whodunit

I'm sorry you are feeling so bad ; sounds like you did everything you could have and like you say the dr wasn't concerned.Don't let this nurse get to you,if there was a problem with your work I 'm sure your nurse mgnr would have called you in.Was there a change in the pt's condition for the worse?If, not just try to remember that some nurses will always try to make a newer nurse feel bad.Walk away from her, try to stay away and if there are more problems, take her in front of the nurse manager.Another suggestion is something I used a long long time ago as a new nurse; I had a really hateful nit picking co-worker who set out to make my life miserable so I just asked the nurse manager to work me with someone else until I got my feet under me.I never talked bad about the nurse or complained about her treatment but that got the point across.As a previous nsg manager, I can assure you if she is the kind of nurse she sounds like; your manager already knows and will help you.Good luck and hang in there !

Thanks for all the answers everyone. Yes, I know I'll get over it and maybe it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things but it matters to me.I guess its just been a bad week at work and been feeling low and then totally no appreciation sucks!

Hello Eveyone, I am so hurt and mad that I don't know what to do; so I guess this is a vent.I've been on the same job for the past 7 years and have always received a great evaluation.I knew this year there wouldn't be any raises because of the economy{at least that what the powers that be use to get out of them} and by no means do I mean to brag but I know that I do a good job, am very compassionate to both my pts and co-workers, always willing to pitch in and help and work to cover the unit whenever they call me soooo, I figured my eval would at least be as good as last years. I go in and get bragged on, told what a great job I do, How well I'm liked etc,so didn't even look at my numbers till getting home and comparing with last year.My numbers were way down so next shift I went in to talk to the boss and was told again what great stuff I do, how great I am and all that baloney and then she said"The only thing I can figure is all the non-nursing stuff like cost containment etc. count in and that weighted your score down". It didn't matter when she was reminded of 2 different methods that I had thought up and which were implented that saved money on our unit.I guess I figure you either get a raise, slap on the back= good evel or a slap in the face! My co-workers say don't worry and you are making too much of it but ... what do you think? How can I get past it and won't it hurt my rep if I ever change jobs?

Maybe , our economy is worse here in Tennessee but big changes have already taken place at the"physcian led" hospital system I work for and none have been aimed anywhere but the nurses and support staff.The daily 25 ft free buffet for the docs while they are doing their grand rounds is still there, nurse managers still have their associate clinical leaders ,but the nurses are having more pts with less support or getting laid off, losing overtime, losing free benefits, paying more for insurance etc.So, thats why I think it will be even worse for nurses when President Obama does make changes{which are badly needed}

Don't get me wrong, I think President Obama has done a really good job so far and feel he really is trying to make a diffference instead of being a figurehead. What I mean is at least where I work, everytime he says anything about healthcare changes, the powers that be start changing things and it has so far worked out to the disadvantage of us nurses.How else do you explain a hosp decision to lay off all LPNS unless they want to work as techs?I have worked with LPNS {especially as a new RN} who taught me so much, I just think all nurses are going to bear the brunt of any attempts to change healthcare.

Thanks for the great info ! Next question,,what about if it is accepted that your full time job is 36 hrs a week?I have been working in a hospital for the past 7 years that considers 3 shifts of 12 hrs each full time and up to now paid call back on any overtime worked after that{extra shift not just having to stay over }.Now they told us no more callback,and if you work an on call shift, you will be called off one of your regular shifts if at all possible.All Pres.Obama has accomplished for health care at this point is to scare the fat cat CEOS etc and hurt us nurses !

Hello, What do you mean about consult and help? I 'll talk to you but cannot consult or offer much help other than listening to you.

CNA is hard work and a lot of times unappreciated.I think what all the other posts say is true and yeah , after awhile it is funny at times but you are on the right track:yeah:.As corny as it may sound, keep on doing" unto others as you would have them do unto you".It sounds like you will be a great cna!keep up the good work !

I do too and its awlful huh?:crying2:I use lidoderm patches and they help some but not much. no one would beleive the pain unless they experience it.Hope you feel better !

i agree and also find it interesting that there is a government web site that gives info on all the different medications that can cause a false positive test for pot, cocaine etc.

I think that anyone who thinks most nurses don't use something is living with their head in the sand.To me it doesn't matter if its prescribed meds like Xanex, Ativan, Effexor or ETOH or pot.Most every nurse I know is on something and just my 2 cents worth, I'd rather have a nurse buzzing on pot taking care of me and mine verses one who is shooting up in the bathrm or so high their speech is slurred {on prescribed meds don't cha know?} Yep,been in quite a few rms with 2nd hand smoke, think pot should be legalized and agree with the other posters on why it is not.But, never will believe that you should worry about a nurse "being in charge of narcotics" .

To me , teamwork is everyone working together for the good of the pt, unit and everyone's sanity. We have such awlful pts at times; that if it were not for each of us pitching in and helping whoever is in need, we would all be hurting ! I love my co-workers, there isn't a better bunch anywhere !!!!!!

Gosh, I'm so sorry for them and you, what an awlful thing. Everyone involved is in my prayers .

Thanks Jules, I agree that they are using the ecomony as a tool;and it makes me so mad.Its like one of my co-workers said when they decided the stuff about whoever called in having to work a shift for whoever covered for them.The powers that be were not punishing the nurses who call in all the time as much as they were worried about saving money at the expense of those of us who have to cover all the time. Round and round it goes, where they will stop, nobody knows!!!!!!

Hi, Just wondering how and what management has done to save money on your unit, what you think about it, and any suggestions you think would work? Our unit has now decided unless there are 6 pts, we do not get a tech, we have no unit sec., they are sending a lot of edcational stuff ouit with us to do on our on time and turn back in and if you miss a shift, you have to work a shift for whoever worked your missed shift.I work nights on a med psych unit and there are 2 nurses and a tech. We RN's have to liason with ER, assess and precert pts as well.Seems a little scary to me here lately.I think {at least they do this at my hosp} that they could better save money and provide better pt care if they would stop the mile long free buffets the docs get on a daily basis

I have to disagree with your instructor,; just because the pt is in a mental health facility does not mean he/she won't try.It just means they are monitored closely usually q 15 min, sometimes 1 on 1 and as closely as staff watches, sometimes they do try and occasionally suceed.I don't know where you are from or where your instructor works but they are way off on this one.I have had pts take a paperclip and insert it in their anticubital so far that ER had to removeit or rub their wrists on the corner of the doorway until they bleed.Bottom line if a pt reports SI , they may be acting out, or they may be serious !!

Yes, over the years I 've had many pts who were admitted because of suicidal ideation or gestures ,who have after admission both attempted to kill themselves by hanging etc as well as acting out and pulling their hair out by the handfuls or using items such as paper clips to attempt to cut their wrists etc .

Simply put, risk for suicide is the person who has either attempted to kill themself or has verbalized the desire to kill themselves, as in overdosing or saying they are going to run their car off a cliff.Risk for violence self directed is a person who self multilates. Hope this helps you understand better. Best of luck !

Thanks for all the answers and I get where you are coming from; but think I didn't make myself clear.One or 2 of us always cover for the frequent call-ins, boss knows she can call me even if I'm not on call and if possible I'll come on in.The problem I have is that it seems the nurses who call in are costing more than they are worth because of us getting overtime, but I still don't think its fair that just because we are on mandatory call in, we have to then lose a regularly scheduled shift that they have to work, which knocks us out of the overtime.At least , the powers that be could say it is up to the nurse who is working the extra shift , then losing a shift to say which shift.I know I'd choose my Sat. nights off !

Ok,I don't know if this is a big problem with most of you, but the call-ins on my unit have gotten crazy.Its not unusual for 2 or 3 nurses at a time to call in and someone has got to cover, so they call the on -call person{if there is one}, who gets call back time for working.So far, so good huh? Think again, now, mgmt has sent an e-mail saying that starting next week if you call in, you have to work a day {or night} in place of whoever picks up your shift. This is soooo not fair, we get to come in and make extra money, then lose a shift ? !!@#$%$#All in the name of saving the hospital money.Putting yourself down for 2 on calls shifts each monthly schedule is a requirement, so you can't opt out and let mgmt do it {which I would love to see}, so ......I ask again , whats next???

Thanks Lindarn, You are right about nurses needing to be united and able to be heard.I was listening to President Obama talking about how to fix the healthcare system and I so wanted to be able to tell him, cutting back on these medicare, etc programs is just going to hurt us nurses because all upper mgmt will do to keep from losing their big bucks and bonuses is give nurses more pts &work to keep hosp costs down. Does any of us have a chance ever to let stuff like this be known to senators etc?No, because AJN and all the other nsg magazines wanting your subscription are useless !

I tend to end up with lancets which I take back as I don't need and garbage bags {the big ones} disappear off our unit.Don't even want to know how someone is carrying them out lol. Seriously, recently I caught a potential employee attempting to pass off urine that had been placed in 2 of the 10cc NS flush syringes.Wouldn't have known if she hadn't dropped one in the bathrm floor !

Once in a LTC place I worked, we experienced a big drug problem and the FBI and state guys got involved and yes it was both scary and embarassing. Actually the problem was discovered months earlier and nothing much was done.What happened was that a Agency nurse called me to a med rm in the facility after discovering meds were tampered with. Someone {with a lot of time apparently }had taken all the vials of morphine and demerol apart, emptied them and replaced them in the box.{It was common practice just to look in the locked cabinet and count the tips of the syringes that stuck out of the boxes instead of taking each individual syringe out to examine it}.They were also slitting the bottom out of the envelopes of fentyl patches etc and removing them so unless you actually picked up each envelope and examined it you would not have known.I called all the appopriate people and there was an investigation and for a while we were all subject to random drug tests{which no one failed so am pretty sure the stuff was being taken out and sold}.Anyway while that was going on, pain patches started disappearing off pts and a hospice nurse was caught trying to draw the gel out of a pt's patch with a syringe, and she got the whole investigation going.I remember the men in black waiting to talk to me and I was mortified and scared to death. I quit that place shortly thereafter !

Thanks for the suggestions;I am keeping notes and also won't go into the pts rm without another nurse or tech with me after 'momma" told them one of the bruises she got from fighting us was caused by us.I had told all other family members that altho we tried hard to keep from a pt hurting themselves while combative, it sometimes happened. Family was fine with this. Problem is she doesn't act out until everyone is gone.Our unit doesn't allow family members to stay so .... there you go !

According to family, she has been in a nsg home for past 11 months, and the behavior has pretty much deteriorated the whole time, she was placed with us for "medication adjustment".Then our case mgr finds out the nsg home won't take her back and no one in the family will take her.As a matter of fact a friend of a friend of someone who works at the nsg home said the daughter I had problems with is the reason the pt can't go back !