T.h.e. C.a.l.l.i.n.g

cwazycwissyRN, RN · Sep 28, 2003

originally posted by jnette

so as you see, it is an individual thing... no way can we generalize or label nurses and/or students as a whole.

i believe cwissy is attempting to get each of us to evaluate or re-evaluate what makes us passionate about what we do... and to rekindle that flame of our "first love" of nursing.

to recognize that who we are as nurses, how we fullfill that role in all aspects of the profession should never be soley dependant on external circumstances or on "others"... but on who we are as individuals, and on our own values.

yes jnette, that it exactly

i would like us to be able to openly share examples of things we run into day to day, whether it be a basic nursing skill we have become complacent with, or a situation we need help with dealing with our attitude on. take off the rose colored glasses of denial we are completely helpless and start helping each other to help ourselves. i want to serve my patients, the best care possible. i want to turn away from the negativity and focus on what my priorities are.

cwazycwissyRN, RN · Sep 28, 2003

originally posted by todd spn

so, now i would like to know from all you burned out, chewed up and spit out, thought of as know nothings and given no respect nurses, is the idea presented by the originator of this thread enough for you? can maslow be digested to this?

((((((((todd spn))))))))))))))))))

i am running up and giving you a hug for your honesty and being able to state something that may ruffle a few feathers. from controversy can come growth. i know i can use some real honest candid questions about my own behavior. i may be a bit tiffed a first, but hopefully i am able to take a peak and see areas i may need to adjust my ways in. thanks for your awesome input.

mjamesRN · Sep 28, 2003

Nurses need to drop their sense of martyrdom

cwazycwissyRN, RN · Sep 29, 2003

originally posted by mjamesrn
nurses need to drop their sense of martyrdom

:eek: you mean i am not the only one on my shift that works, and that i do not have to do everything myself because i am the only one that will take the time to do it right? :eek:

mar-tyr-dom ( p ) pronunciation key (märtr-dm)

n.

the state of being a martyr.

the suffering of death by a martyr.

extreme suffering of any kind.

yes i would have to agree, this would be something nursing could do without.

cwazycwissyRN, RN · Sep 29, 2003

fighting martyrdom

i work 7a-7p in the or. thur. i walked in and the room i was assigned to was just starting an emergency exploratory laparotomy. i went in and started my day. i circulated that case, a thoracotomy, a video assisted thoracotomy, a plate and screwing of a hip, and a lap chole. it was 1830 when i was done and i relized no one had had time to relieve one of the night nurses to eat. i went down the hall and started her lumbar laminectomy for her. as i was going down the hall to punch out, i was grumbling to myself. i was tired, grumpy, and this 47 year old body was letting arthur releases all over it:stone as i neared the desk i noticed another of the 7a-7p nurses sitting looking at me. he asked if i was alright. i am sure my face was showing my mood. i thought about it a second and replied "i am just tired. he had stayed to make sure i was going to be able to get out of there and go home.

to say i was not on the boarder of being a martyr would be a lie. i punched out at 1903 and as i headed to my car, i looked at the day. i allowed myself to see my growth in the or, how my patients all did well in the or, how none of the surgeons had compaints during the day, and how in between cases the nurses that had time had come in and helped me set my room up. i allowed the feeling of satisfaction, replace the martyrdom and felt a feeling of accomplishment. it is not easy for me to do that at times. i fall into the martyr trap in a heart beat. i have to remind myself of the difference between a true problem that needs to be resolved and the pitty pot. cwissy

-jt · Oct 2, 2003

Are you saying you have a sense of satisfaction and self worth because you worked like a dog, all the work got done, & the doctors had no complaints all day? A lot of nurses would not agree with you that this is what we are there for - and that would not make them wrong or any less of a good nurse.

ERRORS, THE NURSING SHORTAGE AND ETHICS: SURVEY RESULTS

http://nursingworld.org/ojin/ethicol/ethics_12.htm

......nurses in this study reported that with increased nurse to patient ratios they felt decreased job satisfaction and emotional fatigue.

Decreased job satisfaction and emotional fatigue have been related to moral distress.

Moral distress was experienced at "moderately high levels"...nurses exhibited negative feelings such as frustration, resentment, anger, sadness and guilt.

The toll of fatigue on nurses cannot be ignored, as it is at the root of many a problem. Treat the CAUSE of the behavior you want to see changed -- dont just treat the symptom & blame the nurse for having it. If you dont treat the cause, nothing will change.

This is reality. Not rose colored glasses. Its easy to say "be nicer", "dont be so negative", but there are real physiological responses to the current situation that many nurses are in. As long as people are willing to ignore the reasons for the negative behaviors and sweep the causes under the rug & just blame the individual nurse for not being good enough, the problem is never going to go away.

And as far as "eating up our own".... when we look down our noses at a colleague who is exhibiting the symptoms of emotional fatigue and moral distress and we do nothing to demand an improvement in the situation that is causing it, instead passively accepting the status quo (10 pts each? no breaks? forced overtime?), ignoring the physical toll it takes on a person, and we just click our tongues & gossip about what a "bad nurse" our colleague has become or how "burnt" she is or what "a martyr" she acts like, what exactly is it that we are doing?

wildcard · Oct 2, 2003

Remember...

My Attitude is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

You can feel any way you want about anything you want. (Been a nurse for 20 long years - you can decide to feel beaten down by the sands of time or as caring and sympathetic as you were when you started) It is simply a choice.

I am guilty of "hating" my job and having a very poor attitude at work but then I realized that it was starting to seriously affect my home life and my outlook on life so I decided to just lie to myself until I can find another job and move forward in my life. When someone asks me how my day was, instead of griping about it (which I could easily do) I just say "it was great but I'm gald to be home". That makes a big difference. There is a co-worker that I don't like and he plays the most annoying music ever (bagpipes today but usualyy yodeling (sp?)) but I ask him to please use earphones and turn it down, and recognize that he is a different person with different tastes. It's not easy for me to do this (trust me, I want to seriously flip out sometimes) but I later found out that he was just playing the music to see what I would actually say. He told me that he knew that most people don't like it but he didn't know if I would or not until he played it. True he could have asked and I would have told him but he braved to try it instead and geve me a situation (mostly within myself) to handle. ...I'm glad I asked nicely and didn't take the bully approach and possibly cause some bad feelings between us because of my actions. He ended up telling me the history of the bagpipes which I found to be interesting after all... it turns out they used to be used during wars to mentally disturb the enemies and "pump up" their fighters.

jnette, ASN, EMT-I · Oct 2, 2003

jt-

I understand your post, and I do believe Cwazy does as well, and would agree with what you say here.

But I think (not to put words in her mouth here)... or shall I say the way I perceived her thoughts... was that she was attempting to find a way to resolve some of these stresses on her own and end up feeling that she had made something good of her day REGARDLESS.

While we are actively fighting for change, waiting for change, insisting upon change and improvements.... I think most still try to find some means of making the best of each day in SPITE of current conditions... to be able to rest in a place of "ok, the day was really the PITS... but I got through it and I'm proud and pleased with the care I managed to give in spite of it all..." THAT in and of itself is an accomplishment !

I am NOT satisfied with the way things are and do my part in addressing these important issues... but I also have to find peace with myself at the end of each day, and pride in what I WAS able to accomplish... even if there was much still left undone.

By allowing myself to look at the good (what little there might have been on any given day), I find the strength and desire to continue while we work toward improving those issues that so desparately need attention in nursing today... but if I allow myself no joy or sense of accomplishment whatsoever (even in the current conditions we find ourselves in)... then I might as well just throw in the towel right now. I refuse to allow the negative to so overwhelm me that it saps my joy and thereby my energy to do what I can... both for my patients, for myself, and for the betterment of nursing today and in the future.

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Oct 2, 2003

Lots of wisdom and food for thought on these posts. I hope I can find a job that allows me to be a positive role model, a caring and knowledgeable nurse to my patients, and an asset to those staff nurses who need my help. I would like to feel that I can learn a new way do to a procedure or treatment but I do not want to be made to feel "outdated" when I do something the way I was taught x years ago. I need a NM and a CN who is actively supporting the staff. A hospital that values employee's and would like to keep trained staff. I like to smile and wish my co workers a good day. I want to be able to give the benefit of doubt when something is not done that did not really effect patient care but only my ability to jump into my tasks after report. I am still proud to say I am a Registered Nurse. I want to remain a Registered Nurse until I cannot walk. I just want other people and staff to appreciate that over 20 years in the trenches has enable them to get the better salaries, vacations and holiday pay, berevement leave and sick time. I could go on and on. Like the post stated, stress can be the driving force behind a lot of the negative aspects we all face in nursing today. I understand I am responsible for my own actions regarding a incident/circumstance, but sometimes I have to blow and it is not fair to expect the family to take the brunt of my stress when it is strictly a job related issue. I hope this is not too boring and that in the end we all attempt to be the best nurse we can be everyday, the patients need us.

cwazycwissyRN, RN · Oct 3, 2003

Originally posted by -jt
Are you saying you have a sense of satisfaction and self worth because you worked like a dog, all the work got done, & the doctors had no complaints all day? A lot of nurses would not agree with you that this is what we are there for - and that would not make them wrong or any less of a good nurse.

No, that is not what I am saying. "Allowed myself to see my growth in the OR" #1 reason I stated "my patients all did well in the OR" My patients welfare contributes intensely to my "sense of satisfaction" # 2 stated reason "none of the surgeons had complaints during the day" There are two important points to me in this statement. The first being that the surgeons can make life miserable in the OR, In our facility we have a mechanism to detour negative physian behaviors. We have forms we can fill out and follow through does occur. I have utilized this mechanism in the past. On this day I had to look at the fact that there was not negative behaviors displayed in the OR by physicians. This makes me feel that our system for detouring such behavior has made improvements. my second point being "no complaints" I could not have made that statement 2 years ago. This tells me the cases were prepared appropriately. If the correct equipment....instruments ect are not presented for the case it prolongs time the patient is under anesthesia,putting the patient at higher risk. The Docs will definitely let you know if you have not prepared appropriately. Yes, the doctors opinions mean something to me. I respect many of them. Does my sence of satisfaction hinge on them....no.

The 3rd reason I stated was that "in between cases the nurses that had time had come in and helped me set my room up." Teamwork is awesome. I love the fact I work with a group of nurses that are there to help.....function as a team.

My last statement however best describe the point I was trying to make when I posted the story. "I have to remind myself of the difference between a true problem that needs to be resolved and the pitty pot."

Accountability for my actions..........What would I have presented to management as my problem? That I had to work hard my 12 hour shift?I had my breaks...I did not have to stay overtime..there were people there that helped me."all the work" did not get done, the last case I started was still going , as well as another OR room.

Accountability....I go to work with the expectation I will be working for my full 12 hour shift....if it becomes to much for this aging woman I will have to consider changing to 8 hour shifts....my choice.....my option.

I would rather reserve going to management with problems that have much more validity than the story I presented.

I agree whole heartily with the survey results. I have spent years beating my head into the wall, attempting to produce the changes needed. Sometimes successful....sometimes not.

To me part of being accountable is to not "ignore" or "sweep the causes under the rug" I would never deny that there are many problems and that many changes need to be made. I actively pursued these changes.

I simply do not want the be the "individual nurse" "burnt out nurse" the one that is emotionally battered. I got out of one job of which I found I could not produce positive changes.....and I will do it again if needed. I did not like the person I was turning into one bit. I demanded " an improvement in the situation that was causing it" and did not get the results I needed. So I improved my situation and found another job.

There is never an excuse (to me) to eat our own. I do not care how burnt out I was....never never did I see my rude, inappropriate, demeaning behaviors towards my peers,to be validated by anything.

I stand by my statement "take off the rose colored glasses of denial that we are helpless. and start helping each other to help ourselves." I refuse to be victimized. I feel that the first change , the change I have control over.......is to look in my own backyard first......then I will be better equipped to make changes in the profession as a whole. one more time accountability for my actions, carreer. Attempting a more positive attitude does not mean ignore the problems.....it means living in the solution not living in the problem. Anyone got a drink, my throat is dry from doing all this typing..

:chuckle :chuckle

ainz · Oct 4, 2003

So very well stated!! Fantastic post cwissy!! What a great way to start the revolutiion (yes, revolution) that is needed in nursing. Perhaps I should say revival rather than revolution or perhaps elements of both, a revolution based on a revival of the basics of what it is and what it means to be a professional RN. Accountability, what a novel concept!! Great post, great thread, very positive, can't argue against it!!

cwazycwissyRN, RN · Oct 4, 2003

I chose to edit the two posts I made here out. Too long..past history. We can learn many things from our history. I choose to keep the knowlege and dump the trash.