I know where I work we are understaffed. We have poor resources. We are first in line for any criticism. We get no support for anything. Our shift patterns promote ill health, yet when we are off we are subjected to an inquest and veiled threats regarding poor attendance. We see people being unfairly treated and yet we say nothing.
You would think that within an organisation that has so many of us in the same position we could be more supportive of each other. I have never worked anywhere that has such an 'everyman for themselves' environment.
2 years trained and thinking that I must have been insane to want to do this!!
Sorry for the whine, just getting tired of it all.
I am a union member...(not rcn), I have already sought advice fom them on certain things and the conversation I had with them left me with the feeling that they were well aware of all the issues going on where I work and that they were just waiting for their oportunity to do things. Basically they were saying that it was time to get our selves organised. I feel am working within a calcified old regime and can't wait to 'escape'.
I have had experience in other areas before I trained fully and have always felt that our 'clinical governance' was a very effective way of regulation...however, since working where I am I have only seen the this being used as a way to cut corners and save money:-(
Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond....I do believe that I am seen as 'trouble' although I question whether expecting manageable workloads and decent rotas should be seen as being that. I am also worrying how this will affect my abiity to secure other employment:-@
I am the type who will submit datex for staff shortages etc., and I have tried to explain to others why this is important, I feel I am hitting my head off of a wall.
"Scared I've been having a think about some of your posts and your obviously having a rough time, does your trust have an employee counselling / support / wellbeing service it may be worth contacting them for some support. I know our service has been really well used in the last few months with the increasing pressure and stress of working in the NHS"
Thanx or your concern and advice, but I think that counselling will not change anything. It is like what the previous responses have suggested, the answer is to leave. I feel like I am giving in though:-( I sometimes look around me and wish I could just ignore or be oblivious to what I see is wrong, like everyone else seems to be able to do.
Thanx or your concern and advice but I think that counselling will not change anything. It is like what the previous responses have suggested, the answer is to leave. I feel like I am giving in though:-( I sometimes look around me and wish I could just ignore or be oblivious to what I see is wrong, like everyone else seems to be able to do.[/quote']
Scared, Please do not think of yourself as "giving in". Would you really wish to just give up and ignore or be oblivious to the unsafe and degrading working conditions we are forced to put up with?? Counselling will not help you, except to help you to deal with the stress being a Nurse in todays working environment places on us. I would never allow any family or friends to treat me as I have been treated by my co-workers, management, patients, and thier families. I truely believe that Nurses will NEVER be able to speak with one voice. I believe this because Nurses are unable to become truely partners in thier jobs. Management encourages backstabbing, and, discourages teamwork. Management likes it this way, as long as we are busy watching each other and fighting amongst ourselves, and, we are so scared of losing our jobs that we are unable to stand up to them to improve working conditions & patient care.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, I have too much self esteem to allow myself to be treated like this any longer. Our Unions are waiting for the "right" time to step up and fight for us, and we still pay them our dues. Our management treats us like uneducated peons, and we still show up for work everyday, keep our heads down, and allow them to continue these behaviors. We tolerate patients and thier families to abuse us verbally and physically, and appologise for upsetting them (because management says we must).
Do we stand up for ourselves and each other?? Do we show our power by uniting and refusing to allow this treatment to continue (even if only in the company we work for)?? When we see a Nurse being attacked by another Nurse do we stand up for them and make the offending Nurse back down?? When management starts to degrade us, do we stand up and tell them "ENOUGH! I will not be spoken to like this anymore"?? I am as guilty as the next Nurse of these offenses, because I wanted to keep my job! But, when I finally had taken enough, I stood up and said no more, I not only lost my job, but am fighting to clear my name from false charges placed against my licence. When I do clear my name, I will be gone from Nursing, never to return!
maybe i'm wrong, but it's my understanding that the nurses in ca. have many more duties to perform than does the nurses in non-mandated states? i had a girlfriend that moved to sacramento from miami to continue her nursing. she told me that her duties other than nursing consisted of unit secretary, social worker (all the duties that goes along with it), lab technician, and transporter. although she only has a 5 pt. assignment, she has to perform the work of 5 other people as well. she's not very happy although her workload has gone from 8-9 pts per shift to 5 pts per shift. maybe the grass is not necessarily greener in the "other state". at a recent staff meeting, we were asked to provide input to a recent employee survey concerning the work conditions and/or environment and what could be done to make our place a better place to work. nurse manager says, " i would like to say before we get started, that the common complaints of staffing and nurse/patient ratios will not be addressed at this meeting, only those items listed on the board will considered!" this is the problem with nursing period! nobody listens or cares what the bedside nurse has to say...........
I have my personal feelings on why nurses "put up with poor conditions". Probably not the most popular opinion, but I've never won any popularity contests anyway, why start now.
Nurses reamin in poor work conditions because........for the most part, they are powerless to change them. We are not powerless because of some outside influence that can not be overcome or because circumstances are to blame for our plight. We dont have the power to change things because we are too bussy tearing each other down. We talk about each others personal lives CONSTANTLY, we report each other for non-critical issues every chance we get and we take advantage of each other in every way possible.
Go to any low moral, poor working conditions unit.......and the gossip and back stabing are out of control. In that lies the problem. When stress is applied to nurses, we start cat clawing each other. Other "professional" fields go after the source of the stress. If it is low pay upseting them, they let it be known if pay does not improve they will move on to other companies. If the work area is unsafe, they report the company. People strike. Whatever it takes to draw the line that cant be crossed. Nurses wont do that. They will become passive aggressive, attack each other all the while administration sits in their offices and never gets even a whif of ill will.
Its like, nurses lose their common sense when an authority figure applies stress to them. That is why nurses "put up with" poor work conditions. To be honest, I wouldnt call it that. I'd phrase it as "nurses cause poor work conditions".
"Scared I've been having a think about some of your posts and your obviously having a rough time, does your trust have an employee counselling / support / wellbeing service it may be worth contacting them for some support. I know our service has been really well used in the last few months with the increasing pressure and stress of working in the NHS"
Thanx or your concern and advice, but I think that counselling will not change anything. It is like what the previous responses have suggested, the answer is to leave. I feel like I am giving in though:-( I sometimes look around me and wish I could just ignore or be oblivious to what I see is wrong, like everyone else seems to be able to do.
Scared your not giving in, I spent the first 12 years of my nursing life trying to change the world of the NHS and improve patient care from the shop floor and it's an uphill battle. I left ward nursing 8 years ago to become a nurse practitioner and because I am no longer managed as part of nursing teams I am counted as part of the medical teams I am now able to go home feeling like I have done a good job. I couldn't work on a ward anymore, I have nothing but respect and admiration for the nurses I work with who fight these battles every day.
Specializes in acute rehab, med surg, LTC, peds, home c.
I have my personal feelings on why nurses "put up with poor conditions". Probably not the most popular opinion, but I've never won any popularity contests anyway, why start now.
Nurses reamin in poor work conditions because........for the most part, they are powerless to change them. We are not powerless because of some outside influence that can not be overcome or because circumstances are to blame for our plight. We dont have the power to change things because we are too bussy tearing each other down. We talk about each others personal lives CONSTANTLY, we report each other for non-critical issues every chance we get and we take advantage of each other in every way possible.
Go to any low moral, poor working conditions unit.......and the gossip and back stabing are out of control. In that lies the problem. When stress is applied to nurses, we start cat clawing each other. Other "professional" fields go after the source of the stress. If it is low pay upseting them, they let it be known if pay does not improve they will move on to other companies. If the work area is unsafe, they report the company. People strike. Whatever it takes to draw the line that cant be crossed. Nurses wont do that. They will become passive aggressive, attack each other all the while administration sits in their offices and never gets even a whif of ill will.
Its like, nurses lose their common sense when an authority figure applies stress to them. That is why nurses "put up with" poor work conditions. To be honest, I wouldnt call it that. I'd phrase it as "nurses cause poor work conditions".
He is right. If none of us would put up with it they would be forced to change things, but since we do put up with it and wear our martyr mentality like a badge of honor, we get screwed.
Don't believe b.s. about Cali. Unions and legislated ratios do help. I work on a heme/onc unit and we are actually below ratio (1:3). We have PCAs to help us and we are not not expected to work outside our scope of practice, which is illegal anyway. We have a full staff including NPs and PAs, unit clerks, transporters, PTs and OTs, RT, phlebotomists, social workers and chaplains.
Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.
I am a union member...(not rcn), I have already sought advice fom them on certain things and the conversation I had with them left me with the feeling that they were well aware of all the issues going on where I work and that they were just waiting for their oportunity to do things. Basically they were saying that it was time to get our selves organised. I feel am working within a calcified old regime and can't wait to 'escape'.
I have had experience in other areas before I trained fully and have always felt that our 'clinical governance' was a very effective way of regulation...however, since working where I am I have only seen the this being used as a way to cut corners and save money:-(
Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond....I do believe that I am seen as 'trouble' although I question whether expecting manageable workloads and decent rotas should be seen as being that. I am also worrying how this will affect my abiity to secure other employment:-@
I am the type who will submit datex for staff shortages etc., and I have tried to explain to others why this is important, I feel I am hitting my head off of a wall.
I used to work on a busy medical admission unit and we was always putting in reports due to the poor staffing level, we was lucky though to have a great ward manager (well initially she then got promoted and the following manager wasn't as good) who would always encourage us to put in the reports and paper back up for us if anything should go wrong. Also used to bug me re waiting times but they only counted if the patient was in A&E (ER) didn't matter if the patient was waiting at home and many waited much longer hours and in some cases would bring themselves to A&E (ER) because they would get fed up waiting at home or their condition deteriorated
Something tells me it is going to take a lot for the NHS to improve especially on the staffing levels
I have not seen a bad hospital environment yet. But I am only with 2 years experience. But if I don't like where I am at, I will just find another hospital to work at.
scared'o'needles!
69 Posts
I am a union member...(not rcn), I have already sought advice fom them on certain things and the conversation I had with them left me with the feeling that they were well aware of all the issues going on where I work and that they were just waiting for their oportunity to do things. Basically they were saying that it was time to get our selves organised. I feel am working within a calcified old regime and can't wait to 'escape'.
I have had experience in other areas before I trained fully and have always felt that our 'clinical governance' was a very effective way of regulation...however, since working where I am I have only seen the this being used as a way to cut corners and save money:-(
Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond....I do believe that I am seen as 'trouble' although I question whether expecting manageable workloads and decent rotas should be seen as being that. I am also worrying how this will affect my abiity to secure other employment:-@
I am the type who will submit datex for staff shortages etc., and I have tried to explain to others why this is important, I feel I am hitting my head off of a wall.