This is a topic I am very interested in I will explore this topic in a series of post.

My first input is that nurses must be treated properly while working to ensure that there health and happiness and objectivity is   being    maintained

It is imperitive that while caring for others the nurse health and happiness must not be jeopardize this will be my introduction and i will gradually build on this topic.

Is this for a class paper, news article or a place to get feed back on your ideas and beliefs??

What type of facility are you referring to?

Stinkin' med carts.  I'm just trying to support you...I've never had to use one. 

Nursing home or LTC facility...maybe?

griercamille says ...

My next problem to tackle is how does one distinguish the role of the lpn from the cna when your boss says you are there supervisor yet you are punished if they refuse to follow direction and seek retribution against you when you are only trying to do your job. If you are nice they say you are weak if you are strict they say you are overbearing. 

 

This is also every RN's dilemma.  People/coworkers are often to quick to judgement rather than stopping to think things through.  Instead of doing as directed, the thought seems to be they are over worked as if you're not doing what you're supposed to be doing. 

It would be excellent if you would respond to some of the questions posed rather than turn this into one person's rant

I have found that when one person dictates the way they want it to be in any given facility, and have little or no power to make change,  they become distanced from the way things work.  Change comes slowly to most facilities, unless there has been something catastrophic happen..  If you want things to change no matter where you work be an example first, change will follow the leader.  

I was inspired by this topic because of years of struggle as a nurse.

The challenge of getting the job done properly while not stepping on toes.

The challenge of protecting ones liscense while being judged as demanding........and I will say indeed I have done well in protecting my patients and my liscense but it came with a heavy price.

The ethical question was mostly how do you stand up to those who refuse to help and when they were challenged for impeding proper and correct nursing you or should I say I would face the challenge of defending myself and of course not being given any sympathy by certain bosses.

As one spend more years being a nurse I find that I strieve more and more for perfection and become impatient with mediocore care. I become a nurse of excellence and distinction.....and many people find this annoying.

I guess having a start working as a young lady in the court system having been a teacher and a  mental health tech I became more aware of the legal risk of not doing things according to the book example answering a call light....... I for one was very annoyed at times with a few Cnas who would ignore the light and with my concience unable to ignore ended up doubling my work load as I would often answer the light while doing my assignment and the the strain was unbearable but my complaint would leave me chastised and bruised. 

This would affect my happiness as a nurse. 

My happiness as a nurse was even more affected on one job when a nurse who just graduated got a better evaluation than I because she was younger and more outgoing. I had worked just as hard and had done just as good a job maybe better.

Unhappiness affected me even more when I had helped my company get 0 defficiency only to be threatened with a write up on trumped up insinuation  after i followed protocol was accused of not informing my boss when I had attempted to call her  with no result and was directed by her next in command. The ingratitude and annihilation without memory to efforts or team work bruised me deeply.

I worked so hard I did not take lunch break many days. I worried about the patients and was layol to my company only to be struck down and bashed by a boss who didnot appreciate me and aids who wanted to treat the patient as they felt and a few nurse who felt my light shined too bright.

I was harrassed by abusive aids. I would get no help when I reported them......It was just a nightmare that I struggled with for four years I was asked why did you stick around...because I didnot want to be a looser......but the punishment was unbearable I finally resigned after four years.

Note there were those who did help therefore I know it could have been done but the few who didnot made nursing for me a bad experience which I am getting over slowly.

Proper nursing cannot be accomplished by one person in a fasclity but requires the effort of a team pulling together and when one aspect of the team is hostile and resistive then the challenge becomes tougher. 

griercamille says ...

I think I should define this topic a little more. How can we improve the treatment of nurses in the work place and how can we improve our working conditions. This is not a new topic but one we can discuss and goals we can aspire to and maybe just maybe with enough beleif and spirittual energy we might see changes. 

There  will be maybe more nurese who have had good experiences but this would be ideally fior those who have met challenges through no fault of there own. 

*****

I have quite a few stories to tell you and a few possible solution to that.   

#1. Checks and Balances and balances from the nurses aides to the top of the ladder Director of Nursing.  

2.   Hold everyone accountable for their actions. 

3. Constructive Confrontation for effective problem resolution must be done outside the patient's room, away from visitors, staff and must be in a private room. Most importantly, must be done as soon as possible, but not until after both parties have calmed down.  Also, this must be done prior to reporting to a supervisor or head nurse.

4. Multidisciplinary Rounds to include pain management, pastoral care, dietary, primary physician, intensivist,  Nurse Clinician , PT/OT , Speech Therapy. This helps promote harmony between the physicians and ancillary team and of course will benefit the patients and their family.

5. Incident reports are for incidents and not writing up people.  Communicate with the people involved. 

6.Set up committees to handle-- Education, QA, Recruitment and Retention,  R and R , Policies and Procedures, Scheduling (days, pms, nocs, 12 hour shifts), Leadership Committee with another committee to do the checks and balances on this committee.

 7. Have 2 members from each committe to sit in on another committee of their choice and evaluate them.  This is where the checks and balances come in. Do this on a monthly basis.

8. Yearly peer evaluation should be passed around in a sealed envelope( no names outside); to be handed out by  a volunteer outside the unit.

Rock the boat You have inspired me by your story

Your strenght  strenthens me.

Many a times they say find a role modle and I think you could be my inspiration in the face of adversary but I do love nursing as you do

Thanks

You could keep posting to this discussuion so young nurses have a mentor and someont ot teach us how to handle conflict in nursing. Post your method and your challenges you have been successful thus far anyone who is able to  face there difficult and overcome them is an inspiration.

Well you might be right I have seen a few error made by a rare nurse.I immediately stepped in and prevented or counseled the person gladly no harm was done but I do mean the majority of nurses I am sure are good decent people and who would i think i am to offend those thousand of nurses who place there lives at risk to care for the sick.......I remain impressed over all.

My gripe is the maltreatment of the nurse when she attempts to carry out her duty  by some bossess and some whom she is suppose to be guiding example some cna......I remember requesting an aid to attend to one of her pt as had developed a rapour with the patient the

and the patient was at risk.......I was immediately pounced upon by an aid and chastised "anyone can do the job"...no mind the pt was asigned to the person I requested to help her......the others chimed in anyone can do it I immediatly explained why and told them I was trained and had reason for my action ......I was later told I was showing off and throwing my education in the aids faces.......the out come for the pt was sad I wont say otherwise......the blatant disregard for the Lpn and at times even the Rn guidance and counsel the mockery of your job by some stupid bosses who want all the glory for themselves.....What does one do to whom does one turn must one keep running from job to job because of persecution...then they have the nerve to ask you as though you are stupid "you feel persecuted"....yes i do

Let me do my job in peace.

However life goes on and I am finding much satisfaction now with what I am doing..........But I still would like changes brought about to protect the integrity of the professional and proper nurse who works according to the book.

You win some you loose some.....am still happy

For the person who voted thumbs down I give you a thumbs down for being negative

griercamille says ...

The question I ask is how can the nurse retain some pleasure in doing her task.

 

How does the nurse perform her duties to the best of her ability while getting along with those who might challenge her when she needs to get her task accomplished.

 

If anyone has answer to these question they may respond. It might be of help to me and others.  

 

 

 

WHOAH...... HER tasks? Pretty sexist there skippy.

 

This is a joke.. right?

 

 

I know this thread is a bit old but I am new here and I could not resist replying.

The real issue I see here in this entire thread is the lack of support for the working nurse. This is what unions are for.

In Canada there are labor laws that require a union to  work in the interest of their members. This is important in health care because the workers must work in the interest of the client NOT the employer. and if the employer's interests and the client's interest are in conflict then how is the worker supported in working only in the client's interest? that support comes from a union that is regulated under labor laws.

We dont have nursing unions where I live.  There was a memo that went out a couple of monthes ago that pretty much said 'you work in a fabulous place, if you are approached by a union organizer please remember where you work!"

In Canada labor laws make it illegal for an employer to intimidate workers who are being organized into a union.

62% of nurses in Canada are unionized in a nursing union and most of those are hospital  and community nurses.  Many other nurses are unionized under non nursing unions like goverment employee unions( nurse who work in federal health service) or university faculty unions (nurse educators) but unions are the norm.

under this system an employer cannot intimidate a nurse into doing what they want.  As an independent and autonomous practitioner a nurse must make decisions in the best interest of the client.  This is much easier to do  knowing that the the unionized job is secure.  Employers cannot bully a nurse into making the decision that they want.

Labor unions and employers and nurses work together each supporting their own interests with a view to the ultimate overarching goal of public accountability.