Hello everyone!!! I hope this New Year has been a kind one to you all thus far.
Well, here i go again on one of my rants about the ever so intriguing world of nursing. Here's my pet peeve of the day:
Is is just me, or does it seem to you all that everytime you go into a patient's room to pass meds, do procedures, or simply check on the patient, they always have to ask you to bring them something.
I know for me, it never fails. If I go in there to just look in on my patient they always will stop you before you get out of the door and say, "Oh, nurse, could you get me some coffee," or "May I have something for pain?" or "Turn the lights off, will you". And it drives me crazy.
Now don't get me wrong, I have no problem doing anything for my patients. But it seems that patients look at nurses as nothing more than handmaids to wait on their every beckon and call. For example, I had this man to ring his call bell just to tell me that he wanted to sit up on the side of the bed. I wanted so badly to tell him, "Well, what are you waiting for?". This is because I know that this man is very capable of moving himself because I've seen him do it when he has a male nurse caring for him. But whenever a female steps in, the patients all of sudden become invalids.
I feel that too much of my time is taken up running up and down the halls getting water and coffee. I mean, as much as family members like to stay all day in night in these patients rooms, it would seem that they would get up off of their lazy bums and get these patients something every now and then. It wouldn't hurt them to do this. Oh no, they won't do this. But they can tell you and I how to do our jobs, can't they? (LOL!!).
I have gotten to the point that I actually like being pulled to the critical care units in the hospital because we have telemetry there and you don't have to go into the rooms quite as much as you do on the medical floor because the telemetry is evident.
Do you all feel the same way? Do you all feel that patients are too darn demanding and don't respect us as care providers but see us as handmaids instead? Male nurses, do you feel that patients tend to not bother you as much as your female colleagues? I welcome all input.
I think that anybody who works within this profession have all experienced this at some point. Although i think its important in not portraying negative attitudes toward patient care, at times patients can be way too demanding in what they expect from a nurse.
But on the whole, I think that the majority of patients understand the pressures us nurses can be under. No matter what, I always look on the positive side and be thankful that I have my health and wellbeing to do this job.
What we really need is computers with internet access in every room. Because all patients can do right now is watch TV on what is usually a limited number of channels. If they had computers they could play games, watch dvd's, surf the net, etc. It would really help them pass the time while they wait for the doctor, procedures, etc.
Otherwise, they get bored easily and all they have to do all day is think of things for us to do. They don't really understand that we have tons of other work. That's why they're always bugging us about things we can't control like ... when is the doctor going to be in, when am I going to get this procedure ... and the constant requests for get me this or get me that ... etc.
They're stressed out and, because they have nothing else to do, they can't think about anything else but being stressed out. I think computers would be a welcome distraction ... both for the patients and for us ... because we could get a lot more work done.
What we really need is computers with internet access in every room. Because all patients can do right now is watch TV on what is usually a limited number of channels. If they had computers they could play games, watch dvd's, surf the net, etc. It would really help them pass the time while they wait for the doctor, procedures, etc.
Otherwise, they get bored easily and all they have to do all day is think of things for us to do. They don't really understand that we have tons of other work. That's why they're always bugging us about things we can't control like ... when is the doctor going to be in, when am I going to get this procedure ... and the constant requests for get me this or get me that ... etc.
They're stressed out and, because they have nothing else to do, they can't think about anything else but being stressed out. I think computers would be a welcome distraction ... both for the patients and for us ... because we could get a lot more work done.
:typing
It is a nice thought to think giving a pt a computer will stop unnessessary calling. We on our Pyxis stations a TV, internet, e-mail, music (4 channels) and games. They now call us to show them how to use it.
i think it's important to consider where each of us work, we all have different goals for our pts...for example in extended care, there are no heroics we are just trying to keep them comofortable...on med surg think, there is still alittle room for comfort measures but some of you..i can't imagine how heavy the work load is and you have my respect....as i mentioned before sometimes it's not the pts or each other that are the problem it's the system...
It is a nice thought to think giving a pt a computer will stop unnessessary calling. We on our Pyxis stations a TV, internet, e-mail, music (4 channels) and games. They now call us to show them how to use it.
Patients always need stuff no matter what. It's not their fault, and it's not our fault if we can't do it right away.
I am currently working on a 21 bed acute medical ward. Our area has a high elderly population so I'll have 10 or 11 acute medicals with insulin/cardiac drips as well as 10 elderly folks who are social admissions/ can't take of themselves and are waiting for nursing home placement. We are staffed with 1 RN and 1 HCA (CNA) usually per shift for those 20 patients. Our unit clerk went off sick, and the hospital won't replace her due to financial reasons. So now we have no one to answer the phone except the only RN who is there. The phone is a good hike from where the patients beds are and they wont let us get mobile phones for the ward. The phone rings non stop.
Anyway, my question is this. When I have IV's, labs, assesments, treatments, and dressings admissions and discharges for 20 people to accomplish and I don't get anywhere near to the point where I can spend time on the basic care needs of my patients, does that make me evil nurse? Some posters here seem to think so. I want to do that stuff for my patients badly, and I bust my butt getting through all the other crap as quickly as possible so I can help my aide. I skip all breaks and bathroom breaks in a 12 shift to maximize my chances of getting to spend a little more time with my patients and also help them with anything they need. But I always get so slammed with IV's, a med round for 20 people, the phone, the relatives, the crashing patients, the critical patients that you need to have your eye on constantly that I never seem to get there and do those things, the basic nursing care stuff.
It gets to the point up there that if I stopped for 20 minutes to take someone to the toilet (there is only one toilet on the ward and its a long walk from the bed) that it would cause another patient serious, serious problems.Is this my fault? well, only for staying there as long as I have. But it is managements fault for running wards like this. Nurses are getting a bad reputation because of this, we are working harder than ever and the patients are getting shafted and they blame us. Not a day goes by when I don't get screamed and cussed at by relatives because they can't get what they want when they want it i.e. a drink or an extra pillow. And if I can't get something like that for them right away IT IS OUT OF MY CONTROL. It depends on what is happening with my other patients.
No I can't wave a magic wand and make my patient in serious respiratory distress who is about to code go away so that I can get you that pain pill/take you to the toilet right now. That doesn't mean that I don't give a darn about my patients and don't fight hard to get all of them everything they need when they need it. It doesn't mean that I don't care about the basics of nursing. I care a lot about it. I am so sick of working 12, 13, 14 hour days and skipping all breaks and not eating or drinking or using the toilet in that time to maximize my chances of giving my patients more care and still getting constantly harassed and abused by clueless relatives. Total and utter burn out.
Anyway I just got a job outside of healthcare so I have put my notice in. I'm not standing by and letting management create these situations so that I can take the fall and get called a "stupid whore" by patients and relatives because I can't astro project and be everywhere at once.
I cannot even begin to imagine what that must be like. It does *not* make you a bad nurse. You cannot do everything, you cannot please everybody. You are a wonderful nurse. I just accept that fact that unless some people have a private nurse, they will not be happy. My patient last night (perfectly healthy multip with a healthy baby, no issues, no concerns) simply missed her dh and wanted me to stay and chat-and while I would love to it is just simply not possible-she was not pleased. I barely have time to do the health teaching let alone have a chat with someone. I just do my best, prioritize, make sure everyone is alive and well and my work is done to the best of my ability.
My co-worker recently had a complaint filed against her that she is currently defending. We had an awful night with 19 admissions to our unit and we were *running*-her patient's husband (not a patient) rang for their nurse and requested a pillow. We hand out extra pillows if avail to the dad's but it is not always possible-patient's first. She said she would try, but could not guarantee it. The patient then gave her pillow to her husband and when my co-worker went to check on them later the patient was upset because she had given her other pillow away (she still had one) and was having trouble feeding and this was not acceptable. Long story short, lodged a complaint that she is currently defending. That is deplorable! He was not the patient and she took it upon herself to give one of hers to her loving husband. Needless to say, this nurse who has a spotless record and is one of the most compassionate nurse's I've met, is devestated!
Sometimes the situations we are put in truly saddens me. We are just lucky we have a one hour window for med/procedure administration!
I had a new one last night, and I thought I'd seen it all. In one of our private rooms the bathroom call light was on. I was the nearest nurse to the room, so I went in to answer it. The pt was sitting on the bed saying she needed help to the bathroom. The thing is, the only way to have that call light on is for her to walk to the bathroom, pull the cord and walk back to the bed.
She then had the nerve to complain I took to long getting to the room. She then wanted to know if I was her nurse (I was charge), and then to get her nurse. So much for her hurry.
And I actually thought they couldn't get any stranger.
Your comments as a nurse struck a raw nerve with me. I had surgery four weeks ago in outpatient 23-hr surgical unit. I was given Dilaudid 4mgs IV with no monitoring. One hour later the nurse was beside my bed hooking up morphine pump and she noticed that I was making strange breathing sounds. She asked my husband if I had ever made these sounds and he said no. She went to get manual pulse ox monitor and it showed 41%. She told my husband that it didn't work and went to get big monitoring equipment and it showed 41%. My husband started jerkiing on my arm and calling my name and they ran him out of the room. Code respiratory arrest was called. I was given Narcane and when my husband left the room, it thought I was dead. He didn't know for twenty-five minutes if I were dead or alive. Based on what I now know about 41% pulse ox number, some have said that I should be brain dead or dead period. God must have a bigger plan for me. I had to have a hematoma surgically removed five days later and my sister asked the nurse that was in charge of me why I didn't have a pulse ox on and she said three times that I did. The nurse that actually was bagging me told my sister that only after the code did I have full monitoring equipment. I told the nurse and the DR that I was sensitive to medications and I immediately felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest. I told them and I don't remember anything until I was asked questions by the Respiratory Team and I wasn't at all surprised to see them. My last thoughts, which were about ten seconds after the drug was given in my IV...........I'm in trouble. The DR told my husband he should have given me 2mgs not 4mgs. I'm still traumatized by this and if my nurse had experience with this drug and paid attention to me when I told her how I responded to Stadol, she would have mentioned this to the DR. Actually, I told the nurse about my reaction to Stadol while the nurse was sitting there. The DR told my family that this was more traumatic and worse on family members than the patient. Does he not know that patients ask questions later and learn what a 41% oxygen level means. I was within minutes of having a negative outcome. I am thankful that I'm alive but very angry. The DR has yet to address this with me other than you're very sensitve to this drug. WRONG. I was overdosed.
I can't believe that happened to you. I can imagine you feel angry, traumatized and let down. Actually I can't imagine.
I was just wondering which comments were posted that "struck a nerve" and why you posted this story here on this thread. This thread has had a lot of comments posted about how nurses feel that they can't always assess their more unwell patients as well, as often, and as much as they need to, because of less ill patients who often make unreasonable demands on nurses. Do you feel that this contributed to your nurse's error? Is that why your posted here?
I hope I didn't strike a nerve in my post where I said that I have to work a double shift (14 hours with 20 unwell patients) with no break at all and at the tail end of one of those I can make judgement errors. Do you think something like this contributed to your nurse's error in judgement? Are you just ticked off at nurses in general? I would be ticked off too actually.
I am not saying that your situation was caused by short staffing or an overwhelmed exhausted nurse because I don't know what the situation is at your hospital. But I would like to point out that I have seen very "similiar" bad stuff happen to patients because of those two issues and it should never happen.
It does *not* make you a bad nurse. You cannot do everything, you cannot please everybody. You are a wonderful nurse. I just accept that fact that unless some people have a private nurse, they will not be happy. My patient last night (perfectly healthy multip with a healthy baby, no issues, no concerns) simply missed her dh and wanted me to stay and chat-and while I would love to it is just simply not possible-she was not pleased. I barely have time to do the health teaching let alone have a chat with someone. I just do my best, prioritize, make sure everyone is alive and well and my work is done to the best of my ability.
patch012003
4 Posts
I think that anybody who works within this profession have all experienced this at some point. Although i think its important in not portraying negative attitudes toward patient care, at times patients can be way too demanding in what they expect from a nurse.
But on the whole, I think that the majority of patients understand the pressures us nurses can be under. No matter what, I always look on the positive side and be thankful that I have my health and wellbeing to do this job.