14 February 2008

Well said Faith

While merrily reading my RSS subscriptions, I came across Faith's piece entitled Daily Hate Mail.

Damn straight Faith is all I can say. Yes, I do say to patients 'back in a minute' but that's usually because I'm holding a bedpan full of undesirables when they want me to rearrange their fruit on the table. No, really, I'm going to wash my hands first.

And I'm bitching here as an auxiliary nurse by the way, but this makes me really angry. I worked an MAU shift yesterday and didn't get a break in the entire shift. I spent the whole time running from patient to patient answering their needs.

While I was making sure that patients weren't sitting in their own excrement, my nurse colleague was simultaneously feeding 2 patients. THERE AREN'T ENOUGH STAFF. FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY!

4 comments:

Nurse Sandra May said...

You and me both Merys.

Chronic short staffing means the staff we HAVE got are run ragged, ill and disheartened.

Yesterday a relative complained about something me and another nurse did. But she completely, and i mean completely fabricated the story. And whats more- if i get a justified telling off- for ignoring a vomiting patient in this case, or being lazy thats fine. But I didn't ignore anyone. I dealth with a vomiting person, but the person she claimed to be unwell actually wasn't- so we got ripped for nothing!

Is it any wonder we don't manage to smile all the time?

MB said...

People always assume they know better than the person doing the job. I had one person argue with me about the "benefits" of feeding their dog dark chocolate...erm...toxicity? poisoning? Yeh, what do I know, I'm only working and studying as a trainee VN.

When I worked on the dementia wards after graduating with my psych degree I was taking 12-15 hr shifts because the ward was short staffed. Sometimes that included missing breaks.

I may be a different type of assistant nurse now, but I'm still angry about how callous some people can be when making comments like that.

Anonymous said...

Guy's, guy's relax. There will always be some dozy twonk out there ready to have a go!

So, remember your there because you're good at your job.

Besides,I think u all do great job. So, 'DON'T LET THE BAS***DS GRIND YOU DOWN'.

Unknown said...

There is a real problem with recruitment in the southern counties at the moment, young energetic would be nurses can find better paid office or clerical work... and such stories in the press are only going to perpetuate this problem! who is going to choose stressful nursing when they could pick an easier option?!