Along the lines of the "But I have little kids . . . . " thread:
One of my co-workers announced her pregnancy this week, stating that she was no longer willing to work weekends or holidays because she's going to be a parent. She also has to have Christmas off because this is going to be her last child-free Christmas. Oh and by the way, she can't take care of anyone with VRE, MRSA, or any other type of isolation. "Yukky wounds" make her nauseous, so she can't take those patients -- in fact, wouldn't it be best to just have her do charge all the time?
We're a large unit and have 1 - 6 nurses pregnant at any given time. Plus there are those who can't travel to interventional radiology, take infected patients, etc. because they're TRYING to get pregnant.
The last nurse to have her baby had to sit in the chair her entire shift "because I'm pregnant," and had orientees to do everything for her. Not the role of I preceptor, I'm thinking!
What's the strangest/most irritating thing you've had a coworker demand because she's pregnant?
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Originally posted by New CCU RN
that is fine. i am glad we are not coworkers. no offense.
ditto i am also glad I do not work with you as well. I dont' have the time or inclination to work even harder than I already do, to accomodate unfair demands made by pregnant coworkers. I pulled my weight pregnant; I would think it's fair to expect the same from others. I did not say pregnant women don't belong at work; I just don't have enough others working with me not to expect help where I work ......
yes lifting requirements are a problem but that is a PART of the job. MAKING demands OF PEOPLE due to a so-called "disability" CHOSEN to be undertaken by a coworker is unfair, IMO.
I'd also like to chime in that I detect a subtle theme of "well, we'll all take our turn" at pregnancy. I resent that assumption. Your male co-workers won't and neither will an increasing number of your female co-workers. I believe that up to 20-25 % of women in the Boomer era never had kids. And that % is growing higher in younger women.
I think we can all work harder to accommodate others as a team. But much like the thread with people using their kids, I've experienced people using their pregnancies as a crutch. And I worked for more than one hospital that hired no one to cover maternity leaves..."everyone pitch in please!"....so it doesn't get any better.
Fortunately, I now work as a department of one...no scheduling, no coverage. That suits me fine.
End of discussion - do your job or get out! I had my oldest when I was on active duty in the military - went to the field (for training) while 8 months pregnant. With other son - worked until two hours before delivery (not intentionally - didn't know I was in labor). Have worked with H/A, backaches, colds, etc.. Nursing and even working in general is no fun when ill. But come on folks, we're all adults here.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Originally posted by traumaRUs
End of discussion - do your job or get out! I had my oldest when I was on active duty in the military - went to the field (for training) while 8 months pregnant. With other son - worked until two hours before delivery (not intentionally - didn't know I was in labor). Have worked with H/A, backaches, colds, etc.. Nursing and even working in general is no fun when ill. But come on folks, we're all adults here.
My fellow nurses were wonderful when I was pregnant--they altered my team so it wasn't too heavy. It actually works better when they did that. (at least on our unit--it wasn't very heavy at all)
I work a post angioplasty unit at the time--the charge nurse won't let me pull out sheaths. I don't know why--but that's what she did.
---
To answer your question.
I was 7 1/2 months pregnant...another girl 8 1/2 months. It was the 8 1/2 month preggo girls turn to get pulled. (it's to a cardiac floor) She refused--I went instead.
Along the lines of the "But I have little kids . . . . " thread:
One of my co-workers announced her pregnancy this week, stating that she was no longer willing to work weekends or holidays because she's going to be a parent. She also has to have Christmas off because this is going to be her last child-free Christmas. Oh and by the way, she can't take care of anyone with VRE, MRSA, or any other type of isolation. "Yukky wounds" make her nauseous, so she can't take those patients -- in fact, wouldn't it be best to just have her do charge all the time?
We're a large unit and have 1 - 6 nurses pregnant at any given time. Plus there are those who can't travel to interventional radiology, take infected patients, etc. because they're TRYING to get pregnant.
The last nurse to have her baby had to sit in the chair her entire shift "because I'm pregnant," and had orientees to do everything for her. Not the role of I preceptor, I'm thinking!
What's the strangest/most irritating thing you've had a coworker demand because she's pregnant?
I understand the need to protect the fetus. I also understand manipulation when I see it.
This reminds me when I was in the Army. Women would try to get out of field duty because they "had thier period," They would manipulate some poor naieve male supervisor that being on thier period was a valid reason to shirk certain types of duty such as field duty (i. e. camping)
No one bled more than me, had harder cramps than me, I was the only one to get nausiated and vomit with periods. I went to the field. I had endometriosis and fibroids. I understood exercise was benificial for these symptoms.
When may male collegues would ask me about the validity of these excuses and complaints. I pointed out it was an old ploy ans old as humanity. There is no reason for it.
As soon as they understood that this was fooey and could talk in an informed way about it with the women it stopped.
We know that women of child bearing age (trying or not) should be cautions about some things because they could become
pregnant. However, some of the restrictions that you mentioned are not valid.
The young woman who wants special consideration and have every holiday and weekend off needs to get a dose of reality. I would not buy this load of pucky. No she should not be charge. I would not want her charge even occasionally with this primadona attitude.
The primadonna who sat while others did her work needs to be disiplined.
This is only happening because it is allowed where you work. If you are thier supervisor put your foot down.
Of course I help pregnant co workers. There are just some things that are entirely inappropriate for them to be doing. I understand being nausiated during preg and not able to handle certain smells. But I will not be made a fool of by someone who wants to use me. Some of you talk about team work, as if refusing to put up with nonsense was a demonstrated lack of team work. Sorry It is the nurse who is too special (due to preg. or any other reason) who is not the team player.
I am choosing to no longer read this thread because it is very upsetting to see how uncompassionate, unempathetic, and just plain mean some of you are.
Alot of you just sound plain out bitter. Or perhaps your coworkers are manipulative and have burnt you out. Or maybe there is some other reason, but regardless... I can't understand how you as NURSES can't have a little sympathy for a coworker.
I DO NOT MEAN LET THEM TAKE ADVANTAGE, LET THEM HAVE WEEKENDS OFF, LET THEM GET OUT OF WORK.
But I see a real problem with someone who is unwilling to help out a fellow coworker, whatever the reason be. This attitude is NOT going to attract new nurses, it is going to drive people away!!!!
It seems to me like you view pregnancy as a hassel, rather than being happy for your coworker.
I guess the value of family and life is vacant from your lives. Seriously, I can find no other reason for this "risk your pregnancy or get out attitude". What is so hard about a team approach... while you do X for their patients, they do Y for your patients.
I suppose if someone was always a slacker and then expected to be even more of a slacker when they became pregnant, that would be a different issue. But how can you not deny a hard working coworker a hand in a time of need. Yes pregnancy is a choice... people want to have children. Since when is nursing the type of profession where you can't have a family and be a nurse.... ?????????
This holds true to any issue. What about the coworker that is having a family emergency?? Do you tell them to suck it up?? Not try and help them out.
And perhaps maybe those who say they work hard enough, they don't need "extra work", are working so hard because they aren't team players to begin with.
Thank You New CCU RN. I am newly pregnant and this thread has me angry and scared. I hope that when I am 8 months along, my co-workers do not have the attitude of some people on this board.
I just do not see what is wrong with team work. So, I might not be able to help boost a 400 lb patient in bed. Because of this, I should stay home?
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
nope no vacancy in my life.
Kinda presumptious statement, but then you are feeling emotional about this, that I can see. I respect it, too. My life is full, complete and my kids bring me daily joy. It is separate from my career too....
work is work. Believe it or not, i am happy for workers who choose to start families and celebrate their pregnancies with them. but then where I work no one tries to "do" the system when she falls pregnant. she does her share, minus the lifting loads. I think that is fair. I don't expect pregnant women to lift 200-300lb+ patients, either. That woul dnot be fair. But I do expect them to do their share other ways, like answer my patients' call-lights WHILE I go do their lifting for them. Tit for tat, scratch my back, and I will yours.
I guess I admit, I do have a real problem defining pregnancy as a disability in some ways. But, If indeed it is, then PUHLEEZE, get a doctor's note and let us get someone to work (even if it is supplementary), who CAN do it then. (agency or PRN)..... You will be back and your position waiting when you choose to. But please, I get tired, just BONE tired, after 12-13 hours doing just my job alone, without absorbing other's heavywork all the time, too. If I have to do your lifting for you, ok. But remember, I have my job to do, also, and I would appreciate some reciprocation ....is that so unreasonable?
What is so morally bankrupt and vacant about THIS?
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
By the way, just cause I say I work hard do not presume I am no team player. I work hard cause the patients dont' stop coming even though we get no more staff to deal. That is the reality of nursing. and THAT is how it is. So it DOES create a HUGE burden when just ONE person refuses to pull her weight, recognize her own limitations and be reasonable when pregnancy arises. Staffing is tight and we don 'thave room for non-team-players, period. Sure it's for a few short months, but those months can really take a toll on the rest of us. A physical and emotional one, when already overworked.
I too am a little suprised by some of the feelings about pregnant co-workers. :stone
NO, I don't think a co-worker that is pregnant should be able to demand that she be taken off of weekends and holidays. If she doesn't want to work weekends or holidays, she needs to find another job.
She should step in and help her co-workers if there are tasks she can't handle at the moment..ie. the "smelly" wound-if someone is gracious enough to take over wound care, she should go and check on her co-worker's patients-pass meds, give prn's, sign off orders....
Our Infection Control dept has a policy of the types of patients a pregnant co-worker may NOT take care of...and there are patients that ob/gyns do not want a pregnant woman exposed too....all of this needs to be respected and considered.
It would be ideal if a pregnant health care worker could stay at home during the entire duration of her pregnancy...but we know that is not possible for some.
I also am a firm believer in obtaining a note from your ob/gyn that details what your lifting limit should be (if any), what patients you are not to be exposed too...and giving it to your NM so that decisions can be made that benefit the whole unit, while protecting yourself and your unborn child.
I do know that there are pregnant co-workers that do not pull their load...and their are also NON-PREGNANT co-workers who are the same way....
I think we should all treat our co-workers the way we would want to be treated (or our spouses, sisters, etc) should we have any condition that limits what we can or can't do....
Leaving this topic...and agreeing to disagree....
Excellent post!
This probably what I would like to see most. Following the policies set forth by your institution. Rather than say "I refuse isolation patients, just in case", but knowing what is and isn't safe.
Having an MD order describing your limitations is also a good idea since everyone is different. Before I became a nurse, I worked with a person in business who ran road races while pregnant, and basically could do everything while pregant that she could do pre-pregnancy. Have worked with people as a nurse like that. Who had no limitations work wise. Did the same work as the rest of us, since that was what they were doing prior to pregnancy. Others who had backaches that had restrictions. These need to be documented for the protection of the mom and child.
I also agree that being pregnant isn't a disability. I had a coworker that at a few weeks pregnant immediately went into disability mode. Many others who did above and beyond and refused to ask for any kind of help.
I haven't worked with anyone pregnant or not that I refused to help when asked. I haven't worked with a pregnant person who refused an assignment that wasn't accommodated by the staff. But while we are helping and accommodating perhaps there are these underlying feelings that are being vented on this board.
Doesn't mean we are all anti-pregnancy, just venting. Doesn't mean we aren't going to help a sister out.
If New CCU RN is still reading, I think you hit the nail on the head, so to say. It's those few who take advantage that may have soured some of us "uncompassionate and mean" ones.
Deb makes some excellent points, as always. Nursing is back breaking hard, busy work without having extra work. Doesn't mean that we aren't going to help a sister out, but it is extra work added onto a heavily burdened nurse.
stella123 rn, a lot of what you get from your coworkers is what you give. Many of these uncommpassionate and mean people have worked as nurses while pregnant too. They know what you can and can not do, knowing everyone is different.
But I don't have a uterus what do I know? I think I've said all I have to say about this subject as well.
SmilingBluEyes
20,964 Posts
ditto i am also glad I do not work with you as well. I dont' have the time or inclination to work even harder than I already do, to accomodate unfair demands made by pregnant coworkers. I pulled my weight pregnant; I would think it's fair to expect the same from others. I did not say pregnant women don't belong at work; I just don't have enough others working with me not to expect help where I work ......
yes lifting requirements are a problem but that is a PART of the job. MAKING demands OF PEOPLE due to a so-called "disability" CHOSEN to be undertaken by a coworker is unfair, IMO.