i quit fridays

last friday, i had a shitty day. i almost cried at work. i swear, fridays are bad. always. i should never work fridays.

in the last year, we have hired approximately 20 new nurses. that means, on any given day, the floor is staffed with a mix of experienced nurses AND brand new nurses. but most of the time, the majority of nurses are NEW. and that means, often, i am one of, if not, THE most experienced nurse. and that is scary. i am confident in my skills. and i can mutli-task. but i cannot handle every situation. and certainly, i do not want to handle ALL of the hard situations, ALL of the time. but, so be it...

last friday, of the fourteen nurses staffed, i was one of two nurses that had three patients (everyone else has one (if in the ICU) or two (if on the floor)). i often get three patients, because i can handle three patients just fine. but typically, a three patient assignment is a mix of "healthy" patients; they can care for themselves, take oral medications, and perhaps, are close to being discharged from the hospital. not my three patient assignment.

i had a relatively stable patient (my nurse patient) who needs lots of emotional support (more on that later), a woman who had been discharged from the ICU a few days prior and needed the assistance of two people to get in and out of bed, and a surgery patient who is bedbound, with a naso-gastric tube, and at least 4 pressure ulcers. to add insult to injury, all three patients were in isolation - two in droplet (for respiratory viruses) and one for MRSA (a skin infection i'd rather not contract). that means, to complete any task in any of my patients' rooms, i had to gown up in a yellow plastic gown, where gloves, and for two of the three, don a mask over my mouth and nose. i was a sweaty mess in no time...

i knew as soon as i saw my assignment, i would have a shitty day. the isolation alone makes it challenging. you can't zip in and out of rooms; when one patient calls, you have to de-gown, wash hands, and re-gown. it adds time and inconvenience. but the intensity of the three patients together was totally inappropriate. the charge nurse, instead of offering help or suggesting a change in the assignment, did nothing. and i grew angrier by the minute. i had a surgeon yelling at me on the phone, a patient crying about her failed transplant, and a sick, vulnerable man, in need of turns and complicated wound care - that when eventually performed with the assistance of another nurse too more than 90 minutes!

i can't put the day into words. unless you're a nurse on my unit and get the insanity of the assignment, you won't understand how busy i was. but let's just say, i didn't chart a single thing until after 2PM. i got a twenty minute lunch break and nothing else in my 12.5 hours. and i checked my email only ONCE to verify my plans for the evening (i often check my email numerous times during a shift). i had at least 3 nurses offering assistance (which is great, but when you're so swamped, it's hard to even figure out what, how, and when to delegate). and everyone knew i was the busiest and most stressed out.

i hate fridays. most people love them. but i swear, i never want to work another friday again. i quit fridays.

until the 30th when i am scheduled to work another one!