Tuesday, August 17, 2010

The Workplace Blahs

Lately I haven’t been feeling as engaged with my work as I have been in the past. Each day feels like it blends into the other with the same staff members arguing over petty things and the same patients (literally – the frequent fliers have been flying in a lot more frequently recently) presenting with the same complaints. It’s humbling and frustrating to know that sometimes no matter how above and beyond my duties I go, I’m quickly brought back down to problems that just can’t be solved. It’s tiring arguing with the same floor about patient transfers, it’s tiring to have to turn away the same drug seeker three times in one shift. It’s tiring to have to work harder and faster to maintain patient flow while being left on the back burner by the rest of the department. Perhaps its summer and seeing people enjoying warm evenings while I trek it inside to the windowless department is getting to me more than I thought but things are definitely feeling – stagnant. I don’t know if I need a new challenge, more responsibilities or another job. I suppose for now I have to get dressed, go to work and give viciously dirty looks to the resident who complained to my charge nurse that I need to “smile more”.

This post is most certainly a downer so I’ll leave a link to Hyperbole and a Half. This site has been providing me with life sustaining laughs during night shifts!

12 comments:

Grumpy, M.D. said...

That resident is just a jerk. WTF?

Bendy_Clutz said...

After doing 2 years of agency per diem CNA work, I worked on an Oncology floor at a local hospital for a year and 1/2, and even tho i would have gotten paid a bit more to work extra shifts within my dept or hospital, i continued to pick up at least a few shifts a month at some of the other local hospitals for this very reason. I loved my floor, but i needed more variety and a challenge. (have since worked at 16 different hospitals in the last 5 years, plus a few psych units).

I just got my first RN job at a local hospital (44 bed, tiny!) and I'm afraid I'll face the same feelings after awhile, but i have to be an RN for a year before I can take on the challenge of doing per diem agency work.

Ever thought of doing something like that? Its easy to get into, and its definitely challenging and, for me, its a lot of fun. =)

Anonymous said...

work is work. but maybe try a different site to cheer you up? gawd.

Angela said...

Urgh I've been there!! (Btw! Jerk! resident much!) Have you thought about moving departments, or even picking up a shift elsewhere? maybe that will help with your sense of Blah! Nothing like knocking you out of your comfort zone once in a while.

xx
Jaxs

RehabNurse said...

Perhaps if you smile the "right" way PIA Resident will think you are snarling and ask the charge that you not smile.

BTW life's to short to hang with the turkeys if you want to soar with the eagles. If something's out there for you, go for it!

The frequent flyers will still be there unless they kill themselves.

Unknown said...

two things:
1. you just described how i feel about my job...it really is crap at the moment

2. someone needs to smack that resident...what a jerk

Albinoblackbear said...

One of my colleagues and I were having this exact conversation last night as we had a rather irritating and befuddling shift in the ED.

Damage control, crowd control, bed moving, fluid dodging, rinse, repeat. It can be frustrating to say the least.

When I got that feeling in 2005 I packed up to the Arctic for a few years. It helped.

Can you take some time off to do a course, go on a volunteer trip, orientate to a different unit? Something to shake things up a bit?

Hope you can find some small victories to get you through in the meantime...

Candice said...

Welcome to nursing.

I do hope it improves for you. The great thing about our line of work is that if you get bored in one area, there are many more to choose from. I made a switch and it was the best thing I ever did!

The Nurse and her patience said...

I feel exactly the same way.....exactly! ;(

Anonymous said...

Don't give up! Our daughter-in-law is a RN in the Oncology Dept and just passed the big test so that she can administer the chemo to the patients.

She also has a BS in BioChemistry so she is good on the drugs issues.

I admire her so much as I do others in the nursing field.

Chuck

Tonjia said...

you are in my head!! I am trying to decide if I have major burnout or if healthcare today is the culprit. Whatever it is, I am finding it very difficult to maintain composure.

our hospitals new motto "do more with less". how much more can we do???

Thanks for letting me know that I am not the only one on this train.

Unknown said...

I know this is kind of off topic, but I found your blog by a link on a website I like. I got curious and started to read, and, in all honesty, I was amazed. I'm sorry if it seems odd, but I never really knew that doctors and nurses had to put up with so much crap. You can never really pay attention to everything you see on TV, but you talking about this is like a small lesson on life. You're an excellent writer, excellent at writing what you think and managing it with a flair that is full of personality. I hope you manage to get out of your funk and life picks up a bit for you.