Damn Meme thingees
I've been tagged twice over the last couple of months, and in the middle of my burnout funk, I have forgotten who tagged me. Leave me a comment, and I'll link you. Sorry I'm retarded.
In honor of my burnout, I'm going to modify the meme. And so, for your reading pleasure:
Six things that are causing my burnout
1. Co-workers with no work ethic.
I know you think that you're working harder than you should be. But so are the rest of us. Stop making us carry your load as well as our own.
2. Equipment that doesn't work.
I understand that we are moving to a nice, new hospital in 3 weeks. In the meantime, the monitors don't work, the gurneys don't steer, there isn't a portable O2 tank within 15 miles, and I have to beg, borrow and steal freakin' Jelcos from the other floors because all of the stock is being moved over to the new facility. What about this facility for the next 3 weeks?
3. CYA medicine.
I get so tired of drawing Type and Screens and Blood Cultures and prepping for Abdominal CTs on patients that don't need them, simply because that is the way that our docs are forced to practice ER medicine in our new litigious and entitled society. Hey Doc? That little box that you checked on the order sheet equals 15 additional minutes of my time spent in this patient's room prepping for a test that we both know she doesn't need, as well as another hour and a half in the ER taking up a bed that I could really use for one of the 20 patients still waiting to come back.
4. Back pain and sore feet.
No, not the patient's, mine! My freakin' back is killing me. Right between my shoulder blades. And my feet hurt. I don't even get to sit for 2 seconds anymore.
5. Rudeness.
Can't you at least be polite as you waste everyone's time and money bringing your lazy Medicaid ass in on a 911 ambulance for dental pain? Why do you have to be so damn rude?
6. Demented and contractured little old ladies with PEG tubes.
It should be a crime. 'Nuff said.
What's burning you out at work this week?
16 comments:
Don't take it out on the docs. Like you said, they are forced to practice defensive medicine. If anything goes undetected, it's their ass that's getting sued (not the nurse's).
Sad, but true in our lawsuit-happy world.
try this to relive your back pain
have monkey husband massage your upper back and neck for about 10 minutes, then have him place his right hand (fingers together, thumb out in an L shape) at the base of the scapula with his pinkie on top of the spine and pull the shoulder back with his left hand, so that the scapula is elevated slightly on top of his hand. this stretches all of the deep muscles relieving upper back pain. I have to do it for Mr. Wannabe all the time. Hope you feel better.
I LOVE IT! I was getting tired of all those touchy feely meme's that just make you want to gag. Give me somewhere that I can bitch and complain! I'll join in... Check me out later.
Wow, you are reading my mind. I feel the same way! I'm a floor nurse, but I completly understand!
Our equipment never works, is usually 10 years old, and falls apart so often that its in biomed/maintance department more than its on our floor!
We have a pulse ox thats been sent to biomed probably about 30 times and we've begged for a new one, but we have yet to see it. One of our BP machines was so old that when it broke (for the last time) the company sent us a whole new machine for free because the part that we needed wasn't avaliable because they don't even make them anymore!
I also hate that docs are so scared to practice like they should because people are so stupid and sue happy. I've seen patient's that nursing homes send for "change of mental status," even though they have been demented for 10 years and the ER doc will do a CT of the brain on them, even though they have had 5 CT Brains in the last 3 months. Guess they are trying to kill them quicker and more miserably by giving them cancer from all the radiation!
And don't even get me started on the rudeness and certain medicaid people that find all the loop holes and abusive the system to no end...I could go on and on for hours on that one...
Anyways...love your blog. Came across it a couple weeks ago and its given me some good laughs in that time..ya just need to get away from it all sometimes!
Patients family members shuffing off their grandma on an ambulance because they want a break.
Little kids throwning gang signs at me when I ride down the road.
Partners that don't understand the meaning of the word partner.
Nursing home staff in general. and the "I don't know anything, she's not my patient, and it's shift change I just got here" attitude.
Whiny, entitled, rude people who think I am there to serve their every whim because I showed up when they called. Guess what beeotchs? I pay for your foodstamps, medicaid and other governement funded programs. You should be kissing my butt.
BTW this is not a retail store. The "customer" is NOT always right.
Love your blog monkey girl.
Only 6? :-)
Fortunately, I'm not really experiencing burnout at the moment.
I hope that things improve for you.
It's May.
I teach high school.
Need I say more???
Karen
Students who can't find the discussion board, despite the button marked "discussion" in the main menu of the course- the menu they had to use to get the information they needed to email me.
Students who don't know to buy their books in the frickin' bookstore.
Students who can't read the syllabus.
Emails from students explaining they can't be in class the first week, will they miss anything?
Emails explaining the different ailments students have that will require make-ups and missed work- and no supporting letter from the disability office.
Whining from students that two forum posts and a 10-question quiz are just too much work to do each week.
Almost every patient that comes between 0230-0500 burns me out. Frequent flying, nonsense complaints, and rudeness all rolled into one. It's like the worst of all worlds.
Of course, if you're old or have cardiovascular disease and show up between those hours, you're on the verge of respiratory arrest or having an MI, which makes the rudeness from the FFs even more irritating. Like SHUT THE F UP, you and your back pain for 6 years are not important right now.
I'm a little burnt out on nurses not taking a stand FOR ANYTHING in their careers except other nurses who take a stand. I'm tired of nurses bending over backwards to avoid confrontation with issues that need to be confronted. (excessive gossiping, MD's who seem incapable of washing their hands or wearing gloves, or being all around haters)
Regarding your post:- A-freakin'-men.
I don't know why teaching patients that if they are insufferably rude, verbally abusive, scream at you to get back from the waiting room, and once you bring them back they scream at you becuase they want to leave- why doesn't NANDA approve this fucking nursing diagnosis:
Impatient bastard/bitch related to thinking the world owes them something as evidenced by calling 911 cause their tooth hurts and now they're threatening to throw their piss in my face if they don't get dil-loud-did.
Primary Nursing Intervention: Let the patient know whats up.
1)"Listen very carefully Mr./Ms/ Bastard/Bitch: right now whether you like or not I am going to determine whether or not this ends up being a good experience where your pain goes away or a very, very long night. If you don't chill out RIGHT NOW and start showing me some of the courtesy and respect I have shown you this will be an extremely long night.
2) "If you leave without obtaining a proper discharge, it will be considered AMA and medicare aint gonna pay one friggin red cent of this little field trip you've got going on and let me tell you, the attending's new mercedes aint cheap, and you'll be making a couple of his car payments."
Thanks Monkey. I feel better. Think I might post this jam on my blog. Keep up the good writing. Makes nurses think.
I freakin' hate my job anymore. I had a really bad week, and my biggest pet peeve is working dangerously short staffed.
Biggest peeve - nursing homes that send someone by ambulance to us because they fell out of bed/wheelchair,have no injury and then must be transported back to nursing home via ambulance "because it's our policy". At $650 one way via ambulance, they have now spent $1300 just on a "ride" to get a no injury checked. And, everyone wonders why our health care system is broken.
Can I just copy your 6 and call them mine?
Love the blog.
My six:
Hospital nurses who think all nursing staff haven't a clue. I dare you to spend one day on my sub-acute unit--it's a med/surg floor with a 1:20 nurse ratio. I guarantee you'd run screaming, because I haven't had a single hospital nurse last more than 3 days. I wouldn't bitch until I walked a mile in our shoes.
EMS personnel who continually throw us under the bus with both the family and the hospital staff. You might think you know this patient, but we've been taking care of them for YEARS, and believe it or not, have more of a clue than you do. We'd appreciate a little respect.
State surveyors who can't find anything to cite us on, so the nitpick the most ridiculous stuff ever (a single stain, on ONE cubicle curtain--give me a f*$%ing break)
CNAs who think that they are still in high school, stirring the pot and creating interpersonal drama that is life-sucking. Grow up already.
Attendings who immediately say "send them to the ER", when we are perfectly capable of putting in an IV, getting labs and xrays, and giving meds. You are the reason the ER is constantly pissed off at us.
Family members who show up once a year, and think they know every single thing about Momma, and bitch us out for not doing things the way their guilt-ridden asses think we should.
Whew. I needed that--and I'll keep reading!
I was feeling very burned out, went on vacation, have only been back 3 nights and already have had the life force sucked out of me. First night back, had really sick and needy patients and family members, and we also had to move all the patients into the hall due to a tornado warning! The next 2 nights had same high acuity patients and had admitting calling for beds constantly, and the admitting people have no clue what the diagnosis means (tried to tell us there was a female with epididymitis who was a trauma patient.) What the hell? There was a chick with balls that wrecked her car? I need to go back to the beach!
I was feeling very burned out, went on vacation, have only been back 3 nights and already have had the life force sucked out of me. First night back, had really sick and needy patients and family members, and we also had to move all the patients into the hall due to a tornado warning! The next 2 nights had same high acuity patients and had admitting calling for beds constantly, and the admitting people have no clue what the diagnosis means (tried to tell us there was a female with epididymitis who was a trauma patient.) What the hell? There was a chick with balls that wrecked her car? I need to go back to the beach!
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