12/5: What I've learned this week - No, I don't have "just a second" to help you

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If I make it out of this weekend without losing my mind completely, it will be an absolute miracle. The last few months seem to be trying their best to do me in completely. I could really use a vacation. Just me, the kids, and sunshine. I'd be a happy girl.

So, some lessons from this week:

Someone posted something on Craigslist that was offensive.

It's surprising how surprising hallucinations AREN'T to some people. (Although on the flip side, it's kind of amusing seeing people get confused when I describe my own olfactory hallucinations.)

We have a tech who is a nursing student. He just finished his first semester. Of all of our techs, he's the most bold (abrasively?) in his approach to patient care and has been the only I've worked with who has made decisions "above his pay grade". I hoped with all my heart that some nursing school would add caution to his approach and performance. I've learned tonight that it hasn't. I genuinely like this person, but am afraid for him (and, unfortunately, patients).

Fitbit needs a NOC mode. Or... Is there a way to change its time zone maybe?

It's weird showing up to work with 6k steps already in for the day.

I'm apparently allergic to something I've put on my face in the last 12-18 hours. Love going to work looking like I have two swollen, black eyes.

Insecurity can turn people into monsters. I already knew this. What I didn't know was how much better it feels to ignore it, rather than engage it. (This is not patient-related.)

We have a tech who would rather cause an injury to a patient (pretending she didn't hear what you said), than increase her workload (by taking a BP cuff off, walking around the bed, and reattaching it to the other arm).

If a coworker is charting in a darker, quieter space, YES, they are are hiding. Go away.

If a coworker calls you and says, "I'm in desperate need of uninterrupted time so I can chart. I'll be (insert place here). Please don't tell anyone where I am - I just want to make sure you know where I am if I'm needed", this does NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT mean it would be a good time to go chart and chat WITH them.

"Really quickly": adj., meaning to occupy a very short span of time

Ex., "Because literally every single person and patient has needed me to help them with something 'really quickly', I have literally not even begun to do MY OWN JOB yet, and it's 0200 now." You keep using that phrase, and yet your definition of "really quickly" has become my definition of "I am now going to be here over an hour late while you and everyone else I helped get to leave on time." AND I CAN'T EVEN HIDE!

I am so overfilled with my quota of rude people that I just clocked out knowing I'll have some notes to finish when I go back. I may be royally p'ed off at my job right now, but I like being employed.

The charge nurse who told me I am inconsiderate of others' time (by taking too long to give report - apparently I'm not supposed to answer peoples' questions?) spends over an hour and a half receiving and giving report from the off-going and on-coming CNs. (Even when she and the other CN are both mid-way through a 3-day stretch together - so mostly updates only.)

Regarding report, when you interrupt report that you are receiving to ask questions, you're probably asking something they were going to tell you anyway. This will cause you to get an unorganized report. This will also cause report to take longer. Rather than interrupt, you could be a polite person and wait until the nurse is finished giving you reports. If you still have a question at that time, then by all means ask.

And...

Please...

For the love of God...

Don't do your assessments while you are receiving report! That is so rude that I have no words for it! The person giving you report has been there for over 12 hours and may have to be back in less than 12. This is not what bedside report is for!

What do I need to learn...?

When there is literally no one and nothing in the caregiver's "face to face world" to actually give that caregiver care, help and respite, how does the caregiver go about finding those things?

Sorry, guys. Majorly cranky OP this week!

Did you learn anything good?

I realize that nursing school didn't teach me everything.

I respect and I want to learn from the older nurses, they have seen a lot more than I have.

I don't want their schedule, because there is no such thing as a "plum schedule" in nursing and the schedule I have suits be just fine. But when "some" not all treat you like they don't have the time to be a preceptor then don't be one.

"Some" are assigned, and don't want to be preceptors.

Hang in there.

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I learned that eventually "new grad" rn just becomes "rn" and people (charge nurses) start seeing you as more then capable of pulling your own weight without help. I thought it'd taken longer but I'm really not a new grad anymore. It's been about 6 months and wow, what a 6 months its been!

Which means that when I'm working in the back of the ER on the "non-critical" beds and I have a 4 year old with an appy and two other patients, including a pregnant woman who'd been hit in her belly, I can and will be given an 18 month old SOB who is not responding to RT treatments and steroids. And that I can handle it, even if it means I tell the ER doc that the pt. is too sick to wait for ACLS and needs to be flown out now. And that the ER doc trusts my opinion and doesn't need to look at the pt. again before he orders lifeflight.

Good for you!!!:)

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

I learned that I'm on the verge of burnout.

I've learned that I must take care of myself first, everyone else does!

I'm learning that a new hospital might be a good opportunity for me. I may need a change to change my attitude and get my fire back for nursing.

I've learned I've recently lost my fire for nursing and I want it back because I love my profession. I'm proud to call myself a nurse, but I'm not proud of what out profession is becoming.

I'm learning that I do have a voice and I need to be more vocal and use it to try and change what I can that I don't like about where our profession is headed.

I've learned that sometimes stepping away from the desk, crying for a minute, coming back and picking everything back up again can be needed.

I've learned that I'm so glad I've always helped others when they needed help, because this week has sucked and I needed their help and guess what? They were there to help me and support me.

I've learned that I'm so glad to have AN to read about others experiences and share my own when I need somewhere to vent.

I've learned that even though I feel burned out, I'm not a lost cause because I still care. If I didn't care it would be time to take a step back.

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I've learned beyond a reasonable doubt that School Nurses are insane, in an amazeballs kind of way.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
I've learned beyond a reasonable doubt that School Nurses are insane, in an amazeballs kind of way.

Hey, you resemble that remark! :roflmao: :eek: :sofahider

And us OR nurses are the same way.

I've learned that I absolutely hate when a certain nurse is in charge- she'll send main OR people home early before lunch, and then expect the cardiac team, who is completely clueless when it comes to neuro and ortho procedures, to cover lunches. Yet we never get help in return because nobody in main OR knows how to do cardiac.

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Specializes in Peds Urology,primary care, hem/onc.

Today I learned to take time to appreciate all that I have....

2 patients I saw today made me really sad.

The first one, the Mom looked at me with tears in her eyes. She told me she only had $65 in her bank account. She got gas this morning and then brought her two kids to my hospital because they both had appointments all day long (I was seeing one of them). She asked if I could help her (you could tell she REALLY did not want to ask me). Seems the gas station put a $65 hold on her account (all the money she had) when she bought $15 of gas (she told me she uses that gas station all the time and they have never done that before). She had to get gas to be able to drive to her appts today. She had gone to McDonalds to get the kids breakfast before their appointments and found out she had no more $$ and could not get them anything to eat. She had no idea how she was going to feed them while stuck at my hospital all day for all of their appointments. She did not want to cancel them because she had taken the day off from work to get everything done in one day. My heart broke for her....Yeah!!! for social work who was able to bring them 3 bagged lunches so they could actually eat something during their long day (they even got one for mom too). I almost bought them lunch myself but luckily social work came through for me. I realized how spoiled and lucky I am because I do not think my bank account has ever been that low and in times where money was tight, in a pinch I had a credit card I could use. Broke my heart for them.

Second kiddo had been abused by their 13 year old sibling when they were little. So sad....still suffering the ramifications many years later. It was their first visit with me and mom told me in tears. Makes me sad for the perpetrator too b/c you know something happened to them too to be doing that at such a young age. Mom has had difficulty with housing (they are currently sleeping on couches at a friend's house). She has social work and psych helping her and they are moving to a better place soon. I did not even want to ask him about what he was asking for for Christmas (which I typically do with all my kiddos this time of year) b/c I do not even know what kind of Christmas his Mom is going to be able to give him.

Count your blessings....there is a lot of suffering in the world.

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Specializes in LTC.

I learned today that some nurses at my facility don't take the narcotic count seriously. I have had the last 2 days off, came in for day shift to find that an entire bingo card of norco is missing and has apparently been missing for more than 24 hours. In all that time, no nurse has thought to inform the DON/ADON and they have just been carrying on and passing the keys from shift to shift. I refused to accept the cart keys until the night shift nurse called and informed the DON. The nurse was cursing me out "for making me do this even though it didn't disappear during my shift!" Sigh.

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I learned today that finding a primary care physician for a patient who is very sick can be mission impossible.... especially on a Friday. No, a NP from an outpatient clinic in NOT a primary care provider unless it is a primary care office ....

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Specializes in Hospice.
I learned today that some nurses at my facility don't take the narcotic count seriously. I have had the last 2 days off, came in for day shift to find that an entire bingo card of norco is missing and has apparently been missing for more than 24 hours. In all that time, no nurse has thought to inform the DON/ADON and they have just been carrying on and passing the keys from shift to shift. I refused to accept the cart keys until the night shift nurse called and informed the DON. The nurse was cursing me out "for making me do this even though it didn't disappear during my shift!" Sigh.

Don't worry, they'll take it seriously when the police escort them out of the building, an investigation is done and they no longer have a job because of it. So it didn't happen on her shift? Doesn't matter, she ignored it.

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I learned that despite 80-90% attrition within the unit during the last year, management will rather watch the ship sink than do something about.

90% freaking attrition. Charge nurses have less than 6 months experience, no lie. This is a freaking ICU.

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Specializes in critical care.
You totally rocked the latin-based word instincts, Ood: the plural of syllabus *IS* syllabi! ;)

I had an instructor who called her one and only class's syllabus "syllabi". I wanted to kick her shins.

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Specializes in critical care.
I learned that I'm on the verge of burnout.

I've learned that I must take care of myself first, everyone else does!

I'm learning that a new hospital might be a good opportunity for me. I may need a change to change my attitude and get my fire back for nursing.

I've learned I've recently lost my fire for nursing and I want it back because I love my profession. I'm proud to call myself a nurse, but I'm not proud of what out profession is becoming.

I'm learning that I do have a voice and I need to be more vocal and use it to try and change what I can that I don't like about where our profession is headed.

I've learned that sometimes stepping away from the desk, crying for a minute, coming back and picking everything back up again can be needed.

I've learned that I'm so glad I've always helped others when they needed help, because this week has sucked and I needed their help and guess what? They were there to help me and support me.

I've learned that I'm so glad to have AN to read about others experiences and share my own when I need somewhere to vent.

I've learned that even though I feel burned out, I'm not a lost cause because I still care. If I didn't care it would be time to take a step back.

(((Hugs)))

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