Warning Nurses! Holding It All In Can Kill You!

Have you ever wondered what the stress of nursing is doing to you? Nurses Stress 101 Article

You are reading page 2 of Warning Nurses! Holding It All In Can Kill You!

interleukin

382 Posts

Specializes in Mixed Level-1 ICU.

Dear 5yrsdiasspointed,

Your manager is threatened by you. He is of the class of humans who haven't the courage to admit their shortcomings. And were he too, he doesn't have the class to do anything about it.

Also, the righteousness of your behavior more brightly illuminates the mediocrity of his.

You will never change him and any efforts to do so will be seen as weakness in his eyes.

You can simply do your job and remind yourself it's not about him but about your patients.

I'm not sure how he has turned other staff against you. But if it is by simple false rumoring, and the staff knows otherwise by your daily behavior yet they choose to backslide into Jerry Springer-type mentalities, but may become increasingly difficult for you to tolerate it.

Me, I would write to the CEO citing the abuse--already documented--and the continuing abuse. Your language has to be compelling incise, powerfully persuasive. If both your manager and the director of nursing are behaving in such an unprofessional manner can the facility risk their foolishness in these times of nursing shortages. The facility's chief might want to know about it

Of course, you risk it all by writing the CEO. He/she may unceremoniously have to canned. You could sue them for unwarranted firing if you have properly documented the episodes.

If you are mad enough and can get another job, you may try the road of courage route. Or you could transfer off the floor. But the director of nursing will still be your superior.

I wish you luck,

Let us know what happens

malek

6 Posts

yeah this job is really stressful even if your still a student good thing i've got hobbies like my band

great article it should be stickied :D

Specializes in ED staff.

I am THE triage nurse for an ER that sees (usually) at least 80 people during my 12 hour shift and I triage 80% of them. Many times we are full to the brim in the back but the patients just keep on coming. There have been times when I have 20 people I've already triaged waiting in the waiting room on a bed in the back. I'm responsible for all those people. It can be very nerve wracking, especially if I have kids with untreated fever or someone in great pain like a kidney stone, or maybe a brittle diabetic that hasn't told me they're diabetic. Had that happen last week, had a whole group of people sign in all at the same time... when I got to this lady the only thing really odd was that her temp was 94.5. I sent her back and instructed the tech to check her blood sugar, it had fallen from 300 to 53 in two hours! I've seen this several times with hypoglycemic diabetics.

Myocardium

11 Posts

Specializes in MS, OB-Ped, NICU,ER Community.

Thanks for your suggestions Nurse_Advocate and interleukin! Great tips from experts! Just graduated from my second course which is nursing this March. Although I don't have any experience yet when it comes to being an RN, I had experienced some of those stressful situations during our clinical rotation as a team leader. Though we can do multi tasking in other things, when it comes to our patients it should be one at a time to ensure their safety, we could always say no to other responsibilities that we cannot handle at the moment and do it later on. One thing that I appreciate the most is that we shouldn't let the situation take on us but rather we should control the situation, it is where leadership and management plays a good role. And of course don't deprive yourself of the privileges of a human being such as eating, it will just reduce the concentrating and thinking capacity of your brain.

Thanks again for your advices, I'll really share it to my friends... God bless you!:bowingpur:saint::loveya:

msaaaz

16 Posts

well done

i will try it

shastacicuRN

27 Posts

Great article! I am getting very burned out after many years in Acute Care. Not enough staff to cover for breaks. More and more hoops to jump through. Nursing has changed alot over the past 26 years. Trying to find something different. I wonder if that will help the burnout.....

jeanLPN

7 Posts

Specializes in Medical Fragile Peds..

Thank You for the encouragement words... That is so true we as nurses always taking care of other people that we tend to forget about ourself....We need to take better care of ourselves so that we can take care of our patients...:yeah:

Specializes in ER.

wow!!! what a subject! i work er nights and am off on weekends. i usually work 48-60 hrs a week because i have 2 jobs. i use one weekend to "detox" and sleep literally the whole weekend. the next weekend i usually go out with friends and party and try to do something fun for myself. i also try to get some family time in on this weekend. lately, however, i have found myself spending more and more weekends doing the "detox" thing, because i am completely physically and mentally worn out. it's hard to take care of yourself when you spend most of your life taking care of others. i'm sure i'm cutting my life short!:banghead:

cleo2uluv

37 Posts

Specializes in Nursing, Midwifery, Public Health.

I feel better already. thanks

Wendy Leebov Ed.D.

1 Article; 20 Posts

This is a GREAT article. I really appreciate your writing it. I'm going to share it with a lot of nruses who are stressed that trhey want to QUIT... and it would be a shame.

Wendy Leebov

lorettat24

4 Posts

Thank you for this article. I also want to respoind to 5yearsdissapointed and unforgetable2667. I am recently unemployed from a job I was in love with, thinking I was doing a great job. Nasty coworkers and HR that , well what ever they do can really play havic with you work skills, self esteem, and lives. Mix this with lay offs and having extra work added to your already filled plate can be a deadly combination. This is where I am at now, unemployed, depressed, no hope, and ready to give up. I have isolated myself, and at times I feel there is no way out. I do go to therapy, it helps. I too spoke to coworkers , only to have it totally taken out of context and repeated to the wrong people. I am going to try your suggestions.

MouseMichelle

192 Posts

Specializes in Home Health/Hospice.

Oh how I love your posts, shows reality and such. I talk to my husband about my job and althoug he's so lovely and understands does he?

Nurses find a hobby you have to. Mind is swimming 3-4 miles a weeks a mile for me is 40 minutes. I think about my nursing stuff and let it go with nursing.

learn to meditate.

Read, do anything to take your mind off nursing

And as for the cortisol have you noticed that a lot of nurses especially more experienced are overweight. That's the case with me, but I swim, do yoga, walk, and do the eliptical. I have to it's the only way to get rid of my stress. EG swimming for me is meditation and while I swim I let go of my concerns.

Also don't take your work to home. Leave your work at the door. Seriously you have to do this to relax and destress and not worry all the time/

Thumbs up on your post