ANnot4me

I extensively interview all nurses who care for me. Factors that I feel impede safe care by an RN are a caloric intake above or below the trend of the day (I so agree, fatties are icky), history of domestic abuse of any sort (I go back 3 generations), drunkards (more than 2 drinks in your lifetime), lack of education (don't want any nurse with less than a BSN), IQ, menstruating nurses, nurses with a family history of slave ownership, religion (don't want any religious nurses except those who are among "the truly redeemed), skin colour, unclean nurses (I require references and photos of the home), and my nurses must always have a compatible star sign.

Nurses' Day is patronizing. There is no "Toilet Cleaners Day", no "Garbage Collectors' Day" and no "Street Sweepers'" Day. We all do are job and we get paid. If you want to appreciate me, treat people with respect.

Nurses who cannot give their co-workers the same compassion they [probably do not give] their patients.

What do you consider to be a "life"?

I worked in General Medicine 20 years ago as a new nurse and had very little knowledge of delirium. I am not sure if it was a training deficit or if it was something that just did not "click" with me. It was always very frustrating and it was very time consuming. Older people who are ill and out of there element are very susceptible to delirium. Hospitalisation is a big issue for the older adult as it means they are ill and in and in an unfamiliar environment; their routines are disrupted, they are stressed and they are usually prescribed drugs that are outside of their normal pharmacological regime. There can also be a certain amount of delirium coupled with undiagnosed dementia. On a night shift when you have 10-12 + patients, it can really cause problems when delirious patients are not managed well. It affects the milieu of the entire unit and the quality of care of other patients. Unfortunately, these patients should be cared for with a 1:1 ratio or in a cohort, but this never happens.

My apologies for resorting to stereotypes and denigrating people with the use of the word "hillbilly". I was angry and if you look at my previous posts, you will see I do not usually use this tactic in my posts.

You sign on the line and you take your chances.

Yet you sign your name to the care given.

Accept your responsibility in this situation. Learn from it, get a new job and don't make the same mistake again. I am a man, made the same mistake and it was a very hard life lesson.

And your senior team agreed to the use of "juicy cough" in the documentation? Very odd.

I have never been to ND and I have no concern as to what your hillbilly state's Nurse Practice Act contains. I would be shocked if your Nurse Practice Act did not contain any mention of professional behaviour and how one should not publically denigrate the Nursing Profession. I give no professional respect to anyone that uses the word "fart" in an argument and has no idea of what libel means.

In my life's experience, most people and families' have demons hidden in their closet. That is all..

You do not need a reason to resign. Just resign and keep it professional. If they care to know why, then they will offer an exit interview.

As we all know, bullying is not always about what people do, it is also about what people don't do. In fact, the most cruel and severe types of bullying are covert and include disrespect, exclusion, gossip and withholding. These behaviours are also unprofessional and against most States' Nurse Practice Acts. Any nurse who says that being a positive mentor or that the teaching of junior nurses is not their job is espousing negative behaviour that most likely violates the policy of their employer and/or the Nurse Practice Act in their State. It most certainly reflects negatively upon the nursing profession and has a negative impact on patient care. Passive aggressive behaviour is a big issue in nursing and it is difficult to identify as it is indeed covert. It is subterfuge, it is counter-productive and it is not acceptable in a healthy work place. Is it uncommon? Not in my experience.

What if your co-worker or "things" will never change? How will you change? Will you change? Are you a victim? What will you change? Take responsibility for your predicament as you always have a choice. If you choose to be a victim, then do so quietly and without involving others. Your life and your choice.

I have been a member of Allnurses for many years. Take the personal feedback you get here with a grain of salt. You may find support here and you may find yourself viciously attacked. This site operates on a single dimension. Use it as a part of a balanced diet.

As a nurse, the first thing I must say is wash your hands. We must never forget what Florence taught us all. Secondly, in any given situation, one's qualifications do not determine the patient's best outcome. Education is only as good as how well an individual can match their learning to the current circumstance. If all members of the team are not respected, then patient outcomes are compromised. I was once a junior RN in small rural ED and we had a trauma patient who was operating a motor cycle and was involved in a collision with an automobile. He could not maintain his BP and his abdomen was distended. A junior doc was on call and he refused to call in the surgical Consultant. I was adamant that the patient had ruptured his spleen or had a liver laceration. I was hands on and pushing fluids and could not convince the senior nurse or the doctor to call the surgeon. Guess what happened? I also have memories of a night shift with a junior doc who was at loss as to how handle a patient with acute CHF: acutely SOB, severely tachycardic and having a complete anxiety attack (trying to pull out lines and run) with a deteriorating PO2 on 6L NP. I wanted frusemide, morphine and GTN and he wanted "to think about it" and to consult his resident. Keep in mind that I am not a Nurse Practioner. I am not aware of any data that would suggest that a specialist Nurse Practioner is any less competent or effective than a MD trained in the same field. I am happy to be enlightened.

As a new nurse I rotated days to pm to night and it was mostly OK. My social life sucked and it put a strain on my relationship. I eventually decided to work mostly nights as it seemed easier than jumping around. But then, I found it was was used against me by my peers when I would need to switch to days for things like study or a life. I found the same true in my next job as I was hired to rotate but chose to work mostly nights for the sake of my sanity. When I needed to work days, I was challenged. Fast forward, in my forties, I wrecked my car as I fell asleep driving home after a night shift. I became unable to sleep for days on end and became a bit nutty when working nights. Working nights is not normal, it is not healthy and it is not for everyone. It is easier for some people than others and our abilities change over time due to age or health conditions. I don't do the night thing anymore and that means that most hospital jobs are not an option. I still have a great career, but I don't chase the money or subscribe to the belief that a nurse must work in a hospital. For me, this has been a blessing. I am mentally more stable, I have a better social life and I don't have to deal with petty hospital politics where I constantly have to argue about how important I am to keep a healthy work schedule. There is a life and a career outside working night shift. It just means that you have to change your perspective. You paid your dues when you paid for your education and obtained your registration. All the rest is just hype and sometimes your co-workers are crabs in a barrel.

Florida, ratios, union, what???? I would sooner work for free. Florida is notoriously a bad state in which to work.

This is a complex issue but I think it comes down to the fact that people will only treat you disrespectfully if you allow it to happen. Men and women are socialised differently and I have had to deal with more than one female nurse who was reduced to tears by their frustration over a work conflict with a co-worker, doctor or a patient. As a man, I have cried at work because of the sadness incurred because of a patient's situation (that was not received well and I was viewed as weak), but I have never cried because of a conflict with a colleague. In those situations, I get angry, think logically and fight back.

A sincere error is made without intention or knowledge of wrongdoing and that means that a person has done something wrong without knowledge or malice. All people make errors. I once worked with a nurse who claimed she had never made a medication error. How could she ever know if it was an honest error?

A job is like any relationship: we stay because it meets our needs. A job is a choice and we are not victims unless we choose to be...

Did they also take away your right to choose where you work?

Is Bah Bah Wah ters still on the vee ew?

Remember it is your responsibility to "self care". If you are tired and stressed, it is your responsibility to say no as you are obligated as a nurse to make sure that you are "safe" to work when you come into work. Should you make a mistake or miss something because you are tired and working overtime, it can be used against you as it is your responsibility to know your limits. As a new grad, I was often placed in positions where I was at risk as I worked overtime, double shifts, short changes, etc. I honestly thought that things had changed a bit in regard to these practices. I guess that the nurses organisations and nurses themselves have not done a very good job in educating the public about these dangerous practices.