In the world of being a Geriatric Nurse, I have been in emotional hell lately.  I work with the same approximately 50 patient each night and you can't help but get attached. In the last 2 to 3 weeks I have 7 of my patients pass away, one of which was my own Grandma-in-law, who I adored.  I have been brought to tears more than once by more than one nurse by offenses that are so awful they should have been fired immediately and investigated by the board of nursing.  I have been personally slapped in the face with the fact that administration really only cares about the things that State sees, and if staffing is a issue, it is almost impossible to get fired. So sit on your ass, do nothing, and as long as you chart that you did it, your golden.

Then to top off the good time that the last couple of weeks has been, during my one day off, they posted and had a meeting announcing that our company was bought out by another company. A company that I have worked for in the past, know for certain that loyalty to their employees is words that don't fit in their mouth and have the scruples of a criminal defense attorney.  
OH Yeah, and they gave us a 4 day notice that the nurse's hours were changing.
I really don't know what else was said, because like I said, the note was posted about the meeting and the meeting was had all within the 34 hours that I had off work.  Thanks for the phone call boss people!!!

Ok, so on a lesser whining side, what keeps me there?  The little old lady that pats me on the cheek and says..."they just don't come better than you".  Who cares if she says it all of us, she says it to me and it makes me feel special.  Then there is my CNA's who daily say "Lisa, I am so happy your here. I hate working days your not here". I know I don't have the most perfect CNA's, but my night shift crew is pretty darn good, and I know they love me so much, because my counter part on my days off is useless. BUT, I hope part of it is just me. That I have been a good role model.  That I have showed them that when I am hard on them and demand that things be done well, that I do it out of the love of our patients.   I hope they know, that I know just how hard their job is.

Got called to the Boss's offices

So, this morning I got called into the Boss's office.  Both of my Boss's showed up early this morning, earlier than usual.  When they walk in I was in a frantic search for a lab result for a patient that was going to the hospital to have outpatient surgery. This patient wasn't mine, but it was important to send this info to the hospital, plus her medication, and her nurse didn't seem to think it was necessary.  This patient was sent back home from having surgery the week before all because this lab was too low and currently it was just barley high enough. IT WAS NECESSARY!!!! My boss came up to me and said, "why are YOU doing this".  I reply because it needs to be done, and I can't find that lab report, I don't know where she put it."   Again she asks, "yeah, but why are you doing it".  I say while I am still frantic because the patient is late and transportation is leaving and I didn't know the other nurse hadn't gotten it read, "BECAUSE I THINK SHE NEEDS IT AND SHE THINKS IT'S NOT REALLY NECESSARY".  So my boss walks away at that point and comes back to me later when I should be off work already and the other nurse is long gone and tell me they need to see me in their office when I am done.  I go in there later and ask if I am in trouble and she says "well yeah, sort of"  Then says "You have to stop helping her, she gets out of here every day on time, and you are always late still trying to get your work done."

I don't know what to do, I can't just say, no if someone asks me for help.  I am not that kind of person.  I tried to explain to her that it's not that she asks me to do a lot, but she constantly asks me questions, and they are usually really simple questions that she could find the answers for but since I am right there, she asks me, and I end up being the one looking for, whatever she was looking for, or doing on the computer what she was asking about.  Most of the times she could figure all of it out on her own and if I am not around, she does.  Each time she interrupts me trying to do my work, it takes me another 7 or 8 minutes to get my brain to focus back on what I was doing. Especially if I am trying to chart my nurses notes.  I have to re-read the whole thing and figure out where I am at in the note.  It is EXTREMELY frustrating.

I have been taking a laptop and putting it on my cart and doing all my computer work and book work standing up. Taking it all the way down the hall. That way she has to come and find me if she has a question and so far it is working.  She only comes and finds me if she has at least put some thought into her question and still can't figure it out.  She still finds me....a lot, but not near as much.

My major frustration is just people not doing things right.  There is constantly orders taken off wrong that I find and have to fix or other nurse's not setting priorities.  Making patients wait on pain meds until they are done with their med/insulin pass. Or waiting to call a Dr. to tell him about a new admit and get orders for meds until mid-night, or not getting a new order for an anti-biotic out of the e-kit until the middle of the night because you were finishing up some of your other routine things.  This just frustrates me so much. A patient can feel so much better after a single dose of anti-biotics sometimes. Why not take 5 minutes, give it now, rather than wait literally 5 to 6 hours until your caught up.  Sometimes feeling a little bit better is the difference between eating breakfast or not.  Most of these geriatric patients eating is imperative to healing.

Heck, I don't know what they expect.  I told them I think she has Dementia.  How can they not expect me to help her.  I guess I will continue to get fussed at until she learns more or something. I can not sit around and watch things not be done right, and I certainly can not help someone if they actually ask me for help.  I can be incredibly bitchy at times, but I am no Bitch!!!  There is a big difference.

OK, well I am done with this rant. I am hungry. It's time for a PB&J!!!