One More

One more venting session, and then we can move on to bigger and better, I promise :)

So, at work right now, I am completing what are called "buddy shifts." What they are: we have 3 levels of required in-unit education that we have to complete. After the last (Intermediate 3), we are now required to complete buddy shifts (new requirement, and I am actually a big fan of this...). What happens is the nurse calls the charge nurse the shift before they are scheduled and request a higher acuity (sicker, more challenging) patient. Then, in the same room a more experienced nurse is placed with an easy assignment to be that nurses "buddy" should he/she need any extra help. This sure beats the old system of: "hurry up and get your education done to never get those patients and lose what you learned." Well, tonight I called and requested my 5th of 6 buddy shifts. Awesome. Well, I show up to get report from: none other than the most frustrating situation. Let me explain... I had to complete PALS (Pediatric Advanced Life Support) last year. In the class, this nurse (we'll call her Betty) was there with me. Well, while we were all sitting around chatting during lunch, she mentioned how she hates getting the sick patients because it makes her so sad and she can't leave work at work and ends up taking the emotions home with her and worrying about the patient; she would rather just have the "feeder-growers" (aka, healthy, waiting to go home once they grow and get the hang of eating). I was thrilled to hear that, because I am the complete opposite! I thought, "Awesome, that means more adrenaline rush challenge for me!" Well, here's the thing... the charge nurses for some stupid, unknown reason, LOVE her and give her the high acuity patients without her even asking. WTF!!! WHY!? I'm the one who wants them, not her, give them to me!!! I just kept thinking last year in PALS: "she is going to burn out real quick... maybe she needs to move to another hospital and work in a lower acuity NICU." For real... Well, guess who I got report from? Yes, you guessed it, BETTY. I would NOT consider that a "buddy shift" on any level if I am getting report from her! (BTW, she was hired AFTER me, and has not completed the final Intermediate level of education.) Oh, and it gets better... this is the SECOND "buddy shift" that I have gotten report from her on!!! I want to puke. It's not fair! What is so wrong with me? Why am I being held back? Why are other nurses so highly favored? Have I really not proven myself enough yet... oh wait, no I haven't because I haven't been given the opportunity to!

Oh geez... the drama at work. Politics, politics and more politics. So, I decided to stick it to them. I signed up to do the Cardiac Advanced Module so that they HAVE to give me the sicker patients. Take that! I'll show you... Oh, and as soon as I finish the module, I am moving. Ha ha! Take that, even more! Sorry, that was rude. I'll be nice now :)