As a nurse, part of the job is to teach other nurses, whether they are students or the new float nurse being oriented to our floor. I am admittedly not a very proficient orienter, and I try to avoid it at all costs. I don't really like my nursing approach, honed by experience, being hawk-eyed by those (especially students) who are learning all of the "by the book" techniques. It's easy for them to critique when they haven't actually been out in the real nursing world themselves yet. I don't tolerate the judgy glances very well. But I digress. My whole point is that I try to delegate the impressionable newbies whenever possible. I must stress that I don't refuse them, I just look around to see if it appears anyone else needs a special follower for the day.
About two years ago a float team nurse came to our unit for orientation. The float nurses are exactly what they sound like. They float around the hospital helping on whichever floor happens to need assistance that day. The difficulty in orienting nurses to our area is that it is a specialty paeds/NICU area with lots to learn, and you simply can't squeeze all that into two or three shifts. In addition, some nurses are just plain scared of sick and fragile kids and babies. The orienting nurse on our floor that day was very young, very fresh and crazy enthusiastic. Enthusiastic about her upcoming wedding, and her impending post wedding babies that is. That day she just really, really, really wanted to hold some babies and coo over them. After explaining that while the babies needed bonding time, preferably with their parents, they were sick or premature or both and honestly just needed to be left alone.
Now, remembering me and my track record with the newbies, imagine my reaction when this fresh-faced young thing turned to me and this conversation ensued:
Newby: "Do you have kids?"
Me: "Yep. Three of them."
Newby: "Oh wow, really?? I can't wait to have a baby!"
Me: "The novelty wears off."
Newby (undaunted by my reply): "Doesn't working here just make you want to have another baby??"
Now I'm thinking this girl is certifiably nuts. I have three children that I love dearly. However, I am raising them 100% on my own....well maybe 75%....(thank God for my mother) and it's truly hard work. And at this point I was 38 years old, I felt that I'd paid my dues and had absolutely no interest in starting at square one again.
Me (after thinking all of this in my head and giving this girl a long, pensive stare): "I'd rather shoot myself in the ovary than have another baby."
Awkward silence.
Another time I had four nursing students who were in their second year (out of four) of nursing school. It was a slower time on the floor, and they were not a particularly motivated bunch. As they stood around gabbing about their weekends, I decided they should learn something useful, and I was just the person to teach them. I laid out some supplies, sat down on one side of a table and called the girls over. I told them they were all going to start IVs on me. The mix of apprehension and excitement was immediately apparent. Of the four, two were able to hit the vein and get blood back. I was just demonstrating how to reposition the IV catheter so as not to blow the vein when their teacher walked around the corner. The look of horror on her face was unmistakeable. She rounded her students up and herded them quickly up the hall and away from me. Who knew that second year students weren't allowed to start IVs??
And situations like that are the very reason I try not to train the newbies.
No comments:
Post a Comment