I was so happy as an ER tech. I used to sing in my car on the way to work. I loved my job. Sure, there were bad days, but overall, I really didn't mind coming to work. I got to do things in the ER. I got to draw blood, check BGL's, and then some. As EMS workers, you become like family. You have to, you just have to. But that was then... Now that I am back in school, I work in the "internal agency". I call in about an hour before my shift, to see which department gets me for the night. I had to transfer to this job, because it was the only one available that could work around my hours. So, I bid adieu to the ER, only to come back on the occasional night to cover a call off. I miss my old job. ~I don't mind the medical/surgical floor- some of my greatest mentors are there. Most of the senior nurses (some of which are like family to me) work nights on that floor. I would even venture so far as to say that I actually enjoy it some nights. ~I really don't like working rehab- it's not horrible, but I really don't care for it much. The staff up there are ok, but they're little help, for the most part, when we're drowning. But, they treat me with respect, and I appreciate that. ~We won't even discuss OB/GYN. I rarely work up there (praise the Lord) because I'm not going to lie, it makes me nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof. ~The place I hate the most is ICCU/Stepdown. Not because of the critical care patients, but because of the staff. I have never met a lazier bunch of people in my life. This place has a nickname throughout the hospital... it is known as "Iraq" because it is hostile territory. I have never wanted to hit someone square in the chin as much as I have tonight. I realize this is going to make me sound like a horrible person, but I feel better getting it off my chest. These people (staff) are nuts, nearly every one of them. I want to slam my ID badge in their faces and say, "DO YOU SEE ANYWHERE ON THIS BADGE THAT STATES I AM TO BE DISRESPECTED THE WAY YOU HAVE ALL NIGHT? DO YOU SEE ANYWHERE ON THIS BADGE THAT SAYS I AM AN IDIOT? DO YOU SEE ANYWHERE ON THIS BADGE THAT STATES I AM YOUR SLAVE?" These people have no clue. I don't know if they teach you this in nursing school, but I have not encountered it yet in my studies. I think they feel that since they have went to school and gotten a degree, that gives them the right to treat their CNA's like crap (or worse). Now here's the kicker- they wonder why they have such an enormous turnaround trying to keep help (nurse assistants). HELLO!?!?!? Seriously? They need to remember that while they have 4 patients each, I have 14. I would like to take every one of these nurses (with the exception of the few I can count on ONE HAND) and set them on a ship to the Bermuda triangle. Shake them up in a bag and they all come out at once, one no better than the other. And so it is because of my coworkers that I want to drive off a bridge in the morning if I am pretty sure I have to come back that night to this department. It is my coworkers that make me want to crash into a pole so I won't have to work. It is because of my coworkers that I want to break down and bawl every time I have to work this department. But enough about them... Now we are facing cuts. 110 positions, to be precise. The directors were informed in a meeting last week that the hospital will cut 110 jobs. No one knows when, and no one knows who. But the sad part... the really sad part is that I am so frustrated with this place that I can sit here in front of this computer and tell the world that I don't care. Let me be one of them. Granted, I am having a hard time as it is making ends meet, but you know what? If they take my job, someone with a family, someone with kids, won't loose theirs. And at this point I would love to tell them exactly how I feel as I walk out the doors for the last time. I am looking for other jobs. Davis County Hospital is not much further from my house, and they are hiring. Sure, I would have to give up my 6 years seniority, but hey, I'll be an RN soon, and I'd probably be leaving at some point anyways. If these layoffs cause me to lose my job here, at least it's better than losing my mind and my health from the stress and anger I feel every time I have to clock in to ICCU. So, thanks for taking the time to listen to my rant. I feel I can continue with the rest of my shift here without banging my head into a wall now. I just know that when I get home, I will crash into my pillow and praise God that I am not back until next Friday night. *Disclaimer* I am in the nursing profession because I truely love helping people. That will never change, even if my job does.
We have alot of family in the nursing industry, and your feelings are not unusual. We find the poor treatment almost always starts at the top- Hospital directors, then Doctors, then RN's, then RNA's, and right on down the line all the way to the janitors. The thing about poo is, it always runs downhill, and gathers MORE poo as it goes! Not a good thing if you dont happen to be at the top of the hill. I, for one, am very glad to see some of the things you are saying- you recognise that just because someone has senoirity doesnt mean they can treat the 'underlings' like slaves, or be mean and nasty to them. It tella me that you will remember this treatment, and someday, when YOU are in a higher position, you will treat those below you with the kindness and respect you wanted when you were in the trenches, working your way up. I know it awful for ya, my daughter just finished nursing school, and sometimes she comes home crying because a Dr. was nasty to the RN, who then was nasty to her. I know you have to be tough in the medical field, but kindness and politeness never go out of style- and they make for a much nicer work place. By the way, THANK YOU for being a nurse, we need you angels!!
Thank you, Suzette, for your kind words. I think a huge part of the reason that I am so angry with the way things happen in this department is because I was never raised that way. I was raised that we are all equal, no matter our financial status, work status, or otherwise. My parents always said, no one is better than anyone else, and we treat others the way we want to be treated. And I can tell you that someday, when I make my way up the ladder, I will not allow the poo to keep going downhill. It will stop with me, because I was there once, and having more education does not make me better or care more than anyone else in this field. So again, thanks for listening and letting me vent. I do feel much better
My girlfriend has been an ICU nurse for almost 2 years. She says the same thing about the laziness. Also, there are no aides of any kind, on that floor. The nurses have to do everything but none of them, but her, can do it alone. They need help with every... little.... thing. The cliques are insane. She won't quit until her two years are up but she literally counts the days.
My aunt was an RN, ER nurse and then ICU nurse......the last one, she hated it. So she went on to be NP and she loved it! Set hours and she can arrange her appointments like that and there she will remain until she retires in ten years.
I feel your pain, hang in there! But..whatever you do, DON'T drive off a bridge or crash into a pole! You could then become a PATIENT in that unit!! I've met quite a few nurses that have NO business being in the field at all, sad, but too true.
