How many hours a week do you work?

[Aaron C.]

[Judyd]

<font color="purple"> </font color> It's not so much how many hour I work, but how driven I feel to nurse as I was trained to nurse, and not just hurry through crisis to crisis, with the list in my head of the important things I must get done growing longer and longer, without taking time to drink or go to the bathroom believing their needs are more important than mine, trying so very hard to give good care to so many I am assigned with more coming, until I choose the least of evils to leave undone. After all of that being told I must get better at opening charts sooner, knowing that leaves needed nursing care left undone. I am trying hard to organise better and better, but the more I do the more I am asked to do. I just want to go home thinking of the good I accomplished. It helps after my 12 hour shift was really 14 hours with only about a 20 minute break without working and not counting time taken to go to the bathroom. I must dwell on the good I have done and not think so much on what I still did not get done. I have foujnd a group forming a Union and tryhing to get enough to ask for a vote and am contributing. I listen to many nurses who started the same time I did that are planning to quit now. We have 4 nurses on my floor alone off work with knee injuries now. Trying to save time lifting alone and without a lift. It is very hard... But... I would not be able to support my disabled husband and have four days off a week to do what I want without this job. I pray that the public becomes involved and nursing care becomes what It should be and not this rapid make money for insurance companies and management that I think it may be now. When we are overstaffed they pull nurses or make some go home keeping us short and working this hard by choice. I just did a nursing survey on OIJN. I guess it has me down. While answering the questions I was dwelling on how bad it really is. I do get lots of thanks and appreciation from my patients and co-workers. I will start anew tomorrow. Would appreciate any words of incouragement or advice anyone has to offer.

[Aaron C.]

Wow Judy,

I think you fit the definition of "ulitmate" nurse!

[H2OHead]

You mentioned your list of things you need to get done continues to grow. We only have ourselves to blame. Nurses shrug shoulders and [censored] when the boss is gone, but rarely say "NO WAY". Dr's are constantly finding procedures that nurses should be doing (and the good Doc gets paid for it). Night shift constantly gets a higher patient ratio than the day staff. I guess the day staffs better so they can heal all of the patients before shift change. Nurses don't tell the supervisor to get real and get staffed.

The list of things to do gets longer because nurses won't stand up and demand better conditions. I have a problem getting consent signed. I am not the doc doing the procedure, why should i get consent? You want pre op meds for conscious sedation, you better come see the pt, answer questions and get the consent signed.

Get an attitude at work folks. Get the attitude that you don't work for the doc. You work for the patient.

Funny that some folk's list gets longer. I have gotten a reputation as "that damn nurse that always calls me" from the docs that write orders like three year olds or use preprinted orders that all conflict. Call them call them and call them back. If nothing else, call their PA every day and they will learn to get standing orders right...they may even make new orders legible and precise, almost like they were written in english.

Don't be afraid to be a pain in the ass. I remember learning in nursing school about "calling the doctor" like it was some boogie man no no that might get me fired. Screw that. Docs that treat nurses like crap need to get it right back. Don't let your list of things you HAVE to get done continue to grow. Have you list of thing you WANT to do for you patient get longer.

There is a nursing shortage folks. The old time lay down like an animal and take crap days are over. Give some guff back and put your patients interests first. That doc making 10 million a year can learn to speak english, write it legibly and actually talk to a patient.

That anasthesiologist that won't come see your pre-op CABG pt needs to get off of his/her ass and into your patients room.

Power to the people and I'm off of my soap box. Don't you dare get off of your soap box so a doc can sit down. He can find a chair.

[Judyd]

I really appreciate the replies. H2OHead, I printed off a copy of your reply to share with some nurses at work I know they will really be interested. I joke at work with the other nurses about all the assertiveness classes I have taken and now I know what I really need is aggresiveness classes. I really tell everyone exactly what I think when I am at the stop light in my own car on the way home. Since working all these 14 hour shifts I have a harder time waiting for the stop light. You would be proud of me somedays. Thanks for the reply anyway.

[Aaron C.]

H20Head,

I agree with you. I was doing my surgery rotation last week (3 days) and one of the docs was 30 mins late. No one would page him. There were 10 people standing around argueing about whether to page him or not because he doesn't like to get paged.

I said, "Does he have a pager? Is he late? Give me his number." They didn't page him and just kept bitching.

When he got there they were all like "oh hi doctor. How are you today. bla bla bla.

That's why they get walked on. Hcck, the doctors aren't even employed by the hospital. Sure, you need them to send their patients there, but you have a job to do same as they do and yours is equally important.

[All41]

I speak up and I have spoken up for my 26yrs. of practice. I feel like I am an expert on the subject. Here is what happens when you speak up against the machine. 1) Your patient does get better care for as much as you can singularly make the difference 2) You immediately win the reputation of being a "perfectionist", "a [censored]" or worse with the staff. Subsequently, the staff and doctors (anesthesia too) begin to bait you to see what you will say. The ST's get in on the action by slowing down in setting up and then asking for things like you should have given them already when they didn't even know ahead of time. It is a catch 22 or "damned if you do, damned if you don't". I would love for someone to come work beside me and rein in some of my coworkers and doctors as they so easily say they can do. The nursing shortage has done absolutely nothing in my state to curb the abuse Nurses perpetrate on one another. Everyone wants the responsibility without the accountability and this goes from the lowest to the highest. This is not bitterness...this is reality. I am in school so I can eventually teach. Maybe I can effect a change in attitude. I feel for the nurses trying to do the right thing and being treated like the enemy. We have reduced everything down to the GA-Dollar and that is the true root of the problem.

[Aaron C.]

test reply. (I replied to you once All41 but it didn't show [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] )

[All41]

http://www.nursingworld.org/ojin/topic8/topic8_3.htm
This is a wonderful article and should be kept for reference. It lets us know just how difficult it is to go against the administration. Great article!

[Judyd]

I found the Whistle blowing article very frightening and interesting. Glad you led me to it. Hope it stays here for awhile as I am low on printing paper. Will note the e-mail address to return to it later if in deed I find myself in dire need of the information. People who sincerely care for the betterment of there patients really need encouragement from within their own fold. Thanks again. Judyd <font color="blue"> </font color>