We have a blog on our local newspaper's website to talk about local stories and concerns. I go there occasionally, but not to often because to be honest the people on there just get me so darn mad. Here is a recent entry ranting about nurses:
First from a teacher talking about her RN dgter:
I want her to do well, but I guess I kind of regret my decision that would keep me on my feet, multi-tasking all day long, doing my paperwork on my own time, while attending night college classes, because even with a masters' degree, I need hours to keep my license. Can nurses even imagine going home with much of their work in a briefcase, still to be done on their own time?
I've taken my turn with my siblings taking care of my father after an operation. Since his room was right across from the nurses' station, what I saw on night turn at least, is that the nurses spend most of their time at the station, chatting, and I guess waiting for something to happen. (Although when something does require their attention, most seem resentful.)
It just seems like it would nice to sit chatting to adults, compared to keeping up with 25 active youngsters.
I tried explaining to her that many times what is seen as nurses sitting at the desk "chatting" may actually be interns, unit clerks, aides or nurses that may be discussing patient care. Or maybe, it could have been a "slow night." WOW, then the attacks did begin. I am just washing my hands of the whole thing, some people just aren't going to change their minds not matter what. Want a sample of the worst?
How funny , the aids and clerks do mostly all the work for the RN's.. On the midnight turn i know for a fact most nurses are sitting and waiting for something to happen . Midnight turn is a breeze for the nurses and thats why so many prefere that shift
Yeah it is funny how she complained about working so hard . I'm a unit clerk and we work all night with paper work that the night nurses are supposed to do but wont . Its a joke to hear them complaining moving from one chair to another and getting upset when a patient needs them
At least a school nurse is not union and probably works the entire time she gets paid versus a union nurse that can do nothing all day and get protected by the Union. Gee I wonder why (Local hospital) is going bankrupt. The union morans think it is ok to pay someone to take smoke breaks all day
Wonder how they will feel when there are no viable hospitals (or nurses) to take care of them or their loved ones. UN FREAKING BELIEVABLE.
Specializes in Recovery (PACU)-11 yrs, General-13yrs.
Some time back a thread was started by someone (lot of help, aren't I?) detailing her shift from hmmmmm. Even reading it sounded horrific, without all the extra things she didn't include, but that we know would have happened. Maybe cutting & pasting that into the blog would help. On second thoughts, no, they'd just think it was made up.
I am a student in the midst of a career change; given this, understand I have some different thoughts on this.
I'm not one of those people who dreamed about being a nurse since I was a young girl. I didn't have a touching experience to draw me to nursing; I didn't shadow nurses or even knew anyone who worked as a registered nurse.
In fact, the few memorable experiences I've had with nurses were memorable just because they were awful. Hurtful. Downright careless. I remember being 20 years old, my head about to pop when I found that a family member had been left without pain meds or a urinal that afternoon and fell (causing significant injury) trying to walk to the bathroom himself...
only to have his nurse ask me if I thought voicing a complaint would get my family member better care. Then she laughed.
:angryfire
My point being: nurses are walking a fine line providing care and support to someone (often) experiencing the worst of life: being injured, sick, alone, afraid, angry, confused, in shock, in denial. Add the stress, uncertainty and anxiety of family and you've got a powder keg.
From the patient's (or family's) point of view, things can feel differently than they're meant.
Is it a protective mechanism to maintain such an emotional distance that it comes across as dismissive and minimizing? Is it routine that desensitizes some nurses to the point of being painfully matter-of-fact and curt?
I ask because I've seen it and felt it, and that feeling sticks. What is routine to a working nurse can be a big deal to a patient or family; difference being: good nurses know that and try to provide support, bad nurses don't care or worse, find patient relations and care a source of annoyance.
The emotions of the experience intensify those memories. It's easy to make the jump to making those types of assumptions about nurses when you don't know much else about the job, working conditions or responsibilities; it's even easier to get down on a profession when you've had a bad experience.
Is it right? Of course not. It's ignorant and judgmental.
That being said, it seems every profession gets dumped on by someone sometime. There is plenty of talk here about doctors. I have quite a few divorced friends who have choice words to say about attorneys. A friend who recently got into a car accident can give you an earful about mechanics, (and repair rates!). I worked in finance for years and most (non-finance) people I know vent to me about 'greedy wall street' and the evils of the market, (funny enough, no one complains when you're making them money.)
I know it's upsetting, but you (collectively, the nurses here on allnurses) are all walking examples of the profession to your family, friends, and patients every day. Conjecture and opinion will always span the spectrum, but you are capable of changing your own reality and being the change you want to see.
I do notice that alot of people think that we are the enemy and I cant quite figure out why? Is is the way society is I have never been treated so badly and yelled at as since when I was a nurse most of the time it was over something that wasnt my fault. I have even worked as a waitress in a strip club and people treated me better and I almost made as much money.. The other day the roomates visitor of a patient stated I need someone in here now the roomate was slumped over in her chair that person had a visitor too who was just sitting about a foot away and the visitor of the other patient yelled they know us here now and when we need something we need it now and after we had placed the roomate in the bed the viisitor of the other patient was like oh, she almost fell out of the chair as if it was our fault... I just ingnored her at least the patients visitor thanked us he didnt seem upset. But the roomates family just is always looking for a fight.
Nurses become the adversary when patients do not understand, or haven't been prepared for what they will be facing when they come any hospital. It starts in the ER, where waits can be long especially for non-emergent patients, it continues as the patient is sent to tests, and procedures with minimal information.
People feel entitled to say and do what they want, and administration backs them. The internet makes them experts and they know everything! Doctors spend very little time and lay the ground work, but rarely explain the process.
The nurse becomes the educator, the level-head, peace maker, hand holder, butt wiper and what ever else.....no one likes to be told what to do, essentially it is our job not only to tell them what to do, but how to act, and the consequences of not listening.
That's why we get a bad rap! The sad thing is that no one can be with one patient all day-when a patient needs you and you can't be there THAT'S WHAT THEY REMEMBER, not the other 10 times you were.
That's why I'm always so shocked that nursing is always ranked the #1 or #2 most respected profession? Really? Gosh I'd hate to see how the least respected professions are treated. Who are they, anyway?
7pm - Done report. Rm 525 is in SVT in the 200s all the sudden, rm 526 needs a bedpan immediately, and rm 527's ngt is mysteriously sitting on the bed (pt. claims he has no idea how that happened). 524 and 523 are good.
7:15- Adenosine 6mg given to 525, miraculously works. All is well. 526 missed the bedpan, crap all over the place. 527 is refusing another NGT, fine but when you start vomiting your digestive contents all over the place don't come crying to me.
7:45 - IV meds on two people, 525 is now in afib rvr 150s, calling the MD again. 524 needs a percocet "RIGHT NOW" for a 2/10 headache. 523 is still fine.
7:50 - 523 is having 10/10 crushing chest pain, oh christ. o2, morphine,ekg,... oh crap new st elvation. heart code. start heparin gtt, have to draw pt/ptt before hand. 525 still in afib 90's, start heparin gtt. ekg. need another nurse!
8:20 - 523 to the cath lab. 15 minutes of paperwork.
9:00 - 527 vomited 200ml of digestive juice, time for an NGT. he is not happy. i am not happy.
9:30 - 525 converts to sinus. thank god. meds to pass. 524 iv is leaking, changed that.
10:00 - no new issues, ngt in 527 draining. 525 still in sr. 526 on the bedpan again, no headache in 524.
10:30 - charting. looking up labs. new admission for 523 coming (sepsis, uti, change in mental status).
11:00 - new admission is surprisingly fine. AAOx3. iv cipro, rocephin already given by the ER (THANK YOU).
11:15 - more charting. new admit paperwork done. start chart checks.
11:50 - 525 takes off 02, found with sats in the 70's. NRB on, stats up to 90's. stat pcxr.
12:00 - pcxr done, lasix iv 40mg given. still in NSR. hep gtt still up.
01:00 -scarf food down, pee. sit at nurses station and do nothing for 2 minutes (i'm so lazy).
01:45 - 525 comfortable. now on NC at 4l/min. sats good. all is well.
03:00 - chart checks done. update kardex. chart more. 526 peed on the floor and linens. help aide with bedbath. new admit in 523 is confused, seeing spiders. reassurance provided.
04:00 - more charting. meds to give. adjust heparin gtt. all patients sat'ing well, heart rates wnl. ngt in 527 doing good.
05:30 - chart. am meds. 526 needs a bedpan, 525 in afib rvr for a minute, spontaneously pops out, good deal. 524 has another 2/10 headache and needs percocet "STAT". i have to pee.
06:30 - finally able to pee. take a drink. all gtt's infusing well. all sat's good. change 527's abd dressing. ngt draining. meds completed.
06:50 - draw labs from two PICC lines. one line won't pull back blood, call phelbo.
07:00 - start report. 526 gets oob and slips in urine. he is fine. more paperwork.
Hey KeechieSan...you forgot to add your other 2-3 patients for a total of 6-7!!
P.S. It does seem that nurses are perceived to be the enemy....maybe it's just that I'm still new to this (almost to end of first year), but I just can't fathom why, when people are sick, the family members hate and despise the ones on whom their loved ones are dependant. Sometimes it's the patients, too. Anytime I or my family have been a patient, we always appreciated those who took care of us. I just don't understand it.
Specializes in geriatrics, long term care, oncology.
Yup. I'm an NP and from the outside it looks easy. Get to wear street clothes and "carry a clipboard" and round on 80 patients everyday. Charting endlessly while answering questions and looking up drug interactions only to hear the ADN say to the Charge nurse," If she knows so much why does she have to keep looking things up?" And I don't get paid hourly so I can't get overtime but I sure can work it and then when I get home I'm on call. Mgt forgets you on nurses day. Nurses don't think you're a real nurse. Docs think you're just trying to find an easy way to play doctor. AT my former facility the ADN has dressed herself up in a white coat and is now introducing herself as an NP. She's even writing narcotic orders and practicing independently with diastrous results. Why can't we nurses just be happy being what we are? Why is there so much jealousy and misunderstanding in this field? We are all nurses whether CNT,RN,ADN,BSN,ANP. Those patients need every one of us, don't you think?
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HelenofOz
84 Posts
Some time back a thread was started by someone (lot of help, aren't I?) detailing her shift from hmmmmm. Even reading it sounded horrific, without all the extra things she didn't include, but that we know would have happened. Maybe cutting & pasting that into the blog would help. On second thoughts, no, they'd just think it was made up.