some reasons why us Crusty Old Bats are Crusty! COB jump in
1. Back in the "old days" we were respected. If we said " visiting hour are over, you need to leave." Families left. Now, they stay anyway.
2. Back in the old days, the families said "doctors/nurses know best. Now it's "well I saw on Dr Oz /Oprah/whatever that this should be done. And if Dr Oz/Oprah says it is so, it must be.
Or
3. I read in the Internets that the doctor should go into the parking lot, find a red Mazda, walk around it three time counter-clockwise while saying "stroke go away" and Mom will be cured. Did the Doctor do this? Why not? Will they?
4. Back in the old days, student were not asked if they "wanted to do a cath". We were told, Mr Brown needs a cath, you will do it.
5. Back in the old days we didn't have special apps to figure out everything for us. We had to learn it, remember it and keep it in our brain.
6. Back in the old days we wrote a 2 days exam for our license and then waited 2 months for results. There was no PVT, no 75 questions, etc.
Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.
What makes a COB crusty?
A lot of experience right from the get-go. Time. Trial by fire. Endurance. The fact that nursing care now is seldom patient oriented. That giving time to the patients who need it is no longer the 'new reality of nursing' (lecture from a supervisor who said I spent 'too much time with patients'.) Hearing another nurse say, "I'll be right back, okay?" and then not following up on that. Expecting one nurse to do everything for each of their patients. The demise of Team Nursing, and the introduction and bastardization of Primary Nursing. Technology that complicates simple things. Satisfaction surveys. Business orientation and the bottom line being more important than people. I have not had a raise in 15 year! Bah!
I can use my previous career for my nursing crust? Woot, woot! I feel a deep dish crust coming on!
:clpty:
If in a previous career you dealt with colleagues or subordinates who were ignorant or lazy or spewing misinformation, and in this vein caused you stress, distress, anger and extra work.....then yes :)
I would only give up a chair if all other computer stations are taken and the doctor has to put in orders. Too bad EPIC does not have an app for a tablet.
Epic does have programs for iPhones and Android devices, where MDs can enter orders from their devices. Haiku is the program for entering orders. Canto is for iPads where an MD can review a patient's notes and labs as well as dictating notes after a patient visit.
Specializes in Med nurse in med-surg., float, HH, and PDN.
How 'bout this one:
Boss hires blood-kin to a pivotal position. Relative is inexperienced, immature, without the proper knowledge or inclination to gain needed knowledge, inept, unprofessional, and pretty much a complete ****-up at said job. Boss sides with kin every time, regardless of circumstances and legitimate concerns/complaints. Owner lives far away and is only concerned with the bottom line.
It grates my crust, big-time, to the point I am frequently walking around leaving trails of breadcrumbs!
I thought of you COBs today. A medical assistant called from one of the local specialist offices about a mutual patient who I referred: the receptionist pulled me put of a patient's room to talk to her and she said "I want to talk to the doctor not just a nurse". I lost it.
I've always worked Peds. At all of my jobs up until the 1990's, it was the norm to have only 2 nurses working night shift (which is what I always worked). That meant no matter how many patients we had, we each had half the unit. One Peds unit I worked was 36 beds and was almost always full. That meant we each had 18 patients & we each had 1 nurse's aid. And yes, we did hourly rounding; sometimes more often with infants who had IV's.
This is the experience I had from day 1 at my very first RN job in 1978. I now do private duty Peds home care & love it but there are times when I miss the busyness of the hospital.
I also remember when smoking at the nurse's station & in the break room were common. I have never smoked & used to hate having to go into the break room for any reason!
I guess having survived this would make me a COB but I don't officially hold that title.
BrandonLPN, LPN
3,358 Posts
Literally crusty? Its the dried up tears of the new nurses they bullied. New nurse tears taste like candy to COBs.