small victory!

[NP2BE]

I have been out of nursing school 6 months and working in a mixed ICU. I have been gettting so shafted on assignments lately, and scheduling as well. With a staff shortage, I was thrust into taking care of 3 patients a month out of orientation. Now I am the first on the list to get 3 patients. I get the worst assignments, worked thanksgiving, chrsitmas eve and day, and will work new years eve and day. And dont give me that new nurse crap b/c there is another new grad little girl that is more of the cute little pet type that gets no such treatment (I am a 30 y/o male). I approached my nurse manage finally about all this today, as i have been getting angry about it before but when i calmed down, i wouldnt say anything, and we decided I should orient to be put in the charge nurse rotation so i will have some say so over assigments. Also i will offer to call the nursing supervisor if there ar 6 other nurses on the unit with an average of 14 years experience and they assign the 6 month person to 3 patients. I KNOW they dont want managemnt in on the assignment making. the sad thing is, its like the acuity scale in reverse. The patient suffers. Im all about being a team player, but i refuse to be the onlu one making a scarifice.

[MedSurgeMess]

a pat on the back to you for having the cahones to stand up to your coworkers. I had basically the same situation (only 8-12 pts in med surg setting) and working all the holidays too. The only difference is that I am a girl, not part of the clique, didn't go to their schools growing up, in fact from hundreds of miles from here, and the small town where I live and practice does not like to have any outsiders around. I may be overstating that part, but that's usually how I feel at work. Just remember to be fair when you are the one in charge.......you'll be the better person and set a great example as well. Hang in there and I hope it gets better for you.

[weetziebat]

Hmmm............sounds pretty lopsided to me. Do you get the feeling they don't like you, or pick up vibes that they are trying to make your life difficult? Also, have you approached the nurses making the assignments, to see what their reasoning is? I'd just ask, stating you don't feel ready to take on 3 patients at this point. Another thing that I'm curious about is making you do charge at this point. Six months experience and they expect you to be charge nurse? Its fine to say you'd have input into making the assignments, but you still wouldn't be able to do much about your assignment being made by someone else. In any case, hope it all works out for you. Good luck!

[SharonH, RN]

In my experience, they seem to believe that you are capable of handling the assignments, thus they give it to you. The fact that you don't say anything about it only reinforces this belief to them "well he doesn't complain so he must be handling it well". On the one hand, it's a compliment to your obvious skills and composure but you are right, they are also using you. They do this to the strong nurses, give them all they can handle while letting the weak ones and the complainers get by. You have done the right thing and clearly the NM has confidence in you since she is orienting you to charge so soon after graduating.

[NP2BE]

Hmmm............sounds pretty lopsided to me. Do you get the feeling they don't like you, or pick up vibes that they are trying to make your life difficult?

yes, sometimes i do. But There are some that definitely like me. People with a good work ethic and a good head on their shouldes often make some of their less entusiastic peers feel threatend. When you work around someone who is trying to the best he/she can, and you are doing the bear minimum, you tend to feel exposed, therefore you find reason not to like that person.

While I certainly have many shortcomings, my motives are in the right place. One example is that the CNAs will ask me to help them bathe patients (just for turning and such)

even when that patient's nurse refuses to help (or is too busy at the time always), so I do because I cant stand to sit buy and watch someone twice my age working for less then half the money I make bust their butt to essentialy help me while I am sitting on my butt knowing I can help.

I am not going to stop being a good employee/person to fit in here or anywhere else, at the end of the day, i have to look at myself in the mirror.

[meownsmile, BSN, RN]

NP2be,, you have the right attitude, dont lose it.

I dont know why some nurses feel they can do that kind of thing to the greener in the group. They did learn some of those tricks from their predicesors im sure, but doesnt make it right. You stand your ground and speak up before you take the assignment. Get the explaination first, and if it doesnt fit,, you find someone who can either correct it or has the authority to make that your days load.

Keep up the good work, i know you dont have a rug over your shoulders so dont let them wipe their feet on ya.

[NP2BE]

NP2be,, you have the right attitude, dont lose it.

I dont know why some nurses feel they can do that kind of thing to the greener in the group. They did learn some of those tricks from their predicesors im sure, but doesnt make it right. You stand your ground and speak up before you take the assignment. Get the explaination first, and if it doesnt fit,, you find someone who can either correct it or has the authority to make that your days load.

Keep up the good work, i know you dont have a rug over your shoulders so dont let them wipe their feet on ya.

Thanks!

[Super_RN, BSN, RN]

In my experience, they seem to believe that you are capable of handling the assignments, thus they give it to you. The fact that you don't say anything about it only reinforces this belief to them "well he doesn't complain so he must be handling it well".

I agree somewhat. Either capable of handling it or just not wanting to do it themselves.

:) Super