As a nurse for 19 years in Memphis areas hospitals and a local children's ER, I have seen many events that go unrecognized, and unacknowledged.
As managers sit in their office looking at computers and manuals, and attend meetings, I believe they have forgotten the reason they became a nurse, so here is a refresher.
The unit nurses are the ones who ultimately do the work, take care of the patients and are the ones that the public look up to, Who the public look to in time of need and despair. WE are the ones that hold the hand of a scared child who is alone, of a crying child during painful procedures, who calm the parents down when they arrive not knowing if their child is alive. WE are the ones who offer our hands, our shoulder to cry on and our knowledge to them. WE are the ones who go in the room with the physician to tell the family that their child may not live. WE are the ones who are there in their most dreadful moments to somehow ease the pain of death and dying. WE are the ones who administer the pain medication, when bones are fractured, when stomachs ache, and when sickle cell disease is out of control. WE are the ones that get coughed on, sneezed on and vomited on. WE are the ones that gets handed a "blue" Baby with the mom screaming "she's not breathing". WE are the ones who laugh, cry and pray with the family. WE are the ones that are expected after one trauma is over to immediately go out and care for the others, with no time for ourselves. WE are the ones who work short staffed, with no lunch breaks and faulty equipment. WE are the ones who take money out of our pockets to give a family christmas presents who just lost everything in a fire, no matter how the fire happened. We are the ones that continue to work a code when our baldders are about to explode, to hold ourselves together when a child dies, or is a victim of sexual abuse, as we question God why this happened. WE are the ones humbled. We are the ones that carry out the mission, the ethics and moral attitude of the nursing profession.
Then when our day is over we go home to our families and thank God that they are alright. WE are the ones that put our families second only to the patients we care for. WE are the ones haunted by our dreams. We seek no professional help in dealing with the multiple traumas. WE are a strong team. WE are the united front. WE are the ones who make the difference in this community. With all of this We are the ones who choose to work each day. WE are the ones whose blood sweat and tears are wrapped up in the department. WE are the ones who work for little money,, because our reward will come in heaven.
This happens every day in every department in every city. Managers cannot see this because they are not there. How are mangers going to evaluate us, if they cannot see us?
So as a manger have you failed your staff, failed the community and failed your nursing ethic for not really seeing who WE are?
As you sit in your office do not forget the ones in which you work for. Yes, youo work for us, not against us, not above us, for us. For us to be able to make that difference, for us to be able to come to work each day.
Mangers will never find a perfect nurse, and WE will never find a perfect manager. There is a happy medium. WE will be late, WE will call in, and WE may not get every piece of paper signed, but WE are the united front, WE are the ones who make the unit run. WE are the ones who make the difference.
I am an LPN. I am a vital part of the united front. I make a difference.
I invite any and all LPN's in Tennessee area to join me as I head up the Tennessee Chapter of the NFLPN.
I want our voices to be heard. I wnat to change the attiudes and open the eyes of some of the mangers who fall into this category.
Our profession is strong and I plan to make it stronger.
Feel free to post here or private message me.
Kathryn LPN
edited out real name/email address for TOS compliance/security
I'm getting into nursing because mgmt. was too hard...give me a shovel and let me dig ditches rather than pull my hair out over budget battles, politics, scheduling, and inspection/reviews...you couldn't pay me enough to manage anymore...ok, maybe, but it would have to be short-term, only!
i see both sides of the issue has relevant concerns. as for myself, i am a dir of nsg in a ltc facility. i've done my time as a cna and a floor nurse in the past and have climbed the ladder to this position. a typical day for me is to arrive at work by 6am to get some paperwork completed before the administrator comes in and has more to hand me. but, there are days where as soon as i get there for one reason or another i am passing meds and doing treatments instead of my own work. let us not forget that all day long the cna's come to me for transfer assistance and general help (because i have an open door policy). i also answer call lites and toilet residents throughout the day. in between all of these interruptions, i get to find time to review all charting on the computer, perform audits, order and stock medical supplies and drugs, review and update policies/procedures, attend meetings, and the list goes on...
i value each and every nurse and cna i have working for me. why? because i work along with them and know exactly what there job is like and how well they do or do not perform that job.
when i get to go home on a normal day it is by then 5pm and i have seen all three shifts at work. i also take calls at home throughout the night. and don't foget the nights that i have to turn around and go back to work because the noc nurse called in (again) because her 17 yr old son doesn't feel well and no one else wants to work. oh well, i may get to crawl in an empty bed in the morning (for an hour) after the day shift comes in, then i can start all over again.
why do i do this? because i love my geriatric residents and their families and i feel that i do make a difference in their lives.
hats off to you!!!! what an inspiration you are to your nsg staff.....a lil ( way above ) above what i was talking about.i think the difference between your staff thinking in terms of "us" against "them"(aka you the nm) is the fact that you are available....and actually get out of your office and in busy times help!
it sounds like you go way way way above the call of duty! i am inspired by my current nm who answers a call light every now and again, fills out a sheet or two of admit paperwork, comes to codes etc etc......but...you realllllly go the extra mile.take care of yourself too!!!-remeber !!!!
omg....i havent had a nm that would actually come in and work a shift in years!!!!!!! at my last job ..when we had call ins .....we were made to close beds....bc she wasnt coming in.....she didnt maintain her skills enough to function.the hospital lost major$$$$$ bc she wouldnt come in....she would close the beds.so...my hat is of to you!!!it sounds like you go waaaayyyyy above the call of duty. :bowingpur :bowingpur
As a nurse manager, I too, resent being characterized by a blanket statement. Yes I attend meetings and do a lot of paperwork among other things but i also work the floor right along side by nurses and unit clerks. I made it my business to be able to handle EVERY job catergory on my unit from housekeeper to charge nurse. I have worked 18-24 hours shifts just to make sure the unit is covered, the staff gets doubletime for working some shifts... I don't. I have even carried my 3 month old to work with me and had management bring in a aide to babysit him, just to cover my unit when no one else would come in. Its easy to complain about the managers but try to see things from their side too. We don't get any thanks for what we do most of the time either but as for me, man doesn't hold my reward.
Oh yes... the union... how could I forget. We have a very strong union base in our facility. ALL staff are union except the dept heads. It comes down to, We can work the floor as long as none of the union employees want to do it. We have no mandating of shifts due to bad weather, illness, etc. so if I am short staffed, I get to work as many hours that are available. I am proud to say that we have had no pool/agency in our facility in 3 years. Did I mention the day that the afternoon cook did not show-up??? The dietary manger was off due to illness, so I went to the kitchen and made the evening meal for all the residents. THat's me... jack of all trades.
"The unit nurses are the ones who ultimately do the work, take care of the patients and are the ones that the public look up to, Who the public look to in time of need and despair. WE are the ones that hold the hand of a scared child who is alone, of a crying child during painful procedures, who calm the parents down when they arrive not knowing if their child is alive. WE are the ones who offer our hands, our shoulder to cry on and our knowledge to them. WE are the ones who go in the room with the physician to tell the family that their child may not live. WE are the ones who are there in their most dreadful moments to somehow ease the pain of death and dying. WE are the ones who administer the pain medication, when bones are fractured, when stomachs ache, and when sickle cell disease is out of control. WE are the ones that get coughed on, sneezed on and vomited on. WE are the ones that gets handed a "blue" Baby with the mom screaming "she's not breathing". WE are the ones who laugh, cry and pray with the family. WE are the ones that are expected after one trauma is over to immediately go out and care for the others, with no time for ourselves. WE are the ones who work short staffed, with no lunch breaks and faulty equipment. WE are the ones who take money out of our pockets to give a family christmas presents who just lost everything in a fire, no matter how the fire happened. We are the ones that continue to work a code when our baldders are about to explode, to hold ourselves together when a child dies, or is a victim of sexual abuse, as we question God why this happened. WE are the ones humbled. We are the ones that carry out the mission, the ethics and moral attitude of the nursing profession.
Then when our day is over we go home to our families and thank God that they are alright. WE are the ones that put our families second only to the patients we care for. WE are the ones haunted by our dreams. We seek no professional help in dealing with the multiple traumas. WE are a strong team. WE are the united front. WE are the ones who make the difference in this community. With all of this We are the ones who choose to work each day. WE are the ones whose blood sweat and tears are wrapped up in the department. WE are the ones who work for little money,, because our reward will come in heaven.
This happens every day in every department in every city. Managers cannot see this because they are not there. How are mangers going to evaluate us, if they cannot see us?
So as a manger have you failed your staff, failed the community and failed your nursing ethic for not really seeing who WE are?
As you sit in your office do not forget the ones in which you work for. Yes, youo work for us, not against us, not above us, for us. For us to be able to make that difference, for us to be able to come to work each day.
Mangers will never find a perfect nurse, and WE will never find a perfect manager. There is a happy medium. WE will be late, WE will call in, and WE may not get every piece of paper signed, but WE are the united front, WE are the ones who make the unit run. WE are the ones who make the difference."
this is the most accurate account of what we do every day that i have ever see posted! well done. i don't think anyone could say it better!
I feel really sorry that you feel the way you do. "WE" in our facility means all of us, not just a select few. On those days of being "staffing challenged" I am out on the floor working as an aide or nurse or doing whatever needs to be done. I feed in the dining room daily. I sit with dying residents and families. I go to all the funerals because, they were like family. I had a doctor tell me to convince a resident to have her leg amputated becaue I was the only "family" she had, and when she was hospitalized on two diffrent occasions, I sat with her everyday for a couple of hours after I had left work.
If some of you are not happy in the positions you have now, maybe it is time to look elsewhere or another line of work. I only ever wanted to be a nurse, and only working with geriatrics. I just happened to become a DON along the way. BUT, it does not stop me from working on the floor on a daily basis alongside all my staff. I love my job and would not give it up for the world.
i feel really sorry that you feel the way you do. "we" in our facility means all of us, not just a select few. on those days of being "staffing challenged" i am out on the floor working as an aide or nurse or doing whatever needs to be done. i feed in the dining room daily. i sit with dying residents and families. i go to all the funerals because, they were like family. i had a doctor tell me to convince a resident to have her leg amputated becaue i was the only "family" she had, and when she was hospitalized on two diffrent occasions, i sat with her everyday for a couple of hours after i had left work.
if some of you are not happy in the positions you have now, maybe it is time to look elsewhere or another line of work. i only ever wanted to be a nurse, and only working with geriatrics. i just happened to become a don along the way. but, it does not stop me from working on the floor on a daily basis alongside all my staff. i love my job and would not give it up for the world.
i really have to applaud everything you have done.i dont think anyone on this thread would characterize you in the same light. it is true...that some nm out there are the "pumps n pearls "- aka useless variety....it is also equally true that there are some nm that stay very much in touch with their staffers.those staff nurses that have that kind of nm that stays in touch with their staff...and does assist in times of need....do not think in terms of "we" and "them".it is always "us"...ie:the nm.kinda like the difference betwen working with a coworker that will let you be covered up as they stroll by for their 3 rd break for the day......and the one who spends 5 minutes helping a busy coworker catch up.you get their respect.the pumps in pearls variety......well they will never truly get the staff nurses respect. but again....i dont think you have to worry about that.omg....i think you are a "lil " overextended on that front.we are in awe when we have a nm that actually grabs a beeping pump, starts an iv on a admit, does a peice or two of admit paperwork in times of numerous admits etc etc...but you......go way way above and beyond. so....this thread imo....doesnt include you! again....hats off! :bowingpur
but...kep in mind.....many many of us have been "burned" by unscrupulous, unethical and downright deceitful nms. we have been lied to, lied about, and left high and dry with low staff and high patient load/acquity ratios."we" get frustrated when placed in that situation...bc we know how it impacts patient care and patient safety.so....on that aspect...can you see where alot of these nurses are coming from?
again....hats off to you...bc you are going above and beyond....& are the "exception" just as my current nm is ....to this thread. there are some great nm's out there....there are some that suck...same for the staff nurses. lets be realistic here...
It is a beautiful statement of all the work we do as nurses, all levels of nursing.
Nursing Management? Well I logged on to read this thread and learn. I appreciate both sides and I really liked Timothy's statements. As a manager I now have an ulcer just because I try to please too many people, all the time. Staff nurses can be hard to please. One day they ask for this and the next day, they changed their minds and don't want it. I really did not learn anything as a result of this discussion. I already take call; I already work when these wonderful staff nurses dump their shift/weekend for their own personal needs. Never mind my needs. Should you wish to make productive and constructive recommendations, well then by all means I want to learn to be a better manager. Otherwise, I am already doing all the things you asked for.
Now I will ask you to tell your manager, that you appreciate him/her. I doubt the Hospital President was the last person who approved your requested days off, or defended you when you made a mistake.
I am blessed to work with a group of nurses and technologists who stand and work together. We do not segregate based on title.
it is a beautiful statement of all the work we do as nurses, all levels of nursing.
nursing management? well i logged on to read this thread and learn. i appreciate both sides and i really liked timothy's statements. as a manager i now have an ulcer just because i try to please too many people, all the time. staff nurses can be hard to please. one day they ask for this and the next day, they changed their minds and don't want it. i really did not learn anything as a result of this discussion. i already take call; i already work when these wonderful staff nurses dump their shift/weekend for their own personal needs. never mind my needs. should you wish to make productive and constructive recommendations, well then by all means i want to learn to be a better manager. otherwise, i am already doing all the things you asked for.
now i will ask you to tell your manager, that you appreciate him/her. i doubt the hospital president was the last person who approved your requested days off, or defended you when you made a mistake.
good luck with you league.
if you "already " do all those things.....the no....this thread probably does not apply to you. but.....realistically ...in high acquity hospital settings.....most nurse managers do not do "those things". they are what some here have called the " pumps and pearls" variety. they do not come in to work when staff calls in......they close beds.they may be "on call"...but unlike our call...they dont actually have to comein to work as a nurse no matter how short staffed we are.they simply give the "ok" to close any vacant beds for admits.so...if you havent learned anything....i am sorry for that. maybe its bc your administration mandates that you as the manager actually step in to work when the need arises. you have said "i am blessed to work with a group of nurses and technologists who stand and work together. we do not segregate based on title." and that says alot about you.you are reconizing your staff fortheir contributions. just as many of us have reconized our nm's that have gone above and beyond....and kept in touch with the staffs needs.bc that is their job! but be realistic here......that doesnt happen with even 1/2 the nm's out there.are there great nm's out there? you bet ya......mine is one of them. she does actually come out of her office when we get slammed with admits, she will spike a bag of fluids when she hears a pump beep & knows we are tied up elsewhere (rather than hunting you down to tell u the pump is beeping)....she will do some small "thing" to help when ...when she gets the chance. that makes a huge difference between staff having respect for a nm...and not having respect for them. if...you havent learned anything here......its probably bc you are already doing all the :"right" things. so hats off to you too. but reconize.....that just as you have "staff nurses " that "dump their shifts and duties.....and have a very low work ethic.......there are nm's like that too.thats...reality. so i dont think the op meant for this to be a topic for all nm's........bc some are great at what they do........but some have a low work ethic and low ethics period."those" are the ones who need to read this!
That's the reason why I don't think I'll ever become a NM.
felixfelix
167 Posts
I'm getting into nursing because mgmt. was too hard...give me a shovel and let me dig ditches rather than pull my hair out over budget battles, politics, scheduling, and inspection/reviews...you couldn't pay me enough to manage anymore...ok, maybe, but it would have to be short-term, only!