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My patient is screaming down the hallway about how it’s time for his pain
shot, the nursing supervisor just called and my admit will be here in ten
minutes, when I called the surgeon about his patient that is bleeding
through his dressing, I got yelled at because I didn’t call sooner, and if
the patient in room 19 doesn’t quit hitting at staff, then I’m going to have
to call his doctor to get an order for restraints, and of course there is no
one to help me because I’m the traveler making “all the big bucks.” Are
travel nurses suppose to think that this is “normal” behavior, or is this
nursing abuse?
Pain management is getting to be a bigger and bigger issue. Yes there are
patients who have a legitimate pain management needs, but how many patients
are we taking care of who this is their second admission this month because
they need their morphine fix? This is a bigger issue in the emergency room
than I see on the medical-surgical floor. The 1-10 “oucher” scale was
suppose to help this, but still patients have that figured out, and will
rate their pain as a 15.
What are nurses to do about the abuse of the system? We have to continue to
assess our patients in a timely manner, and provide them with their
medications as ordered by their physician. There is nothing that we can do
about this abuse of the system because we are not that patient and we have
been told that we have “no right” to judge how much pain a patient really is
in.
Working with physicians that are verbally humiliating, degrading, and have a
total lack of respect for us as a professional nurse, are also a fact in the
life of a nurse. In a recent study published by the Association of OR
Nurses, over 90% of nurses that were polled were subject to verbal abuse by
a physician. Is that true just in the operating room? I don’t think so!
Trying calling certain physicians in the middle of the night.
What can we do about verbal abuse? What usually happens is that we vent to a
few of our co-workers, we keep the patient in mind, and go on and do our job
to the best of our abilities. Remember, the patient is what we are there
for. We must call that physician in the middle of the night, to protect our
patient, and for protection of our license.
Abuse of a nurse by the patient is also a common abuse that nurses face
during the work day/night. The patient is under the influence of narcotics,
illicit drugs, or alcohol, and we’re suppose to be understanding because
they ARE ill. Would they still be ill if they weren’t under the influence of
all those substances?
We must protect our own health and when a patient gets violent we need to
seek assistance as soon as possible. If we get injured then this needs to be
reported to the nursing supervisor as soon as possible along with getting
medical treatment for ourselves.
Do we have the right to press charges against that patient for assault? In
some states, a hospital employee definitely has the right to press charges
against that patient. There should be no difference in that patient injuring
us inside the hospital or if he injured us out on the street. If nurses get
hurt then who is going to take care of us?
Of course we have to deal with all these things plus “crisis” that occur,
and not make any mistakes on these hectic floors. Time management is the key
to survival! Come on the floor and check out your patients and then get you
a routine going. No, can’t stick by your routine everyday, things happens,
patients have surgery, patients have to be admitted, but if you have your
routine setup, then it is easier to accomplish these other tasks without
getting overwhelmed.
When an overwhelming situation comes along ask for help. Hostility may be
amongst the nursing tribe related to you being a travel nurse and “making
all the big bucks,” but you can’t do everything by yourself. You need to ask
for help. If you can’t get anyone to help you, then approach the charge
nurse, then work your way up the chain of command including the nursing
supervisor, and if the hostility occurs contact the director of nursing and
your recruiter.
Travel nurses are in hospitals all around the United States and select
foreign countries, we are there to help. We are not going to these different
places to be abused by other staff and patients. You should be flexible in
helping your co-workers, but you don’t have to take severe abuse. Keep on
working hard, and remember that you only have 13 weeks there.
Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself. If you become overwhelmed with the
pressures to the point that your license is in danger then you must get out
of the contract. You were looking for a job when you found that one. Life
may have its speed bumps, but just keep on trucking down on the
travel-nursing road. The next assignment has to be better! |
Highway Hypodermicstm
