adventures in disaster

what I miss

Sometimes I think about what I miss about nursing. Not for very long ofcourse and is ofcourse one word or two? Google says it's two but I have always made it one...
Anyway.
I miss hanging out with my friends, not really. Nursing is filled with dysfunctional, anal retentive, low self esteem, general psychos that are occasionally fun to watch but over long periods of time their disorders can become infectious leading to what we euphemistically call bad morale .

I happened to watch TLC's Kate and something or other plus eight. I knew that woman was once a nurse. She's judgmental, terrifyingly anal and yet strangely entertaining.

I do miss the moment when you realize you are right on your game putting out fires all over the place and having your surgeon and staff say how glad they were that the experienced nurses were working tonight. That is when it's fun to be a nurse in the ICU.
I miss when the new med students come in. I love having a med student. I know the residents and fellows hate it. The don't like the responsibility and the time involved in teaching. They like it when one or two RN's do the orientation and help them learn how to present efficiently. I love the teaching involved with new nurses and docs.
I don't miss when the new fellows come in. They always have too much ego. They believe they have nothing new to learn and they are always a disaster for the first month. They need brutal retraining and I resent having to be the one to shove them off their high horse. Shouldn't that be the staff docs job?
I am of the opinion med students should be protected from the fellows and staff for at least the first three days. It's not fair to pick on someone when they haven't even found the bathroom yet.

I miss saving someones life. That cool team attack that grabs the patient and heaves them safely over the wall.

I don't think patients even know how close they have come to death and I bet if you told them they would be shocked and disbelieving.

What I really don't miss? Patients families. Lord I have always hated dealing with the patients families. I get that they are stressed and afraid but damn that still doesn't justify the bitch psycho behaviour they exhibit.
I read stories on the internet of families complaining about ridiculous things. The quality of the television, the food, people not "being nice" to them.Where does it say we have to be nice all the time? No, really? Why can't we just be professional, efficient and responsible?
That's just not enough for the masses though. They want all of that and a cuddle too. It's bizarre. I have witnessed absolute crap nursing and brilliant nursing as a charge nurse. The complaints always come from the brilliant nurses patient and their family. They don't feel listened too they say but that is bullshit, what they don't feel is what they always demand..absolute subservient fawning . They demand to have their suffering recognized as if it was the affliction in and of itself.
They disregard all the important care they receive. It's not enough.
It's why we now have all these ridiculous check lists asking us if we have met all the patients cultural and spiritual needs to their satisfaction. Can you imagine?
It's not enough that the nurse has fed you, bathed you, gave all your medications accurately and promptly, changed dressings, checked vitals, called the doc when necessary, got you up, put you down, got you to the bathroom, got you back to bed, made the bed, did all the teaching related to your admission, arranged all your tests, called the physiotherapist, the respiratory therapist, the occupational therapist, helped all the therapists do their job, called psych when you are depressed NOW it's my job to find out if you believe in God and what version of God you believe in. Then I have to find the representative of your God who is willing to visit a hospital. Then I have to arrange your bed placement to conform to your religion. I have to cater to your families inability to use an automatic door or a phone on a certain day of the week. I have to make sure your family gets food on that day too because it wouldn't be spiritually sensitive to make them do it themselves.
Then come the cultural issues. Some men of a certain ethnic persuasion believe women are servants and should and can be smacked around. Though I still maintain some rights at present I do wonder how much longer it will be before we are asked to take a beating in the name of patient and family focused care.
The food is our biggest cultural issue and God forbid you suggest that the family make their own food and bring it in. The shock of having to actually provide some form of caring infuriates them.
The second biggest issue is death and dying. The hidden psycho family members break out of their confinement to throw a wrench into the mix.
And ofcourse it's the nurses job to some how get these people under some control.
This is fraught with disaster for the nurse and will always result in some form of complaint from someone.


I think what I don't miss outweighs everything I do. It's really no wonder nurses are abandoning the job in droves.
No one really cares though. You could hire high school dropouts with a one week class and as long as they were subservient and fawning families would happily ignore the fact the patient is getting sicker and sicker. I means who really cares if the patient is getting timely care? Isn't it really more important the families feel that every one loves them?

posted by adventures in disaster @ 8:43 PM