Home early & sick. Thank goodness for low census. Had I stayed the full 12 hours I would have (1) strangled some people, (2) been completely useless to my patients seeing as I can't breathe & my head is about to explode. Shift started out easy, my assignment was empty from day shift due to low census, so I had the luxury of checking all my rooms, cleaning up & stocking. No sooner than I'm done in my last room the nasty charge nurse comes over and says I'm actually taking over the other side of the pod (where 1 patient awaited me) - I say to her "Well I've got 1 patient on my side and I'll take 1 patient from that side, but all my rooms are stocked and checked." -- "Yea well it's just easier for me to move your 1 patient instead." Muttering under my breath I move my patient and begin my cleaning/stocking saga all over again in 4 new rooms. I mutter some more as I take over the patient with a clear-cut (no pun intended) post-op infection with absolutely no pre-emptive orders done; the off-going nurse put his orders in an hour ago for labs & a line, but then he sat there for an hour and didn't do anything. My LPN drops a line & I give the poor patient some pain medication. While I do that EMS rolls in next door with a patient, whom I was initially, and in a rather nasty tone, told was not coming for 1-2 hours (which is a little bizarre for an ER patient, but whatever). I get on the radio and ask for the charge nurse or the float nurse to come & triage my patient. No answer. Get on the radio twice more while I push Dilaudid on my post-op patient; still no answer, crickets chirping. I finish the Dilaudid & step out to meet EMS who is now roasting marshmallows in the hallway (aka camping out waiting to give report). I profusely apologize that no one has come to take report, and get a quick report from him. My patient is pleasant, anxious, but very nice. Multiple more times throughout the shift I get on the radio to either ask for help or ask who is on the phone, and multiple times I'm met with either silence or attitude. I'm too sick to put up a fight with anyone. I get all my patients settled, and discharge the possible miscarriage. Only to get the mid-forty's mother who's battling breast cancer a second time after being told she has a 0% of getting it again; so much for 0%. We last met 9/29/13, and she looks about the same: trying to be brave for her family, but completely overcome with pain. She's a quivering mess of pain, fear, sadness; yet she continues to apologize for coming in and says "Please don't give me too much Dilaudid, I don't handle pain medication well, I just want something for nausea." Her teenage daughter sits quietly in the room, and her attentive, exhausted husband sits too, soft-spoken, calm and caring, he provides information. I access her port & very slowly give her Dilaudid & Zofran; she is immediately relaxed, drowsy & calm; I don't leave her side because of her previous problems with getting Dilaudid, I call out 6(!) times for someone to bring me a lab cart before the blood in the syringe clots. Crickets. I finally get Tammy (my favorite LPN & work BFF) on the radio & she brings the cart over. Again, too sick to fight with anyone, and now emotionally drained after meeting my unfortunate patient and her daughter.
Decision made: time to leave and accept the job at South Base. Had a great interview there 2 days ago, peer interview went well, staff likes me from the 2 shifts I've worked, Nurse Manager is excited to get an experienced (me? experienced?!) nurse on board. She was quite appalled by hearing how some of the staff talk to each other at Hood Hospital. I'm tired of the drama, tired of the cliques, tired of rudeness. Apparently I'm unapproachable and bossy, but everyone else is allowed to get away with their behavior. I will not tolerate it anymore, I cannot seem to change it in any way, so to save my sanity & career I'm moving on. Resignation letter is typed up, will go & speak with the Interim Nurse Manager tomorrow about leaving. Did I mention the Director is quitting as well? Leadership is falling apart at Hood Hospital, and it only lets more bad behavior go unchecked, and people with poor attitudes continue to get away with their bad behavior. It's time to leave.
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