domestic goddess
6-22-12, 7:07pm
Normally I don't have any real work problems, but something happened today that has me shaking my head.
I was scheduled to orient on a new case tonight, a seemingly complex Level 3 case, by what I have read. Have never met the 12 year old patient or his family, and was told by the office that the orientation would be an entire shife (10 hours), as opposed to the usual 2-3 hours. Today I got a call telling me that my orientation was cancelled because the night nurse called in sick. When I called the office to confirm I had gotten the message, I got a hard-sell to go tonight anyway, cold off the street, and take care of this patient because the parents want to go somewhere tomorrow. Normally, I wouldn't have any problem with this, because I recognize that our families need to do some "normal" acivities from time to time, and taking care of a chronically ill child on a ventilator can be exhausting. Really, I understand that, and I want to help. But when I expessed feelings of discomfort, based on what I had been told, the director of the office got on the line and really ramped up the pressure, telling me that if I had any problems during the night I could call him. What good is that going to do? He isn't a nurse, and has no medical background. A lot of help he's going to be!
Now, in my heart, I'm sure everything will be all right. What really bothers me is that after I expressed some discomfort with the situation, I was still pressured (strongly) to go tonight, and no attention was paid to the concerns I raised. There was a total lack of regard for my concerns and no real workable solutions offered. I felt it was very disrespectful. Yes, I have the experience and expertise to care for this patient, but I know none of the specifics just for him, so it won't go as smoothly as it could. the parents are going to orient me, sometimes a recipe for disaster, as a parental focus can be very different than a nursing one. At one point my boss even tried to bribe me with more money to go! I told him that money wasn't the issue, but I don't think he even heard me.
So, I'm going, because I am there to help whenever I can. But I'm less than happy about how it all came about. I don't know what the point of all this is other than it has been a long, hard week for me and I needed to vent. I should quit being a doormat, I know. Not looking forward to this night, but it will only last 10 hours.
It seems it never rains but it pours.
I was scheduled to orient on a new case tonight, a seemingly complex Level 3 case, by what I have read. Have never met the 12 year old patient or his family, and was told by the office that the orientation would be an entire shife (10 hours), as opposed to the usual 2-3 hours. Today I got a call telling me that my orientation was cancelled because the night nurse called in sick. When I called the office to confirm I had gotten the message, I got a hard-sell to go tonight anyway, cold off the street, and take care of this patient because the parents want to go somewhere tomorrow. Normally, I wouldn't have any problem with this, because I recognize that our families need to do some "normal" acivities from time to time, and taking care of a chronically ill child on a ventilator can be exhausting. Really, I understand that, and I want to help. But when I expessed feelings of discomfort, based on what I had been told, the director of the office got on the line and really ramped up the pressure, telling me that if I had any problems during the night I could call him. What good is that going to do? He isn't a nurse, and has no medical background. A lot of help he's going to be!
Now, in my heart, I'm sure everything will be all right. What really bothers me is that after I expressed some discomfort with the situation, I was still pressured (strongly) to go tonight, and no attention was paid to the concerns I raised. There was a total lack of regard for my concerns and no real workable solutions offered. I felt it was very disrespectful. Yes, I have the experience and expertise to care for this patient, but I know none of the specifics just for him, so it won't go as smoothly as it could. the parents are going to orient me, sometimes a recipe for disaster, as a parental focus can be very different than a nursing one. At one point my boss even tried to bribe me with more money to go! I told him that money wasn't the issue, but I don't think he even heard me.
So, I'm going, because I am there to help whenever I can. But I'm less than happy about how it all came about. I don't know what the point of all this is other than it has been a long, hard week for me and I needed to vent. I should quit being a doormat, I know. Not looking forward to this night, but it will only last 10 hours.
It seems it never rains but it pours.