Hi all, so Ive now been in the ER for almost 2.5 years now, LOVE IT, wouldnt trade a thing...........Now Im in charge a lot of the time and my coworkers have turned on me........They fuss, gripe, complain, and I want to say is shut up, grow some, and act like a ER Nurse...Unfortunately that just doesnt happen. Very frustrated, I try hard to be fair, I try to rotate rooms, all I get is complaints about room assignment, stare downs, and when Im not in charge, I dont get help from the team members. What the heck, the other nurses that are in charge from time to time say they are use to it....they laugh at me and say you'll get used to it....I say THIS AINT WORTH A EXTRA DOLLAR AN HOUR..........WHAT? REALLY? ARE THEY SERIOUS is all I can say about these grown woman that act like babies on a regular basis.
I learned very quickly that I just could not let the complainers bother me and I had to quit taking it personally. You learn a lot about your co workers in a short period of time. The fact of the matter is that there are great charge nurses just as often as there are horrible ones. But when it comes down to it, 99% of the complainers don't want to do charge even if it was offered. So someone has to do it. Just try to be fair and remember what it feels like on the other side. I find the least respected charge nurses are the ones that don't work staff anymore - they forget what it entails very quickly.
I never work charge. There are better ways to make $12.
I also never complain about how much the charge nurse gives me. Why bother? You can't actually give me extra work- there are still only 12 hours in a day. Give me as much as you want, and I'll prioritize. If you give me a load that compromises patient safety, I'll let you know in very direct terms. like "I have two patients trying to die at the same time. This isn't safe, and I need more resources".
That being said, if you overload me, there are probably going to be complaints. Just not from me. I will prioritize by medical need. As everybody in this forum knows, the ones who truly need medical care aren't the complainers. So- the call bell for the med refill or sprained ankle 2 weeks ago, or hangnail, or chapped lips or pregnancy test, or ..... is going to go off. Some of them might get angry, some of them might leave. I won't ignore them, and will meet their perceived needs as well as I can without compromising the medical needs of sick patients. But, we just might not top the patient satifaction charts.
Every now and then I notice a charge nurse taking advantage of my willingness, but generally it is appreciated. And no matter what, there are still only 12 hours between 7 and 7. Go ahead, give me another one. I really don't mind. Makes the shift go faster.
SHURN
47 Posts
I learned very quickly that I just could not let the complainers bother me and I had to quit taking it personally. You learn a lot about your co workers in a short period of time. The fact of the matter is that there are great charge nurses just as often as there are horrible ones. But when it comes down to it, 99% of the complainers don't want to do charge even if it was offered. So someone has to do it. Just try to be fair and remember what it feels like on the other side. I find the least respected charge nurses are the ones that don't work staff anymore - they forget what it entails very quickly.