, housekeeper, maintenance man, Nurse Mgr, transporter, and whoever else can cram in there. It's sooo noisy and chaotic and I'm over here in this corner trying to pass meds, take orders off, call the Dr, count pills, or whatever and it's driving me nuts!!! I'm a person who likes quiet, serene surroundings (I used to want to be a librarian for goodness sake!) and I'm having a hard time dealing with this. Some of our employees are so loud and there can be 5 or 6 conversations going on (and competing for volume) at one time. We've just hired a male nurse that has the most deep, booming voice I've ever heard. Any suggestions? I LOVE my job but jeez...I'm going crazy. I work every weekend already and whew, it's such a relief but I can't survive on 2 days alone, have to work some weekdays. I remember in hospital clinicals how loud nurses stations were. Am I the only one it bothers? :banghead:

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Nurses' stations are so darned chaotic, most likely because nursing is a chaotic career field where anything goes. Our work areas often reflect our working conditions. A good number of us work in chaos, so the nurses' station will frequently reflect the lack of quietude. Of course, this is JMO. :)

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Specializes in Breast Cancer, Arterial, General Surgery.

Our Nurses station is chaotic because the Dr's leave everything everywhere!

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Specializes in Day Surgery, Agency, Cath Lab, LTC/Psych.

I think sometimes the residents get confused and think that it is the "resident's station" not the "nurse's station." I cannot chart in the nurse's station with half-a-dozen whitecoats around me jabbering like jaybirds. Seriously, the residents talk more than anybody.

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Specializes in neuro, ICU/CCU, tropical medicine.

My advice:

Rise above it.

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Specializes in Breast Cancer, Arterial, General Surgery.
My advice:

Rise above it.

... or do what I do and work nights.

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Specializes in neuro, ICU/CCU, tropical medicine.
... or do what I do and work nights.

One of the benefits of working nights, IMO, is 'flying under the radar.'

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Specializes in Peds (previous psyc/SA briefly).

Saw the title and thought...

because that's where all the cool people are.

Except the nurses are actually rarely there - we're running from room to room. The residents, physicians, RDs, RTs, PTs, OTs, LCs, CLSs and a bunch of other initials that I get confused by are always hanging out in ours. Which wouldn't really bother me (because I'm not there anyway) except that they won't even answer the phone or fill up a darn water cup for a pt*! ;)

*not really - we have great (fill-in-the-abbreviation)s.

Seriously - if serenity is your thing - and you are set on psyc, I'd really consider nights. At least there are fewer um, walking examples of chaos. And I don't necessarily mean patients.

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You are not the only who cherishes quiet and calm... but as you know, many of environments where nurses work are NOT quiet and calm. And I think for many people in nursing, that's not a drawback. I know some nurses specifically left other fields because they couldn't stand the quiet and controlled nature of a typical office environment day after day. Some people seem to work better with distractions than without!

It sounds like you had a great set-up before that really worked for you. And unfortunately, that has changed. I don't think a comparable set up is easy to find. Is it possible to insist on keeping the door to the med room closed as much as possible when you're in? The others might gripe and not like it, but the alternative is that YOU are uncomfortable and not working efficiently. I hope you can find a solution that works for you!

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

phone calls from MDs, family, patient call lights, diet changes, pharmacy changes-------there must be a hundred changes per shift. Each requires communication. We threatened to put up a meter to keep the noise down, but in reality there is not a lot to be done. Beepers and pagers are loud too. Nursing stations are really command central.

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Well, I'd say that most of us that work in healthcare have to be people persons. So we're a noisy bunch. Drives me nuts when I'm on the phone though, and I do tell the caller to hold on for a moment, press mute and yell "hush up" And it's awful at change of shift - double the noisy bodies.

Have to say though, it goes with the territory.

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Specializes in Medical Surgical.

Well, yes, it's chaotic because of the nature of nursing, but we don't help with our work habits at times. I was on a floor tonight (not my own) where there was some sort of party on days in the nurses' station. Cold dishes of smelly food everywhere, half-eaten cake crumbling on a cart, about 60 pounds of various notices, worksheets, etc. billowing and falling off of every available surface, nobody knowing who was supposed to be coming on duty. Come on, nurses, it's hard enough to nurse these days. Clean up the mess and organize a little before shift change.

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