What Are "The Politics"?

NedRN · Apr 7, 2015

Gossip and committees generally. Keep your head down and don't get involved in gossip, stay professional in other words. Harder to do as staff when you are bombarded with that stuff for years. For three months it is rather easy.

Soliloquy, MSN, APRN, NP · Apr 7, 2015

Gossip and committees generally. Keep your head down and don't get involved in gossip, stay professional in other words. Harder to do as staff when you are bombarded with that stuff for years. For three months it is rather easy.

I'm trying to. To be honest, a lot of travelers who come to the floor here don't stay because of the workload. But it's a lot like my old hospital unit (which I don't like). What I love is that the nurses are friendly enough but I can feel the gossip and tension and how they try to bring me in. I'm trying really hard to stay out, but I'm only on week 2 or 3 and I'm starting to feel it. And they want me to attend meetings.

Maybe it's time to keep my head down a little bit more.

NedRN · Apr 8, 2015

Yup. And tell them you don't do meetings well preferring direct patient care. Try to be tactful and not point out the deficiencies in their policies and practices, even if asked directly. Save it for after you've received a written reference or evaluation and wait until your last week even then.

Soliloquy, MSN, APRN, NP · Apr 8, 2015

Yup. And tell them you don't do meetings well preferring direct patient care. Try to be tactful and not point out the deficiencies in their policies and practices, even if asked directly. Save it for after you've received a written reference or evaluation and wait until your last week even then.

I would love to tell them no to all meetings but I'm trying to keep my name out of the cliquishness and gossip right now and I think the fact that I have a lot of questions keeps me on their radar. lol but I may just switch to only weekends. I don't have to do hospitalist rounds, huddle, afternoon meetings, there's no management so less of that or anything but direct patient care on those days. I really don't like the Monday to Friday vibe. I didn't leave my old job to travel to experience a repeat of my old unit. Just want my first assignment under my belt.

MsConstrued · Apr 9, 2015

You can make it through, trying to switch your schedule is a good idea. I'd work only weekends if I had that option. Less "politics" and meetings than during the week. I also prefer nights for the same reason. My current job is great no one even talks to each other during the shift mostly. Everyone sits in their own nursing station LOL. I do like to make friends on my assignments but definitely try not to gossip, and I just don't show up to meetings unless they personally tell me otherwise.

Soliloquy, MSN, APRN, NP · Apr 9, 2015

I know it's bad, but I dont even want to do huddle or hospitalist meetings. I initially didn't do all weekends and nights because I didn't want to seem lazy but really and truly, I don't want to do the extra fluff when I feel I can do my job fine without it. I'm going to get all weekends from now on cause then I can have the rest of the week to myself.

NedRN · Apr 9, 2015

When I think meetings, I think about policy, procedure, practices, and such that end up being debated endlessly and are often political. I think huddles and such that create better communication about specific patient's care are great. Speaking for my own practice area in surgery, learning about the plan in a preop huddle with the surgeon and anesthesiologist improves my intraop care and sometimes my input changes the plan as well.

Mind you, these huddles are all too rare in my experience and I'm gladdened to hear that other places are doing them. My suspicion is that the negativity comes perhaps from excess time consumed and lack of concision.