Want your opinion?

Melinurse · Feb 8, 2009

It's one thing to ask for an easier/lighter assignment if you are truly and obviously sick but to ask for an easy assignment to do homework and to top it off ask for help because you are behind well that is just wrong. Patient care should come first and can even be helpful if she/he is in nursing school. That's a learning experience in itself.

leslie :-D · Feb 8, 2009

i think that nurse has a lot of galls.

and no, the cn should have never allowed that.

talk about enabling unacceptable work habits.

both (cn/nurse) are equally as wrong, imo.

leslie

FireStarterRN, BSN, RN · Feb 8, 2009

What do you think of a nurse who asks for an easy assignment because she has homework and needs to study then after she is done assessing her ICU patients, she sits down at the desk and whips out her laptop to do homework. Then later on in the night, she spazzes out because she is behind and needs help.
What are some of the craziest things your co-workers have said in order to get a lighter assignment.

My opinion is that it is galling when someone asks for an easier assignment in order to further their personal goals, whether it be academic or because they were out late partying with their friends. It is an imposition on their coworkers and not fair to patients.

caliotter3 · Feb 8, 2009

On the job diarrhea and vomiting are the only reasons I would consider asking for an easy assignment and at that point I am probably a candidate to go home sick. I went through school while working full time and only used my break time or legitimate down time to study. As I recall, I didn't break open a book very often. At all.

PICNICRN, BSN, RN · Feb 8, 2009

WOW.... I'd like to catch up on my scrapbooking/knitting/book I'm reading.... maybe I should ask for an "easy" assignment too! What a joke! You are NOT being paid to study, you're being paid to WORK!

BTW... is there such a thing as an "easy" ICU assignment?? :lol2:

eriksoln, BSN, RN · Feb 8, 2009

I see so much studying for school at work........by people going for RN, for RN to BSN and so forth. I hate it.

I dont get it.

Maybe I'm being a little self rightious but............I would never. AND ON AN ICU. I'm perhaps close to landing an ICU job, its a dream for me. I can not for the life of me imagine doing that. How can you, on any level, justify it.

There are nurses who run all day and night who cant get caught up, without the studying. And you want to be given a team so light that you can get paid to sit and go through your homework. WHAT?

With jobs becoming harder to come by, people like that are going to be on the outs soon.

nurseshepherd · Feb 8, 2009

Our facility is proud to support the continuing educational efforts of it's employees. However, some of our folks interpret this as permission to do most (if not all) of thier school work on the clock regardless of patient load. The charge nurse needs to bring them back to the reality that they are there and being paid to work, and their patients are counting on them. Night shifts are great for folks going back to school because there is often down time after finishing 11p rounds, but they don't need to depend on that time to get assignments done. As an instructor I was given that excuse more than once!

nurturing_angel · Feb 8, 2009

I don't even ask for lighter loads or special favors when I am struggling with those days that I have several bouts of coronary artery spasms :redpinkhe and take Nitroglycerin tablets several times. Either I do my job or I get a replacement and I leave. We have one unit secretary that expects everyone else to do her job every day! :angryfire

kermitlady · Feb 8, 2009

No way. I'm more than willing to help another employee but not if they've dug their own hole. It's one thing to ask for help b/c you legitimately need it but to ask for help b/c you've been studying instead of doing work? Nope, got my own work to do.

RN1982 · Feb 8, 2009

delete.

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Feb 8, 2009

I think very, very, rarely a good worker who asks for a lighter assignment could be accommodated. Someone who goes out of their way to help others, and will make sure everyone is caught up before sitting down to study. In case of illness, sure, she needs more breaks to run to the bathroom- but in that case I'd send her home anyway.

Once a year, and only in exceptional workers is my conclusion. But then all the lazy-bones would complain. So, as charge I would likely make a point of trying to help her finish early and just off the record tell her to take a longer break for "personal" reasons. But then again anyone who works that hard would feel bad about asking me to put myself out. Nope, I guess it wouldn't happen too often on my shift.

RN1982 · Feb 8, 2009

delete.