Would you be annoyed, or am I expecting to much?

[Fiducia78]

Last night at work, I finally felt like everything was falling into place. I hit the six month mark, and my confidence is finally rising. I had five patients last night and a fairly easy team. My co-workers had pretty crappy teams and since I had little to do I helped them all out. One had a bad sun downer so I helped her find everything she needed and helped move him closer to the nurses station so I could keep an eye on him since I was charting, doing my 24 hour checks and such. Then another co-worker had a pt that had had a seizure and was confused and again I helped move the pt into the hallway in the bed, so we keep an eye on her. She is legally blind and was trying to climb out of bed and needed to be watched closely. Then, we had to switch a vented pt into a new room. The nurse I helped with this, was a classmate of mine, so naturally I helped her, well that and because all the other nurses were to busy eating and gossipng while this needed to be done. Neither of us ever had had a vented pt let alone change a room for one, so along woth the resp therapist and a PCA, who, wasnt even assigned to her team did it. We were soooo nervous bc it is scary knowing all that is keeping this pt breathing is bagging her. We did it and we were so proud bc noone offered help and we got thru it, nervous as hell but we did it none the less, while the charge said ooo look at them trying to be nurses. So I was pretty ****** at that. Then, another nurse needed a witness for a nursing home skin check, I gladly obliged bc he was a pretty difficult pt and this nurse has zero bed side manner and hoped maybe I could smooth him over. Well, it ****** me off again that she was treating him as if he was way below her. I did what I could do for him and he was greatful bc this nurse was just helping him at all, yes he was a bit crusty but hey he was sick and in pain and said one day she will be sick and she will know how it feels to be treated the way she treated me. So I went on my way to give my 6am meds when the ER decides its a great time to send up a new admit at 630 knowing meds are being given and shift change is coming. It was my turn for an admit, but after 630 all I had to do was check on the pt and do a basic assessment until the am shift came on. Well....idk y the ER sends up a pt with a BP of 76/46. clearly he wasnt stable so luckily he had .9 running so I opened it up wide upon and paged the PA. Apparently they feel like they dont need to work after 630 so noone answered. I caught the house doctor and he came in checked evrything I did and all was well. Until that is I had to give report. This nurse was sooo petty with me. She was mad bc I didnt know which nursing home a pt was from and a bunch of other minut details. Like really stupid stuff. I realized when I finally looked at the Kardex that the nurse who gave me report lied about the iv date so I had to change the iv. I asked the oncoming nurse if she could do it bc me and the nurse who I helped with the vent poked this guy about 100x and nothing. So the oncoming nurse said I am not starting my day like this. Yea, well I recieved crappy report prior had to go back and fix a bunch of mess ups, and made sure I was thourough in report. Well every nurse I had helped left me high and dry not even offering to help, except my old classmate. We were in the room an hour trying to get an iv on this guy. Luckily one other nurse was still there from nights bc he is very thourough and likes to triple check before he leaves. He was aghast that everyone left me and the other fairly new nurse. He himself is basically as new as we are. He dropped what he was doing to help, made my friend and I look silly bc he got the stick 123. He said figures all the ppl who r the first to help always get screwed. I dont help my co-workers bc I expect them to help me, I do it for the pts. BUT, I mean is it too much to hope that after I help all night and wind up screwing myself, that someone other than two new nurses would help? I am soooo mad and disgusted. They treat the floats like we have leprosy as it is, and I was the unlucky float on that floor last night. Anyway, as I left annoyed and disappointed in my co-workers except the ones who stayed an hr to help me, one of my pts who everyone disliked bc he was a bit needy gives me the most incredible thank you note. He thanked me for all my kindness and compassion bc apparently the staff nurses on that floor treat him like a non entity. That is what I work for, to make even the neediest lonliest ppl feel loved even if for only 12 hours that I am there. Would anyone else be ****** at these ppl who left me high and dry? or am I just being a brat? Thanks all, sorry it was long but I needed to vent:cry:

[southernbelle08]

I would definitely be annoyed, but unfortunately, that seems to happen more often than not.

At my first job, it was so like that. Our patient load was ridiculous as it were, and there would be nurses sitting at the desk chatting while you were drowning down the hallway. It is disheartening, to say the least, that someone in your shoes would leave you like that knowing how it feels. Unfortunately, I think we've probably all experienced it.

I moved on from that job and now I have awesome co-workers most of the time. I had a patient having trouble on me the last night I worked and while I was dealing with this pt, one nurse was on the phone with the doctor for me while my charge was doing my morning rounds and closing out my charts. However, some nights I can be swamped and nobody offers to do much in the way of help unless I ask them.

I'd say if it continues, maybe moving on would be best. You run the risk of that ANYWHERE though. You may feel the same way I do, but no matter how mad I am, I can't sit and not help someone. Just the way I am wired at this point and time. It is a thankless job a lot of the time, but we do what we have to.

As for the day shift nurse, well, I have had snippy people in report as well. I've never had anyone flat refuse to do something before though. I have had things left for me and while it was frustrating to start my shift off like that, I certainly didn't refuse. On our floor our manager would be on our tail if we were still on the clock an hour later doing something someone else could pick up. Same goes for the day nurses when we come on. Our manager would not be pleased to know a day shift nurse stayed an hour over doing something I could pick up.

I am sorry all of that happened to you. I don't think you are being a brat, but I do think we've all been there. Live for the good shifts and march forward through the bad is what I say. Good luck to you!!

[86toronado, BSN, RN]

Sounds like you are a float nurse... and sadly, I think floaters get treated like that everywhere. I have never been a float RN, but I was a float pool tech for almost 2 years. Generally, you are walking into the worst assignment possible, and unless you get lucky, there is no one who is interested in helping you out. The good part is that you get to walk away and hopefully not see the people who left you high and dry for a couple of weeks, your patients however you do worry about when you leave.

I did have to float a couple of shifts as a nurse extern my last semester in school. With my preceptor, we gave report to the evening nurse taking over for us on one shift, and I remember telling her "when the patient in room XX puts on his call light, you have to get there right away, or he'll try and get to the bathroom himself, and he's really unsteady on his feet" to which she answers "well that's really the tech's job". Well, if we'd waited for the tech to answer on dayshift, the poor man would've been on the floor about 10 times. So, yeah I can see where you worry about your patients when you leave them as a floater.

[Lunah, MSN, RN]

So I went on my way to give my 6am meds when the ER decides its a great time to send up a new admit at 630 knowing meds are being given and shift change is coming.

As an ED nurse, I can say that, in my ED, we have very little choice about admission timing ... and we have absolutely NO control over when we receive new patients, so we know how tough that can be. I never send them at shift change on purpose. I send them when the bed is assigned and our transport team arrives, period.

I'm not sure I'd want to float as a new nurse! Seems like it would be extra challenging. Kudos to you!

[SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN]

op: i work a floor like yours right now as a float (no choice on my part). the floor you are currently working will not get better! the conditions you work is dangerous for both you and your patients. for example, it is dangerous to give anyone a new admits at change of shift. the blame is definitely that of your charge nurse for not standing up for you and your floor when admissions come mid-shift. he/she should tell the ed that no beds can be assigned at that time unless it is an emergency. in which case, the charge nurse should remain late to help the overburdened nurse!!! otherwise, the beds should be assigned either much further in advance or after change of shift... my only suggestion is that you make plans to leave before you become burned out!! you sound like you love nursing (as i do) and so protect your love by finding another place to work.

btw, i know that the economy is tight right now but sometimes the simple act of applying to other places can help get you through a bad shift on a bad floor. i call it "application therapy" and it works for me! btw, my application therapy recently landed me two job offers... one pt and one ft and i accepted both! when i started at the beginning of the summer i only heard rejections ("we are not hiring new grads at this time", "we are fully staffed, contact us in 6 months", "we hired more experienced nurses, please consider us in the future..." etc. )... now some positions are opening up again for new grads... try to land one too! gl! :typing

[GeauxNursing]

Whew! Long posts should have paragraphs! : )

I would be aggravated as well. I hate when that happens to me. You help others, that help should be reciprocated.

Some people...