need to breathe..

today was something else at work. i mean, yeah, it's always busy and stressful especially on my shift. but today... man, i barely saw my patients!! i never thought nursing would be this stressful so much hard work. i guess that's why there's such a shortage and demand in this field.

i was both in charge of the whole floor and a team leader for the side that i was on. this is typical for our floor now, since our charge nurse quit her job almost a month ago. i had to coordinate staffing and relief for those who are doing a 2:1 (two patients is to one nurse --> usually for patients who requires a really close observation i.e. unpredictable behavior). on top of that i had to make sure that the staff for each side is "equal" hence having other staff grumble and make sure that my own team is ok.

today didn't really start out very well... the morning shift staff left us with a lot of clean ups to do. which is so freakingly annoying since they are well staffed in the morning. i don't care how busy it is, how can a person leave a patient dirty?? i don't like getting report from that nurse, since whenever i ask her something her reply would be "do you think i know?" well, uh, duh!! you are the RN, right? you're the team leader, right?? why don't you know?? it's just argh!!! that has always been the case with her, and it's freaking annoying!!! if i gave that kind of report to the night shift, i would have been written up long ago!! this is all happening only before 3:30 pm, mind you and we start our shift at 3. anyways, by 3:45 i got a report for an admission (direct admission from the clinic) and by 4:10 that patient came up already!! thank God that patient was so nice enough, since the bed wasn't made yet when she came up so she had to wait a couple minutes. by 5:30 i have finished my admission, placed a condom catheter to another patient of mine and discharged the other patient. then the nurse that was working with me gave me the narc key for it was already 6 and it was time for her break so that she could relieve one of the nurse who was doing a 2:1. 6:15, i told another nurse on my team for his break so. by 6:30 his admission came, i had to take the vital signs for that patient and call kitchen so that they could send up a tray for him. in between all these i was running back and forth to another patient's room, for his bed alarm kept going off. he was so confuse that he keeps getting out of bed inspite that fact that he has unsteady gait -- thank God no incident happened!! then i quickly did my charting, by 7:15 i had to go grab something to eat and for a much needed break from the floor. but then i had to make sure that everyone was covered. after inhaling my food and giving report to the other nurse who was gonna be taking over for the admission that i made, i went back to the floor at 8pm. as soon as i asked my colleagues a quick update on the patients, i had to call blood bank for two patients who had an order for type and cross. only to find out that morning shift didn't send them the sufficient blood for the other one... so i had to do blood draw for two patients. one of them was such a hard stick, by the time i finished drawing blood it was already 8:45. just when i thought i could i finally be able to help out in giving out meds, ER calls for report for another admission. after taking report, i had to make the bed for that admission. then a family summons me to witness a patient signing some papers then checked for a consent for that blood transfusion. then 9:30 came and my second admission entered the floor. it was an easy admission though, for the patient was able to speak english and is alert and oriented. i finished my admission interview, picking up orders, give report to the nurse on that team by 10:45. then i had to go back to my team and clean up patients. we finished cleaning them up by 11:10. then i had to pick up an order for a medication and ask someone to hang it up for me. by 11:20 i gave report to a very unhappy night nurse.

yes... it was a crazy day and tomorrow is another day. i just hope and pray that i wouldn't be charge nurse tomorrow.