Voice of a Nurse: Reality of Nursing
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About this ebook
I am the voice of all the nurses who dread getting up and going to work; the voice of every single one who feels as if their blood pressure is running on high all too often. That voice, the one inside that says “I’m going to quit this job any day now I swear I am.” The voice of those nurses who have conformed to the stress but wish that their environment could change for the better.
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Voice of a Nurse - Beverley Tabor
ISBN: 9781483529769
GREY’S ANATOMY
I was watching an episode of Grey’s Anatomy the other day, and one of the doctors on stated that nurses are usually overworked, underpaid and unhappy.
With this book I’m trying to work on the unhappy part. I wish that I could do something about the overworked and underpaid portion as well, but unfortunately I have no idea what to do about that. My goal is to attack stressors that nurses encounter on any given day and do my best to eliminate or decrease them. This is a step towards happiness.
Welcome nurses, healthcare workers and everyone else. Let us build and repair, let us carve out the beauty that we know can exist in healthcare. Let us begin.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Being a nurse for over ten years, I have amassed a wealth of experience in different specialties that provided an extensive educational background.
Interestingly, I began as a Certified Nurse’s Assistant, obtained the certification, but lasted only a week on the floor as I quickly determined that this path is not for me. This opened the realization of the importance of an advanced education and prompted me to enroll in a nursing school which had a waiting list, but with my enthusiasm I commenced taking prerequisite classes. After completion of the required classes I saw no light at the end of the tunnel regarding that waiting list. I entered into Occupational Therapy instead.
At the end of the Occupational Therapy program, I worked in long term care rehab and continued on into the nursing program. That was a great decision, as perspective payment was on its way to becoming effective in the therapy field. Perspective payment, for everyone who does not know and for everyone who has forgotten, was a huge budget cut that slashed salaries for therapists pretty much in half. As a result, therapists from all walks, OT, PT, Speech, you name it, had to regroup. Some went back to school for another career, others toughed it out. Fortunately for me I was already in school.
From LPN to RN I headed.
I have gained experience in many settings, but found my niche in Palliative Care. LTC, Medical Surgical Oncology, Trach & Vent, ICU, Dialysis and Psych, I’ve done them all. And today I must say that I am fortunate to have had all that experience prior to working in Palliative Care. I brought a wealth of knowledge to my specialty, and because of that I do not feel the need to explore other areas out there. This leaves me to concentrate fully on my patients as well as my direction towards higher education and life in general.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my two children Aaron and Arianna. I love you both very much.
To every healthcare worker out there, know that I am with you at heart. Know that every single word on these pages is there with the intention of making your life the best that it can be, while you give so much of yourself to others.
OKAY, SO NOW YOU ARE A NURSE
After all that rigorous studying through nursing school, don’t you wish some instructor had pounded it into your head what to expect on a unit as a nurse?
For instance, how to survive orientation or many times the lack thereof, or how to survive the probationary period, six months or even a year. Because the fact of the matter is, nursing is a tough field. As a result, nurses move from job to job all the time. And many times it is absolutely necessary. However, the grass is not always greener on the other side, which we soon find out each time we get over there. But this job hopping is often due to nurses being stressed out a lot. And that is one thing we can always bank on, STRESS. It’s just a part of nursing and it is not going anywhere anytime soon.
On the flip side, we can always count on having a job, as nursing is a vast field with many specialties to choose from. And that is considered a big plus.
So whether you are a new graduate entering the field for the first time, a seasoned nurse on a unit, or any nurse changing from one setting to another, my wish is that this survival tool will be a positive light that will help you to alleviate a big portion of the daily stress and also reduce the apprehension of being and feeling so new for anyone who is.
NURSING
Let us go back to that word and decipher its meaning.
Mosby Medical Dictionary states that, "NURSING is the practice in which a nurse assists the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to a peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge. And to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible. " (Virginia Henderson).
I cannot recall the name of it, but while watching an educational program a while back, I learned another meaning of the word nursing. This meaning I found awfully interesting. A few nurses were asked what the word NURSING means to them. One lady stated that nursing is The Dirty Job
that females performed back in the day, and that females did not mind performing it.
That much is true. Back in the day nursing was clearly a female oriented vocation. But the field has been changing. There are a growing number of male nurses around, and many more are entering school. And though the field is clearly female dominated, male nurses are truly appreciated as we enjoy sharing The Dirty Job
with them.
Let us write a CONTENT, shall we?
NURSING IS AN ART by Florence Nightingale
1. NURSES AND STRESS
1. You are in a stressful field. Learn how to deal with it.
2. Burnout and nurses
3. Wrinkles and gray hair
4. Lunch, forget about it.
5. Patient to staff ratio
6. Practice not taking work home with you
7. Do not become a statistic: Nurses and the divorce rate.
8. Find your niche and stick to it.
9. A big problem: Nurses are put in the position to do the job of many others, but those many others cannot do the job of a nurse.
10. When is enough, enough?
11. How about that one unfinished percent, nurses?
12. Complete assign tasks or else they are coming back to bite you in the...
13. Acuity levels
14. The pace is too fast, I just cannot keep up.
15. Nurses and substance abuse
16. Injuries
17. Nurses make good money
2. NEGATIVITY
1. Negativity is contagious.
2. Nurses eat their young.
3. Doctors will yell at you: Assert yourself.
4. Co-workers’ altercations.
5. Workplace violence
6. Stand up for yourself.
3. ORIENTATION
1. Orientation period
2. Orientation period for pool and agency nurses
3. Do not be afraid to ask questions.
4. DE-STRESS
1. Nurses, stop what you are doing and go to the bathroom, please!
2. Make a friend on the unit.
3. What to do when a nurse feels nervous upon entering a patient’s room.
4. How are those healing hands?
5. What is up with your footwear?
6. Venting
5. PATIENTS
1. Some patients will be rude.
2. How do you treat a patient well when you are absolutely sick of him or her?
3. Affecting patient teaching
4. Some family members will stress the heck out of you.
5. Excessive demands
6. To please or not to please patient or family members
7. Patient advocate
6. BOSSES AND PEERS
1. I cannot stand my boss; he or she drives me nuts.
2. How to deal with crappy peers
3. Where is my CNA? And how do I manage CNA’s, period?
4. Mean nurses, kill them with kindness.
5. Travel nurses on your unit
6. Nurses, your appearance counts!
7. Stop sweating the small stuff so hard.
8. Lazy nurses
9. Intimate relationships at work
10. Different type of bosses: which type do you report to?
7. ORGANIZATION
1. Time management
2. Working on becoming competent
3. Nursing and Organization
*Skills
*Patient Care
*Charting
*Charting Specifics
4. Become aware of the different areas of the patient’s charts.
5. The revolving door of admissions and discharges
8. SKILLS AND EDUCATION
1. Allowing nurses to use their own intuition
2. Asking for guidance on a nursing unit
3. Patient confidentiality regarding visitors and phone calls
4. Explain before proceeding
5. Patient code status
6. Patient allergies
7. Medications and medication errors
8. Precautions
9. Policies and procedures
10. Malpractice insurance
11. Nursing students are tomorrow’s future.
12. Ethics
13. Educational growth
9. DO NOT DO THIS! SKILLS
1. Do not fan the bed linen.
2. Beds in high position
3. Stop borrowing equipment and supplies, get your own!
4. Clutter at the nurse’s station
5. Clutter in the patient’s room
6. Inconsistent hand washing
10. MEETINGS, SHIFT SCHEDULES AND ASSIGNMENTS
1. Meetings, mandatory meetings and in-services
2. Shift report
3. Late for work: stop talking and come and get report.
4. Types of shifts that are available for nurses to choose
5. Jumping from shift to shift
6. Floating
7. Working overtime: Mandatory vs. Non-mandatory
8. Call into work on your day off
9. Nurses, what are you doing on Christmas, or any holiday for that matter?
10. Taking off work at the last minute on holidays
12. Do not rely on the time sheet.
13. Nurses are not allowed to get sick.
14. Calling in sick
11. WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS 246
12. NURSES ARE A BLESSING FROM ABOVE 248
13. MY TAKE ON NURSING 253
14. LIFE, by Mother Theresa 256
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 258
Nursing Is An Art
Nursing is an art
and if it is to be made an art ,
It requires an exclusive devotion
as hard a preparation ,
as any painter's or sculptor's work;
for what is the having to do with
dead canvas or dead marble ,
compared with having to do
with the living body ,
the temple of God's spirit?
It is one of the Fine Arts:
I had almost said ,
the finest of Fine Arts.
- Florence Nightingale
LET US BEGIN THE JOURNY OF IMPROVEMENT
NURSES AND STRESS
YOU ARE IN A STRESSFUL FIELD, SO LEARN HOW TO DEAL WITH IT.
Start by processing the above sentence in your head nurses. Like it or not, this is what we signed up for. We probably just did not do our homework well enough, but I do not believe that anyone held a weapon to our heads and said we have to become nurses or else they’ll shoot. And now here we are in stress-ville pondering what to do.
The truth is, the sooner you get a handle on the reality of it all, the sooner you will begin to come up with ways to relieve the stress so that you can start living a somewhat normal life. This is where I come in.
Stress busters for any and every one, but especially nurses, is a great way to start the process. Let us touch base on a few.
A healthy diet and adequate rest is a must. Please be aware that I list healthy diet and adequate rest immediately, as nothing will work well or long term without these key factors.
Working out as a routine is also truly important, whether indoors or outdoors, it does not matter, as long as you are doing something. Personally I do both. And they help me immensely. Try it and see what works best for you.
Finding a hobby and immersing in it at least two times a week is a life saver as well. This could be reading, writing or playing sports. Anything, just as long as it is one that you enjoy thoroughly. And maybe it is a good idea if that something has nothing to do with the health field.
The list goes on and on. Let me help you out some more: gardening, nature walks, listening to soothing music, classical for example. Tape your favorite TV program and have a sit down with yourself and enjoy it. Shopping, therapeutic shopping of course, as I am not trying to advocate for spend thrifts. Get a massage, heck! We all know that a good massage works wonders for a nurse. Don’t stop here, make additions and apply them towards your wellbeing.
They may sound like no big deal, but at the end of the day, these stress busters, along with the content of this book, will help to prevent burn out and a whole lot of other issues.
BURNOUT AND NURSES
Nurses become burned out far too fast and far too often. It is really a shame if one thinks about it. A nurse does not have to be doing nursing for a long time to become burned out. It happens quickly, depending on the setting that a nurse finds him or herself in. This is what I call the energizer bunny atmosphere. You know the commercial. Now the nurse becomes the bunny and just keeps on going, going, going at a crazy pace that is just way too fast.
On a unit, it is usually very easy to point these nurses out. For one, they tend to be on their way to looking disheveled. Hair needs combing, uniforms need care and attention. Others just display attitudes that are annoying, moody and negative. It is unfortunate, but it is true.
The entire content of this survival tool embodies ways to avoid this mess, so read along. The stress busters above, along with taking vacations when you have accumulated the hours, reducing the amount of hours worked if necessary and working the shift that is right for you are just some of the changes that we must take into consideration.
It is a struggle, but each individual nurse must fight and win to keep stress at a minimum and quality of life on top.
WRINKLES AND GRAY HAIR
Tell yourself you are not in the wrinkles and gray hair business. You will not allow your job to give you these gift wrapped presents. Not if you can help it anyway.
I have a saying on my unit that about seventy percent of the staff has picked up. We now use it as humor to make light of stressful situations. When things get tough, I tend to say that I am not in the wrinkles or the gray hair business unless they are naturally occurring. Depending on what is happening, whether it is one of those sudden stressful moments or just the good old regular constant stress, it all can definitely make us nurses feel as if we are aging way before due time. Absolutely prematurely, I feel sometimes. So after years of practice, I have worked my way, for the most part, out of the gray hair and wrinkles fore front. Let’s just say I kind of have a lid on it. Don’t get me wrong, it cannot be avoided a hundred percent, not even close, because nursing is just what it is, a stressful field, so we have to deal with it on all kind of levels. And dealing with it every day means, or should mean, minimizing every bit of the stress as much as possible.
When my day, or that moment starts to become extremely stressful, I visualize four words, wrinkles and gray hair,
and I call a time out for my brain cells. If I can only come up with a minute or so due to the demand of the atmosphere, then I take that blessed minute and make it work for me. I use whatever time I can find to clear my head. Note I did not say length of time, as that is a luxury that nurses do not have. I place my mind in a totally different space, one that is soothing and serene, land or imagery, I go with whatever works at that moment. Believe it or not, this can happen even in a patient’s bathroom with the water running. The environment is what it is, and therefore we have to work with what we have and where we are. And that, nurses, in a nut shell, is one key factor towards keeping those wrinkles and gray hairs at bay. Brain cells time out.
Again, no luxury of time here, so take that minute or, if you are lucky, those few minutes, when you