twinklebelle

You keep on fighting for your beliefs and the policies of your facility,and keeping a tight grasp on your future if that's what you want! Once that license is in your hands you earned it! Learn every day no matter how big or small! There is so so so much to learn! If you ever meet someone that thinks they know it all they have a big ego! They may have earned it! Some love to teach, others don't have the time, others do their jobs and you can learn by watching and listening. On the other side if you find someone that is willing to share everything they know that person will be a great mentor. Remember take it in stride, you are the only one who knows what you can handle! The others that are looking for that minuscule mistake take it as a positive! This will make you a more confident and accurate person if you look at it as a challenge. If you let them or one beat you down they will take away your confidence, make you second guess your dreams and take away who you really want to be! I have learned this so many times. The nurses eat their own really really is true. I see this more than the mentors but thats the generation and or the place you work. I always remember the pt and their families. Do you make a difference for them? That's your answer! Be strong! When someone knocks you down earn their respect if you can by showing them over and over you can do the job! If you can't seem to do nothing right in their eyes forget them; that doesn't mean not try to work with them or not earn their respect but don't dwell on them they will beat you down if you let them! Eventually some come around, you may even make great co-workers, friends, or mutual respect and they might just lay off and leave you alone. I hope this helps! Is it easy????? It's not!! I have some days I could cry not for what I have done as far as my job, I always, always feel good about that! :redbeathe I trully LOVE NURSING!!! The unfairness, politics, games and cruelty can be very heavy on my shoulders some days! :hdvwl: That's when I reach out for strength from the one's I trully trust or they say put your worries in a little box and send them above and trully let go and he will take care of it for you! Good luck and if you can keep smiling it's catchy! It's the universal language!:):):):) :hrnsmlys: Twinklebelle

Stand your ground like the nest person states, you are afterall your patients nurse advocacy no matter what! Be stern, open minded, learn what you can from them, looking beyond their egos! You may earn ther respect in time and beleive it or not you may never! That's all about them not you! Keep your chin up, be strong for you and your pt's they will be very appreciative. The Dr's are appreciative too believe it or not they just won't give you credit to your face!:yeah:twinklebelle

Good for you! You are willing to take on a huge challenge and it sounds like it was a great outcome!!!! Kudos to you! Can you please do rounds in all the hospitals and create that exact affect! I'm not talking for everyone but you sound like a God send to all nurses in your management! Applause to you in the highest. It also sounds like you enjoy your job! Keep up the GREAT WORK!!:redbeathe:heartbeat:):):) Maybe you can shed some light on a problem I have to keep dealing with. I don't want to come off as bragging or being in the lime spot, I'm the type that likes to do a good job and thats that. I don't need recognition or applause for my job. I do it for the patient & their families and as long as I can make their visit at the hospital tolerable and as comfy as we can I feel the job was complete. That is my satisfaction and I really hope I made a difference for them. I try when time permits to do extras for my pt's because if I was a pt I would enjoy anything to help my stay be a success for the pt,families, and hospital. That being said; Why does this happen? The managers will ask for your input always on any subject. For one thing there is never no time they are always busy. In their defense so are us nurses. Then it's a freefrawl to through everything out there in a two minute conversation that ONLY bits and pieces are told. It's very unfair! Do we live in a fair world; No! I understand that but what's up with this? Or put it in an e-mail...well I don't have time at work to even check my e-mails for work more or less sit down and write in detail situations that go on. The other bad thing is putting things on paper can be misinterpreted pretty easily and then it snowballs.....Face to face and time to communicate I think is vital in any workplace. If I make a statement I want them to know exactly what I meant by it! Have you had this happen?? I won't do e-mailing no more for this very reason.. The worse is then they look at it, analyse it and try to use it for evaluations. I had this happen in the past so I never put stuff on paper anymore unless it is absolutely necessary. I use to work in a facility that I left on my own terms and I'm very happy about. I wish I would have done it sooner! Even though it was a long time ago to this day I shutter to even think about it! My e-mails even though they were positive with possible solutions were thrown in my face numerous time. They would take little exerps out and run with it instead of looking at the whole e-mail. Taking things out of context! I learned that nurses really do eat their own the hard way! About the time you climb out it would start all over. Everyone says it's because your so nice. Isn't that a slap in the face. I learned to stand up for my self (No problem there). The problem is why do we continully have to deal with this. Eventually you earn respect from some but others are watching your every move. Isn't that sad! I have praise and great evals so I do feel supported from managers but constantly running into all these situations. They listen to an extend but things continue to happen! Why? When you leave after trying to have a two minute discussion with the management it never feels good. No matter how positive the meeting went. I know I have big trust issues but that's because I've been through the wringer so many times. Even though I receive praise I do constantly question my confidence because of these political matters..I don't question my nursing ability but my personal is always getting zapped. Some challenges I can manage on my own, others where the three way discussion has to take place. Either way as long as an agreeable outcome takes place I'm satisfied but why does it always happen. I would love to go in and be very open; I don't have a problem with communication but my worry constantly is will it be taken into consideration, be looked at as an instigator, not be considered a team player, written up for telling it the way it is, ect... I'm a very personable person who only wants the best for everyone including the ones that have issues with me. I would like to just stop and say can we fix this problem (which I have done to some) but others just are not open to solving anything. Then they say work around them, don't waist your time. Well when you work with these people everyday that makes it quite challenging! My reward at the end of every shift is the smiles, thanks, and aprreciation the pt & their families share. That's everything to me! I can't make everyone happy but my pt do appreciate me so thats my success. I love being personable with everyone I meet; not just the pt's but managers, & co-workers. Everyone has their great qualities sometime it just take time to figure out what they are even if they are awful to you there usually is good somewhere in them. You just have to search deeper in some. Your statement; Another huge group of managers are in their positions to make the people above them happy not people working 'below' them. Why?? This is very true on our floor but to give credit to the management little things do get accomplished on our floor but bigger items like support for ratio management for RN/CNA verses pt are always undermined. We are constantly working on but never get anywhere..I know economy, money, money, money but what about the quality of care that they keep asking us to give to our pt's. The pt remember when they leave how long they had to wait to go to BR or never made it there all together. How long they wait to be covered up because they were so cold and their blankets fell off and they couln't reach, pain meds delayed, lying in their own vomitus, urine, BM, blood cuz an IV was pulled out accidently ect... you all seen it and deal with it every day. I always want the best for the pt's and it breaks my heart when things like this happen because we are all so busy and understaffed.. Oh I could go on but this is ongoing and I really hope and pray that for our loved ones out there the government will see how important health care is and that we are all drowning (hospitals, assisstive living, community nursing, hospice, nursing homes, clinics) I don't even blame management their hands are tied too! Thanks for being one that trully cares and makes a difference for your employees and patients;)! You are trully one of the few out there!:yeah:twinklebelle

I drive two hours every week to work in a hospital with it sounds like the same situation. Depending on the days of the week I have a different crew or seem to rotate with several crews different week. All crews have challenges that go with it. Not the work that needs to be completed that's always a challenge in itself, but that's a good challenge for me to keep pt and their families comfortable, skills, prioritize, and have a somewhat smooth shift. The politics & co-workers are always the biggest challenge for me. It's absolutely terrible and I'm a positive team player that is always trying to help if someone asks. I will ask others if they need help if I see they may be having a challenge. Some will talk and stab you in the back for helping them, or they won't ask but you are suppose to know at any givin time whether your busy or not do something for them. There is always a fine line. Your wrong if you do and your poop if you don't it just seems to be which way the wind blows. Some will try to sabatoge your every move and somehow manage to make you look like your the bad one. You sit down to chart and it never fails they will come over and start talking whether you respond to them or not. But when there may be a few down moments and you try to start a conversation they show little or no interest but I'm suppose to stop look them in the eye and respond back. You here statements she not approachable, shes not a team player, I will never understand that one. I guess to make them look good and me bad??? Life is too short!!! Another one I really despise if your the newbi (new hire or last one they hire even if its been a year and half)you get all the difficult patients, discharges, admits you name it they will pile it on. This is the co-workers and charge nurses not the management. If the newbi quits it goes to the next newbi up the ladder until they hire a new one to replace the one that quit. Or they don't hire someone because of the cut backs. The others (core group protect each other from this happening) They get out on time while you are there one to two hours later. Then they make comments I heard you were here quite late last shift what happened to you. Or I always get out on time. Another co-workers that punch out late causes us from getting a raise every year. An example, we are all suppose to clock out for breaks, they will clock in and out even if they don't take a break. Then when they are sitting around they will be the first to be complaining we don't even have time to take breaks but to management it looks like they are so the whole team is never going to get the CNA or RN ratio to pt straightened out we all desperately need because of all the cut backs. They will be the ones who gossip at the station verses spending time with their patient giving TLC or basic nursing care. They are also the one who will ignore the IV's beeping, call lights going off, vents beeping off, stating the aid will get it as they (CNA') can't keep their heads above water. Then the pts became incontinent and lye in their own stool or urine because someone didn't get there fast enough and then be upset that the aid calls them to have them help clean up the pt.. They are also the ones who will ***** about everything under the sun about what is wrong with the facility and their managers and then turn around and kiss the managers butt when they are around. The sad thing is most people want a paycheck and not care about the pt just as long as they could get their paycheck. I've even heard nurses complain about how crabby, mean, moody, (you name it) their pt's are. What do they expect, they are in a hospital because they are sick, injured, dying... you get the picture. What's that all about??? I know when I was in the hospital several different times as a pt I wasn't myself for obvious reasons. I wasn't laughing at there jokes maybe because it hurt to laugh, didn't want to have a conversation because I was to tired from the meds I was on...scared because I didn't know my diagnoses, worried about who was going to pay for this bill even though insurance is available it still cost money. What happened to compassion, consideration, respect, help each other through good & bad times, have a little fun at work not be so serious all the time, common sense ect...this seems to be a different generation...now its who's better than the other one, back stabbing, gossip, hatred, ridiculing, questioning your every move even when report is handed off like you were just born yesterday (they are not my manager) but some think they are! My manger has everything good to say in all the evaluations so I know I'm a good nurse. I'm I perfect? No one I ever met is so why would I be?! I also love my Job!!! Absolutely LOVE IT! I did alot of venting I normally don't say to anyone accept my family and closest friends that I don't work with. I do have good friends where I work also but they can be wishy washi depending on who or what they are talking about. Work and personal life just don't mix in my world, I tried a few time and it's not worth it!! I watch fellow co-workers go through similar situations at different time and all you can do is be there if they choose you to vent with. I also learned to say very little when this happens but be supportive if I can be. I had worked in a different facility for 2 1/2 years once where I too thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown and became very depressed and didn't realize how bad it was until I put my resignation in and hunted for a new job. Once I was OUT FOR SEVERAL MONTH AND ACQUAINTED WITH MY NEW JOB A tON OF BRICKS WERE LIFTED OFF MY SHOULDERS!!! I WILL NEVER LET THINGS GET THAT BAD AGAIN... LIFE IS WAY TO SHORT!!! Yes, I did vent quite a bit but where I work now really is my love and passion for nursing! Politics and co-workers are a challenge and always will be you just have to try and balance, communicate communicate, and deal with it with hopefully managers input, and if it can't be fixed GET OUT! I'VE LEARNED THIS ONE THE HARD WAY! I WAS DEMORALIZED, QUESTIONING MYSELF WHETHER I WAS A GOOD NURSE, (maybe I should just quit and go back to school for something else) even though it was my passion to be a nurse all my life. I was actually doubting my every move. I had No confidence left when I left that place! Now I'm very happy where I'm at and love the care I can give to the pt's. I know because of the demand physically and mentally at my age I won't be able to keep up on this floor. I do hope to work in hospice or geriactric floor when that time comes. I love working with the elderly. They are so very considerate, wise, appreciative and love to share stories. I sometime wish I had the time to write the stories we all hear in our nursing career. Everyone's lives are so interesting in their own unique way. Sometime it may be more challenging but friendship & trust can happen at any age! Good luck with your dilema, when the time is write if you can't fix it move forward!! You will know in your gut when you had enough! :up:Try not to judge, or change who you are working with but learn how they operate and figure out what you need to do for yourself not them. Does that mean don't help, be a jerk, No I would never be able to act or pretend to act like them it's not my personality. I've tried to retaliate at times to set someone in there spot it works sometimes, but I will never feel comfortable, it's not me. It was something I had to do to earn their respect if it was possible. Every person you work with comes with their special qualities and bad qualities it takes may different personalities to make a shift or group to work together. I don't care for the managerial aspect of nursing, I love taking care of pt's.:heartbeat:clown: I thank God someone out there loves management because it's not my ticket! I don't like the social services of nursing, Thank goodness someone else is there to send the pt or families to them. All that paper work!!! Yuk!! It may be their love and thank goodness but it's not mine! Take care!!:redbeathe:redbeathe:redbeathe Good Luck! twinklebelle...sorry so so long:yawn:

I totally understand what you are writing! I have not been told that I'm not a team player as you unfortunately have been....but I feel this at the place of employment I work now! Fortunately,with ONLY one group that I rotate with. The other three groups I rotate with are excellent team players and we all take our work seriosly as you do. We are approachable if time permits. I believe pt's are always number one. They, after all, is why we have a job! That sounds callous but when reallity sets in if we have no pt's we have down time at home without pay and definately don't have access to being approached if we are not at work!! LOL!! The other group unfortunatley has their own views and I try very patiently not to JUDGE! It is very challenging to work in this type of environment. We too do try and relax and enjoy each others company when time permits! Unfortunately, most of the time we are all snowed under with the economic times changing and staffing changing constantly causing lack of employees to number of pt's. The ironic thing is we constantly are reminded by e-mails and meetings that our pt's deserve the best care, what can we do to make this better? The nursing, CNA, ratio to pt's have to be equalized but unfortunately we are stretched thinner and thinner. . I love my job! I love hands on and direct patient care. If ONLY I could do this my whole shift verses dealing with the politics, avoiding gossip, and all the paper work (although I know this is a vital necessity in nursing, paperwork). As you stated Everyone has their own perspective on what a TEAM PLAYER IS!! :) That is the the whole POINT of your statement if you don't realize what you typed. EVERYONE including managerial positions have their own views. That is one of our challenges as a nurse to find out what each co-workder we work side by side and with managerial position have to decifer. How they think and what they expect from you as a co-worker or employee. Unfortunately, to my co workers I love to be with the patients and treat with as much TLC as I can even if and when I feel I have a few moments to spare. I will get a warm blanket, back rub, foot massage or just a listening ear. My view is different than many many others but I try not to JUDGE because they are not me! You keep your thoughts positive even with the manager disagreeing that you are not a team player or aprroachable. Take his words in stride. Is any of it true? Maybe just a little? If so we can all change if we have to. ONLY you can decide that. Remain open minded, this is a BIG ONE in nursing! But also do what your GUT instinct is telling you to do. Each co-worker has their own views and that can be very very tricky! Until time is spent working with them it can be a long challenging road to decifer what page they are on! Also, to remember once you think you have someone figured out it can change in a blink of an eye! Obviosly several had to say she's not approachable in order for the manager to determine it to be an issue??? Or maybe he observed this on his own (I'm not sure of your working relationship)??? Or maybe it was just something to say since nothing else was liable to bring up! ?? Interesting observation!! I do not even work with my two managers or in the same building when they work but they do my reviews every 6 months! (Isn't that intersting!!!) To each his own! I too am a very serious person when it comes to my nursing career and license. I'm constantly trying to see if the plan of care for each of my patients is being fulfilled in the highest! Or does another Plan of care have to be implemented!? After all if your mother, father, brother or sister was in the hospital would you too expect them to get the best care! That's how I view my pt's! They are someones mother,father, brother ect... after all aren't they! Socializing and relaxing with my co-workers can be done after work! That is how I was taught but again everyone has their own views and we were always taught to respect one another. Again, do I agree is a whole different picture and what can be done if any? Or is it time to find a job where your beliefs fit in? Just some thoughts. This is ONLY a different view to do as you wish with. I hope it helped! You sound like you have some big shoulders and are on the right track! Good luck with your nursing career. I'm glad you realized that a team player means different things to everyone..you are thinking on the correct path. You can take it as a positive or a negative! a team player means different things to me than it meant to my boss I guess. When all is said and done, this is part of the emotional roller coaster all nurses deal with every day (politics)! Yuk and depressing at times but remember why you are in Nursing in the first place! Thanks for sharing! twinklebelle

hi everyone! thanks for your insight! i did not go into the details of the demeaning part because it didn't have anything to do with pt problem. i had called one of the dr.'s on call that should have been called after the assisstant was contacted. i stated to him i had made a mistake and your assisstant is here now do you want me to talk to him or since i have you on the phone tell you about the situation. in the mean time the pt is waiting for assistance. prior to the call; the placement was checked, hemodynamically he was stable at the time, pain meds & anxiety meds were already implemented prior to the call to the contact made to dr. after the dr. on the phone was done yelling about who was contacted, the pa decided he would have the same converstaion of who should have been called first. as i stated to the dr. on the phone i made a mistake. neither one after 5 minutes had past ask why or would give me the opportunity as to why i was calling. i finally blurted out "as he was going on about the call list system & how it worked" that a pt was in need of his assistance"he states it feels like his r lung is collapsing like my left last night. during the phone call and conversation of how the call list works i waved to my charge nurse to check on my pt. by then the pt was in distress and the pa ran down the hallway and yelled "a lung can't collapse on suction!" that statement did not make sense to me because we all know lungs can always collapse for numerous reasons. i was hoping to hear or get some feedback why or scientifically why he may have said this? i went to talk to a dr. here in town i know and he explained the small aspect as to what he may have meant by what he stated. it was just bad communication starting with the wrong person being contacted first. dr. & pa have to understand when the nurses are calling them it is for the pt. yes, i called in the wrong order, yes i made that mistake but in hindsight neither was concerned about why i was contacting them until i blurted out my need. "yes" they had the right to be upset who was called first! in the end, the first contact i made had to be contacted in hindsight. thanks everyone else for your insight to the question being asked, i appreciate. this all happened at the end of my shift, the next day i found the pt went into distress shortly after i left. the pt did fine after surgery. thanks twinklebelle

I find being a team player can very challenging? I love to teach and share other colleagues if they are doing something new for the first time, or if the opportunity for a procedure arises and I'm very capable of performing I will look for someone who doesn't have that experience. If they do not have time because of pt load then I just get to have more experience honing my own skills. It's very rewarding to see a colleague be able to advance their skills. The challenge to give an example; I was asked to help with a port-a-cath; if I had any experience could I show him how to reimplement a new one.? I said I'd be glad, let me know which room I'll meet you in there. I was heading that way and the gentleman that was asking was at the desk with fellow charge nurse and two other RN's. To skip a long conversation which I was not included in on after standing there several moment listening of this matter to reimplement a new one or as one said pass the buck to the next shift...The conversation I felt all three did not know how to re implement a port-a-cath...fellow co-worker didn't feel comfortable passing the buck so he asked several to help him since he never did this skill. I was more than happy to help. The fellow co-worker did a great job, he stated we don't see these much on our floor. I have only been working at this facility for seven month so I'm the newbee with experience from working ICU & ER. Remember pt's are always number one! Not only was I helping a colleague with a new skill to him but the main importance was the pt didn't miss out on heparin therapy until the next shift arrived. The next day, same crew of colleagues I started getting different vibes. I started to feel real uncomfortable as the shift progressed. I didn't say anything during their conversation as stated above, I just listened and went to help co-worker because they were already discussing even after they knew co-worker ask me to help, whether to pass the buck...was this because they didn't know how???? To me thats okay we all learn something knew every day I hope. Too me that a GREAT day to learn at least one knew thing a day...that's progress...if this was the case why didn't they ask to come watch the procedure, "the more the better" then everyone would know how to do this. This did not happen, instead because I helped a colleague and pt. I felt like I stepped on someones toes....Why does this happen??? I thought I would try to remedy these weird vibes and brought in chocalates the next day, every one was happy and back to usual selves, "I thought" til the next weekend. Life and people's lives are too short, could this be jealousy??? Can someone send there thoughts as to why this keeps happening...the example above is not the onle time this happens...this has happened several time in a past facility I also worked at... some colleagues seem to respect while others seem to move father & farther away with eye balling everytime you turn around. Why do people feel this way and how can I remedy from this continually happening??? Why?? It's rewarding at the time and then a slap in the face later on........Thanks for sharing your thoughts everyone for being a team player....it's exciting to hear!!!!...if only we could put all of us that believe in Team Player to work at one facility!!! WoW a concept and plan!!! LOL If life could be this easy... LOL Keep being Team Players twinklebelle

Can a lung collapse while -20cm H20 water seal to suction is implemented?? Even if it had been to suction for two days? My answer is yes... but a assisstant to the Dr. states it can't. He was very rude and not to get into a long story very demeaning. Why would he state such a thing??? As nurses we have necessary protocol to follow. The pt stated he felt his opposite lung was collapsing as the other did the night before. The lung the night prior to this was only to gravity water seal which is highly likely more to happen...but if to suction I also understand for numerous reasons how & why it could with suction...why would he state this???? Any insight would be GREAT and appreciated??? :loveya: No chest x-ray was ordered even after a demeaning scene :imbar at the nurses station took place...I will always continue to be my pt advocate even if it take for me to look bad .....If I didn't call the night before what would that pt have gone through or where would the pt be today..... Thanks Twinklebelle