vianne

yup, Ladyfree28, I had a patient suspected of having c diff he'd been for a Chinese meal the night before .........I opened the sealed container in a room without ventilation or windows....words cannot describe....still eat Chinese food ...

great article,and too true ladyfree28 if no one else is checking, who will ? I read one of those sayings-a-day tear off calendar pages today, said "its takes many to deliberate but only one to take action" - well done you ! the patient will probably never know but its why we're nurses ....

mm yeah not sure about this post, a nurse is a nurse, its what we do, its how we feel....

Hi Allnurses, the closing date for data collection has come and gone and even though I extended it there were no takers or comments to my post. If anyone has the inclination, I would love to know why it didn't receive any comments - e.g. too long ? not in your sphere of experience? there aren't any non-whistle blowing support systems ? - its always interesting to find out why something hasn't worked as well as why it has ! thanks for the space anyway (and all the help received by the admin team, it was invaluable and stopped me stressing out) I hope to still log on and enjoy joining in on comments about other topics, Vianne

this is a real shame, not all nurses are bullies but yeah the healthcare field seems to attract people who do like to bully, just big organisations and lots of people being told to what to do is bound to cause friction. The need to exert the power they think they hold and making everyday jobs a drama. Generally having survived bullying I find its because they are in some way threatened by me - this didn't become apparent till much later of course, which is why its important to hang on in there and see it through and I know it can be tough, but the saying "every dog has its day" is true. Often its lack of skills to blame too. Perceived threat brings out the worst in us all so we can all be bullies and it would be naïve to say we weren't. I don't know about going further up the chain of command as sometimes that can be as bad, but certainly seek allies to support you where ever you can and dilute the effect of the bully

staff who get on with each other and a good laugh - cant beat it, doesn't matter if its busy or ridiculous, if you've got a good team with a sense of humour its the best!

Hi cmm4ever, you may have had your interview already, if not good luck ! my day consists of screening according to whatever protocols I've been allocated to, following potential patients, networking, locating patients, giving out information, answering queries, taking consent, venepuncture, maybe centrifuging bloods, collecting and transferring data, anticipating the next phase, - I could go on - its great job it really is, needs someone who is used to autonomy, uses initiative and can think on their feet and still practice within protocol and the law. let us know how you got on Vianne

Dear Nurses, I invite all registered nurses to participate in a research project that I aim to complete as part of a postgraduate dissertation. I would like to hear how other nursing colleagues have resolved this type of dilemma using which support network(s) and why. I look forward to the sharing of your experiences. The subject matter does not lend itself to a survey, so please forgive the length of the post and read it completely before you reply. Description of the project: I am exploring which support networks nurses use when resolving issues of concern - i.e. who (or what) would you go to and why? I am especially interested in finding out what professional support nurses perceive themselves to have to be able to resolve an issue, without whistle blowing. I have used definitions according to Ahern and McDonalds article of 2002 (p.305) of a whistle blower ("a nurse who identifies a incompetent, unethical or illegal situation in the workplace and reports it to someone who may have the power to stop the wrong") and a non-whistle blower (a nurse who identifies exactly the same "but does not openly report it"). They concluded that non-whistle blowers may use other methods (my italics) to handle situations. I feel this is worthy of further exploration in order to improve communication and so standards of care. I look forward to answering questions in the thread and include a description of my own experience: We are a relatively new department and so raising a concern in this environment was also a new process for me. I was able to raise the concern, I was able to instigate a risk assessment and put safeguarding measures in place. Then the original concern occurred again, the person to whom I reported the issue was the same person who would have the power to stop the wrongdoing and was also the person responsible for the wrongdoing on the first and second occasion, having ignored the safeguarding arrangements. I felt that I was presented with a dilemma - where next ? - on the one hand I had fulfilled my duty by reporting it to the person who had the power to stop the wrong. On the other hand however, I was justified in being concerned, as I have a moral responsibility to patients, real and potential, and knew that this practice was to continue unchanged. There were differences to take into account: I am regulated professionally , the other person is not. That is not to say that the other person cares less, rather that our moral priorities are weighted2 differently - mine moved towards significant risk as I could foresee potential harm to the patient, the other person moved towards non-significant risk. My example was only resolved by circumstances changing externally, otherwise may have continued and with it the dilemma. I am interested then in finding out how other nurses have resolved similar dilemmas and what support networks you have used to be able to do so and why. Data collection will continue until the end of the year. Benefits and Risks of this study The proposed benefit of the study is being part of improving professional support for nurses who aim to resolve concerns in their workplace. No risks to participants are expected. Confidentiality Your anonymity and confidentiality will be ensured through your site username when registered according to site conditions. The descriptions of your experiences will be seen by anyone who reads the post so please ensure that identifiers are not used in your descriptions. Reported data will contain a collection of the data into themes, individual quotes may be used and attributed to the username. Voluntary participation and withdrawal Participation in this research study is entirely voluntary. If you do not want your description to be seen by the public do not post it. Should you decide that you do not want your data used in the study your data collected up to that point will be destroyed, however, it will remain on the thread on the site. Participants will be anonymous by use of their username throughout. Questions, Rights and Complaints Participants should not hesitate to contact the researcher by responding back to this post or by contacting my MSc supervisor: [email protected]. Consent statement - Due to the internet-based distribution of the study, consent will be implied by participation in this post. Thanks so much for your anticipated participation, time and effort, I really appreciate it.

ah miamiabean , I'm sorry for you, I like sslamsters sound advice, but I would also say, that one if the things that school will never teach you is when to draw the line, that is get out, leave. Only you can decide if it is a good place to be and it may be that this area you're in has no chance of changing, in which case you might be disappointed in who ever you find as a mentor 'cos they'll not be able to fix zero resources, only money can do that. So check your expectations first, also just a suggestion, try a tutor that you got on with, maybe they'll know of the whereabouts of your fellow nurses - tis true though keep in touch with each other, only other nurses will understand where you're coming from...good luck

Hi Peanut&Buttercup, yeah I agree with Rob72, there's a big difference between being a research nurse and a nurse researcher, I share your frustration too Rob72, I've been in research for over 6 years now and even though we are generic and can develop our research skills our "clinical depth" as you so helpfully call it, seems to become more shallow year on year, depending on the study you work on of course and how long it is and your role in it. Its a great job, Peanut&Buttercup, skills that will stand you in good stead are: communication (surprise), networking, organisation, time management, attention to detail, flexibility, patience and tolerance to name a few oh and the ability to be able to translate complex and complicated information into an easy to understand nutshell for a potential participant, enjoy autonomy, uses initiative...give it a go, the main difference really is either do your own research or put someone else's protocol into effect, both have their pros and cons - if I can find out how to upload an article I would, you may find it helpful its UK, but references and experience will be helpful...any hints out there anyone can give me to upload ? be grateful Vianne

still the hardest thing for me after over 30 years in nursing is the relatives of a patient who is dying or who have died, I just can't not feel for them and find it hard to not cry along, I know I'm less help to them if I do, but it's hard.

NurseLo86, if you like your job, stay and change the situation, this is hard I know, its taken me years to see that the very situation I would've left a job for after 2 years just comes up again, in another 2 years, if you don't address the problem. It can't be sorted overnight and probably not even with an email, you ll have to work at it and might find to your surprise that the colleagues sitting saying nothing feel the same but have burnt out with trying. Go on, stick at it, have a rest, then have another go, some wise one said be the change you want to see, its what makes nursing more than one dimensional and why you came into it in the first place, nursing needs people like you, be strong and stand up for what you want to see, xx

just joining back in, Hi XB9S Guide, perhaps I just hadn't written that clearly - what I meant by the total amount which I pay, is the NMC fees plus what I pay to a professional indemnity provider comes to the total of £296.80 per year - so for nearly £300 a year I can practice legally and with cover. I personally do not object to paying this amount, further I did not mean to imply that the NMC provides professional indemnity, I think every qualified nurse would be clear that that is not the case, but apologise for the paucity of my writing skills....Really glad we got some debate going and the number has been achieved though, it'll be interesting to hear the bigger debate ....

GrnTea thanks for the Susan Cairn link, what an inspiration she is, love this subject and the support its getting...

I agree Fiona 59, we all have to pay, not sure what the conversion rate is but I pay £296.80 currently per year, that gets me professional registration and professional indemnity for a million. That would go up to £316.80 with the increase - that's 26.40 pm, less than a pound a day.....personally I don't think that that is bad, would you object less if they didn't have an office in a fancy location ? or is the value for money? what else would you like to see them do for the money ? or is that you have to pay it at all ?

"The "secret" to passing any exam is to get the answers right ...and it's no secret". Sure is, well done, you'll need the knowledge you've gained everyday of your future career, no one else can build on it but you

congratulations!

Thanks for raising this Sassy5d, we have satisfaction scores here, but not so salaries are affected by it, very interesting to read and think about, also helpful to read of patient views glad to hear youre back on road to recovery and always learn from your experience. I can't believe they'd tie in satisfaction scores with salaries, what's next? Charging patients more because they don't recover according to policy? Bah?!

Hi motay68, well done for getting this far and sounds like you're enjoying it,I really enjoyed my training but eventually you're right, you have to go on your own, but it's like everything in life, like the first day you get in the car without the instructor beside you eek! I remember first week of training when patients would shout "nurse?" for attention and I would, no kidding, go through the rigmarole of trying to explain I was training. Eventually worn out with attempting this, I accepted that's what people saw when they saw me in uniform. Its been the same ever since, patients just need your help and attention, you dont need to know everything, just be kind, you'll be fine...the expertise will come in time, good to you

No, I agree, I wouldn't be insulted, I would be delighted if my employer would mark nurses week or day though, its a nice thought - wouldn't buy the t short though, would rather wear scrubs

thanks for the clarification azalight90, I just wasn't sure what the objection was to; some nurses don't agree with the NMC at all, some would happily pay more if they (NMC) would only get their act together, some would like to go the way of the suggestion on the DOH website of letting the employer, for example, a Trust, making the decision about what kind of training they require their nurses to have in future and in so doing become the regulator....what do others think ? is there a point to regulation ? I must admit I think there is a lot to be said to being accountable to an outside regulator rather than having all eggs in one basket and depending on an employer, as all employers aren't of the same standards, as we well know

hello azalight90, good luck with your training, I'm not sure exactly what it is that you object to ? is it the extra 38p per week ?

so sad to read, here. i.stand, I bet all the care staff involved never forgot your grandmother either, yes, a hard lesson to be learned by all, so sorry

Ahhh I meet all of these people ("hostile humans/zombies/animals/aliens") on a daily basis in my workplace thought it was just me, but its the apocalypse you say ? thanks....

of course this is not common sense, we all have frailties' in common, that's what makes us human, I'm reminded of the Monty Python sketch in Life of Brian..."who threw that stone?"....making sense of the frailty and incorporating it into a fulfilled life is what the human experience is all about...profits are another story, this one has profit stamped all over it.