This Thanksgiving What I am UnThankful For....ER Nurse Version

Working in the ER changes you as a nurse, sadly the chaos, tragedy, stress and constant living on the edge carves away at your inner being. Many nurses working in this environment for many years become cynical, hardened, and pretty much burnt to a crisp. These nurses begin to think about other fields of work to try, but learn that they are used to a certain lifestyle and pay. Without going back to school or changing professions completely they feel stuck in a dead end job.
They also make their co-workers around them miserable, the team player is no more. Vocal and verbally negative, they complain constantly about everything from their own health to their patients (the very patients that they are there to care for).
Working with a "negative Nancy or Ned" is one of my most "unthankful" things, it drains me and makes me sad.
If you are that unhappy with your job, you need to find a new one ...fast.
I come to work in a great mood, happy to have a job and after many years still love my job. Yes some days are more stressful than others, but all in all the patient is why we are there to work. Whether it is a negative nurse, doctor, or even part of the ancillary staff, that person can pull everyone down and make the work environment unhealthy emotionally for everybody, then the patients ultimately suffer.

Here is a list of Un-Thankful things:

• Negative Nellies (or Neds) - get your head out of your butt
• Uncooperative staff (that complain about every new change- even if it is good)
• Co-workers that consistently call in sick (and you know your health is worse than theirs)
• Constant complainers- something is always wrong with them- always sick or have a problem
• Nurse Bullies (Horizontal Violence) - nobody has time for that 
• Gossipers (mind your own business and let me do my job)
• Nosey Nosela's -- we all seem to have one or two that need to know it all (and tell it all)
• Superheros that know it all (but really don't) these nurses scare me- nobody knows it all
• Loners-- those that will not ask for help ( it is ok now to ask for help!)

I will stop there, I think you get the drift......lol , you all know what I am talking about if you are a nurse. 

Working in an environment such as the ER does not have to change you into such a cynical burnt out cinder. You are the key to your own happiness, accept gratitude for your career as a caregiver in such a fast paced role. Embrace your own wellness and take care of you, that is the most important thing you can do for your patients and coworkers. 

New nurses and nursing students, the time is now for you to be the change. One nurse at a time, one day at a time we can change the face of negative nursing environments and un-thankful lists. Happy, healthy nurses create a patient that is on the road to wellness. 

Stay tuned for my Most Thankful ER Nurse list ,coming up tomorrow.......... 

Put down the phone~ respect the best

 

 

I am astonished by the number of patients that I have come across in the last few weeks that simply refuse to put down their precious cell phones when a medical professional enters a room to talk to them or provide care to them.

Case in point, one of my colleagues a few weeks ago enters a ED room to medicate one of my patients prior to her discharge. This particular patient was on her cell phone checking her bank account which seemed much more important to her than care. My coworker asked her to put down her phone so he could give her medications and discharge instructions, she looked at him like he was an alien with 3 heads and proceeded to continue to talk. Now what part of that makes any sense?

If you present to any ER, doctors office or medical establishment you are expecting to be taken care of by professionals. The healthcare field is a community of people who dedicate their lives (well most of us) to making sure you live long and well lives. Doctors and nurses spend countless hours in school, training and then continue to learn as an ongoing process.

Your personal life can wait a few minutes while you are in the Emergency Department so you can give your caregiver the respect and time that they are taking with you. Put your darn phone away! We understand that life is fast, we all have kids and families too! How would you feel if I as your Er nurse entered your room chatting to my spouse via my cell phone and you were having a heart attack or other life threatening event. What if I felt like my phone call was more important than you? Not cool!

So next time take a minute to remember that your healthcare professional is taking time to devote their attention to you, give them the respect they deserve and get off your phone, texting included.

 



That's my soapbox for today ;) ~~~Leslie

 

 

Yum Yum Eat them up!!

Lateral Violence~~ victims unite!
Funny video with a deep message you need to know!

What is on the menu for today? nurses, new ones, young ones, old ones, fat ones, little ones, all colors, no discrimination here when it comes to lateral violence. Everyone is at risk to eaten alive and spat out like yesterdays trash.
Until I had been a nurse for many years did I ever know what the term lateral violence was, I just thought it meant slapping somebody sideways(laterally) or something stupid like that (yes I can be a ding bat at times), but I had been a victim of this incredibly uncalled for bull-crap for many years, so may instances I have lost count.  I can remember being that brand new nurse fresh out of school as an RN (even though I had already been in the medical field since I was age 15) and one of the first preceptors on the floor with me was just plain mean, had no patience with me and only worried about when her breaks were so she could go smoke. The comments I overheard her say about me in the hallway one day nearly crushed me, I just could not understand why she was so hateful and if she was that miserable in her career choice, get out.
Fast forward to several years later when I finally got to go back to the ER and work as a nurse, my dream job I thought. The first day was chaotic and confusing , we had a female who was shot in the head with a small caliber gun, she was awake and talking but needed to be transferred to another facility for trauma care. On my first day it was just funny to the other nurses to throw me into that room and say, "here is your first patient, welcome to the ER". Well that's just fine, if she is alive now, I am gonna kill her before she gets on that helicopter because I had no idea what I am doing. A--B--C--- thats all I kept repeating to myself.
In my element of adrenaline flowing freely I marched on and for another 20+ years kept the pace as an ER nurse. I have witnessed so many times over the countless backbiting, backstabbing, jealousy, gossip and formation of cliques that it somedays embarrassed me to be a nurse. I overheard several hurtful comments made by other supposed "team mates" that did not know I was in ears distance & I began to feel so low and my self esteem plummeted into a spiral of depression and unworth.
I had been a strong, smart, resourceful, compassionate nurse that because of lateral violence was now wanting to just walk out the door. I was physically ill because I did not want to go into work, not because of my patients or the work itself, but because of the people I had to work with. Now don't get me wrong, I did work with many very sweet caring and compassionate nurses, but I also had to listen to the gossip and nasty comments that other nurses said about them all the time. You never knew who you could talk to and if what you said would be twisted around and told back to someone else much differently. So I began to trust No-One! Many of the really good nurses either left or still endure the backstabbing because they know no different. They think these negative nurses are their friends, they are so wrong.
Sadly enough the management of my department did nothing to remedy any of the problems, they listened to only chosen nurses and totally ignored the most experienced and loyal nurses there. That was my cue to get out of dodge. I could tell that somebody was after me, maybe I was a threat, my 24 + years of loyalty to one institution apparently meant nothing. They let me just walk out that door with not so much as a goodbye, except from those who I still call friends.

Are the pastures greener on the other side??? Oh yeah they sure are!!
I myself found the greener pasture and made a run for it! sprinted across that pasture!  After almost 24 years working for one healthcare system, I made the jump to another one. A much better one.I have been so impressed with my new employer, they are wonderful. It was in nursing orientation that one of the instructors did a lecture on this thing called "lateral violence in the workplace" and how it would NOT be tolerated at all in our work setting. We are to report anything and can do it anonymously via our online reporting system. WOW
I am still working in an ER and loving my job everyday I go, my self esteem is back and I am back. The person I once was is back! I am a nurse and I am here to take care of humanity, comfort the sick, assist the dying to a better place, or save their butts. My co-workers now are fantastic, they are team players, take care and own up to patient care. We have all the latest technology and equipment. The system(CHS) actually cares about its nurses and its people in addition to the patients.
I am not here to gossip, wield a knife of sharp piercing stares or words, or let my fellow nurse down. I have many years of knowledge and I am to share that knowledge eagerly with other nurses and gladly accept knowledge and wisdom from them. I am never to old to learn new things and should relish the moments in time spent with others. I am to greet each day anew with a positive outlook and song in my heart. We are not promised another day, we should make the best out of the days we do have.

Thanks you for reading this, just something I had to write and pass on to others so that you can know even strong appearing women or men can hide pain inside. Don't be that person who caused the pain. Be the healer, be the nurse!
Nurse Up your fellow nurse not tear down!!!

Leslie~~~