Why does it seem that nurses don't care

[Budman]

Hello everyone this is only my second post in almost a month, but with good reason. I just had a baby girl and she takes up most of my time as of late! Anyways that's not what I wanted to talk about, nurses however are! Why is it that most nurses treat you like you are a nobody, like "why are you wasting your time." I go to incenter dialysis every Mon, Wed, Fri, and it seems like we are cattle being herded in and out. They don't seem to care, they just want to get you on and off faster so THEY can go home! Just for once I want someone who treats me like I am a HUMAN and not a steer! I'm sure there has to be nurses who take their job a little more seriously, I mean come on they aren't working at a McDonald's or anything, just show some compassion!

[angieskidney]

Hello everyone this is only my second post in almost a month, but with good reason. I just had a baby girl and she takes up most of my time as of late! Anyways that's not what I wanted to talk about, nurses however are! Why is it that most nurses treat you like you are a nobody, like "why are you wasting your time." I go to incenter dialysis every Mon, Wed, Fri, and it seems like we are cattle being herded in and out. They don't seem to care, they just want to get you on and off faster so THEY can go home! Just for once I want someone who treats me like I am a HUMAN and not a steer! I'm sure there has to be nurses who take their job a little more seriously, I mean come on they aren't working at a McDonald's or anything, just show some compassion!

Ya exactly!!!

I have noticed that on my days (M/W/F as well) in my Self Care unit! When I was at the hospital unit there seemed to be more nurses that cared and I didn't want to be switched to Self Care where they don't give a crap about you!! But I had no choice and here I am. I have been trying to get SOMEone to listen to me but it is like I don't matter!!! 

For my transplant work up I have to get certain appointments done every year but since I was in the hospital last year and temporarily taken off the list I didn't go last year so I need to get new recommendations again for the appointments! I have been trying for 5 months and no one seems to care!!

Also sometimes in the past I have had trouble sleeping (oddly enough now that I am back to work and tired out more from my job I sleep better again!) I have come into the dialysis unit late (I always call when late and apologize) and they were like "Why were you sleeping during the day?!?!?! Must be NICE to sleep in!" I just feel like SMACKING them!! 

[anja]

Congratulations on the new baby girl!   Don't suppose you are getting lots of rest these days!  I was a hospital float nurse years ago and must admit that I am ashamed to be associated with  many of today's nurses.  The ones in our dialysis unit are great though and really are sincerely compassionate so we are very lucky!  In years past, there was more commradarie than now, thanks to the higher-ups insisting on more professionalism and less familiarity...  These nurses are sometimes the only outside contact that many dialysis patients have and friendliness is a welcome addition to an otherwise routine, have-to visit!  They can make a patient's day much more pleasant and enjoyable!  "It takes very little muscle to lift someone's heart!"  You can hope that one day a new nurse will begin working there that doesn't treat you like 'herding cattle' and she may rub off on the others, hopefully, not the other way around! 

[Panda_9]

There are some nurses that just shouldnt be nurses. It takes a certain person to be a nurse. Sure they may be good at the physical side, but compassion is just as important. I have come across some bitches and a-holes in my time, I just give back what I get.

[bioya]

You will never understand the stress of working in dialysis. Especially if you work for one of the big companies like FMC or DaVita. The pressure put on you to work fast, cheap, and still give quality care is unreal. They cut staff so that the staff that are there are overworked and don't have time to treat you like a human. If you take more than a set amount of time to put a patient on, you catch hell, if you take more than a set amount of time to get a patient off and another on, you catch hell. If your the RN you are doing med reviews, calling other doctors offices, making appointments for xrays and such, making rounds with the doc, passing meds, answering the techs questions, etc, etc, etc. Please don't say "find another job". Its not that easy for nurses just like its not that easy for you in the private sector to just "find another job". Oh, and lets not forget the non-compliant patient that takes up gobs of your time on a daily basis because they won't adhere to the doctors orders. Granted, that is only 10 percent or so of the dialysis population, but those 10 percent take up 40 percent of your time. Yea, I am out of dialysis, and glad that I am. Please, don't blame the nurse for everything. sometimes you have to look at the chair beside you, or even, God Forbid, in the mirror. Most of you on this board are squared away, responsible, and take responsibility for your actions. But please know that many don't and the nurse has to try to fix a problem for someone that don't care about it themselves. I hope this all makes sense.

[meadowlandsnj]

You will never understand the stress of working in dialysis. 

And you will never understand the stress of being on dialysis. 




EDITED:  Fixed quote tag - Goofynina/Moderator

[Rerun]

Bioya, please understand they are understaffed by choice, not because they can't afford more techs and nurses.  So both the patients and workers should blame the companies, or corporations for bad service.

[Epoman]

You will never understand the stress of working in dialysis. Especially if you work for one of the big companies like FMC or DaVita. The pressure put on you to work fast, cheap, and still give quality care is unreal. They cut staff so that the staff that are there are overworked and don't have time to treat you like a human. If you take more than a set amount of time to put a patient on, you catch hell, if you take more than a set amount of time to get a patient off and another on, you catch hell. If your the RN you are doing med reviews, calling other doctors offices, making appointments for xrays and such, making rounds with the doc, passing meds, answering the techs questions, etc, etc, etc. Please don't say "find another job". Its not that easy for nurses just like its not that easy for you in the private sector to just "find another job". Oh, and lets not forget the non-compliant patient that takes up gobs of your time on a daily basis because they won't adhere to the doctors orders. Granted, that is only 10 percent or so of the dialysis population, but those 10 percent take up 40 percent of your time. Yea, I am out of dialysis, and glad that I am. Please, don't blame the nurse for everything. sometimes you have to look at the chair beside you, or even, God Forbid, in the mirror. Most of you on this board are squared away, responsible, and take responsibility for your actions. But please know that many don't and the nurse has to try to fix a problem for someone that don't care about it themselves. I hope this all makes sense.

Good post Bioya! I have seen first hand some very stressed out techs and nurses. But you got to admit the scheduling is good. most techs I know only work 3 days a week. Unless they really need money and work 2 shifts. But it's nice to have 4 days off.

[angieskidney]

The point I always felt is that they earn money to be there where as I have no choice. And I understand everyone has bad days so I give them more than just one chance .. but repeated things by the same certain people are hard to overlook.

Plus here is a place to speak our mind and post, not to upset nurses and techs.

I don't hate any of my staff. Infact I think most of them are very nice people. Sometimes I just feel misunderstood and disrespected or overlooked..

[bioya]

It is my humble opinion that the US Government should step in and stop the dialysis providers from cutting staffing and services to the dialysis population.   There should be national standards of no more than 3:1 for patient/staff ratios. We need a bunch of politicians or politicians family members to suffer the harsh reality of renal failure, then, maybe, there would be some changes in the US.

SCREW DaVita and their "cost cutting" managers!

[Bajanne]

Maybe this is not the place to put this, but I always wonder.  How come the centres in the Caribbean that I know about (British Virgin Islands, Barbados, St. Lucia) charge between $500 and $320 for a dialysis session and they are using up to date equipment and material which comes from the United States.  There is no reuse in the BVI or in the private clinics in Barbados and St. Lucia.  The care is excellent.  Why does dialysis have to cost so much in the US?  I don't understand it.

[angieskidney]

It is my humble opinion that the US Government should step in and stop the dialysis providers from cutting staffing and services to the dialysis population.   There should be national standards of no more than 3:1 for patient/staff ratios. We need a bunch of politicians or politicians family members to suffer the harsh reality of renal failure, then, maybe, there would be some changes in the US.

SCREW DaVita and their "cost cutting" managers!

I agree, I mean .. how is a nurse to handle someone who falls from being dizzy coming off dialysis when they are short staffed?? Especially in an environment where this can happen??

I am just glad I don't actually have to pay for dialysis in Canada.

[geoffcamp]

I have been to a couple of centers where I have felt the same way!  I have now found a center that is great!  They are most always accommodating for me switching schedules when I have a work project, the staff seems to care and has a lot of experience.  They treat us with respect and are courteous.  But I do hear from the techs that day shift is a whole differant animal.  They say patients hard hard to deal with (they have no understanding of what is going on with their illness and do not even try to learn and get better) so I am told.  Of course on day shift is where most of the elderly and patients in the worst possible conditions are.  They have even separated us into groups of patients the techs use terms like walkie talkies for those of us who are in good physical shape and take an interest in learning and monitoring our condition to make the most of dialysis.  And then they have the patients they consider to be more like baby's.. can not or will not do anything to make their dialysis situation better for themselves and the staff.  I see both sides and have seen many a tech/nurse "burn out".  I went thru about 4 centers before I found this one that treats me with respect and as a person and can be flexable with my schedule.  They actually listen and most do truly care about how your treatment affects your body and try to do the best they can to make dialysis comfortable as well as effective.  I guess I am lucky I found the center I a in now because I have seen the other side and it scared me!  Geoff

[angieskidney]

Ya flexibility is very important in a dialysis unit when it comes to scheduling! I mean, in my case, I was working in a Hot Deli inside a grocery store where I have a union protecting me so I don't get fired. Then with the fistula the medical team told me I can't lift more than 10lbs so I realized I could not work in the same position anymore but still wanted to be in the store with the union. So I changed positions but still work in the store. Now the store is working with me by giving me the same hours so that isn't a problem in my case. But now that I have to change shifts but don't know which one yet (7am or 11am) for buttonhole, I worry about medical appointments that are scheduled but could not be made earlierthat a few months in the future . What happens if I am changed to a new shift and then I saw well that day I can't dialysize at that shift because I already have this one appointment (the appointment can only be on Wed but that is also a dialysis day). I need a dialysis unit that is flexible and thankfully mine IS!

[Panda_9]

Ya flexibility is very important in a dialysis unit when it comes to scheduling! I mean, in my case, I was working in a Hot Deli inside a grocery store where I have a union protecting me so I don't get fired. Then with the fistula the medical team told me I can't lift more than 10lbs so I realized I could not work in the same position anymore but still wanted to be in the store with the union. So I changed positions but still work in the store. Now the store is working with me by giving me the same hours so that isn't a problem in my case. But now that I have to change shifts but don't know which one yet (7am or 11am) for buttonhole, I worry about medical appointments that are scheduled but could not be made earlierthat a few months in the future . What happens if I am changed to a new shift and then I saw well that day I can't dialysize at that shift because I already have this one appointment (the appointment can only be on Wed but that is also a dialysis day). I need a dialysis unit that is flexible and thankfully mine IS!

Why cant you lift more than 10lbs? I lift 10kgs every second night to fill up my dialysate bottle. The surgeon even told me to go and lift weights!

[angieskidney]

Ya flexibility is very important in a dialysis unit when it comes to scheduling! I mean, in my case, I was working in a Hot Deli inside a grocery store where I have a union protecting me so I don't get fired. Then with the fistula the medical team told me I can't lift more than 10lbs so I realized I could not work in the same position anymore but still wanted to be in the store with the union. So I changed positions but still work in the store. Now the store is working with me by giving me the same hours so that isn't a problem in my case. But now that I have to change shifts but don't know which one yet (7am or 11am) for buttonhole, I worry about medical appointments that are scheduled but could not be made earlierthat a few months in the future . What happens if I am changed to a new shift and then I saw well that day I can't dialysize at that shift because I already have this one appointment (the appointment can only be on Wed but that is also a dialysis day). I need a dialysis unit that is flexible and thankfully mine IS!

Why cant you lift more than 10lbs? I lift 10kgs every second night to fill up my dialysate bottle. The surgeon even told me to go and lift weights!

Fistula .. but I think after awhile I can lift heavy crap again. Just don't know how soon. ... can anyone tell me??

[Panda_9]

Oh well yes after surgery its not a good idea. I asked one nurse and she said no (didnt specify time after surgery or anything), and then the surgeon tells me to go and lift weights. So who knows. I lift heavy things, but try not to put too much weight on the fistula side.

[jdat]

It is my humble opinion that the US Government should step in and stop the dialysis providers from cutting staffing and services to the dialysis population.   There should be national standards of no more than 3:1 for patient/staff ratios. We need a bunch of politicians or politicians family members to suffer the harsh reality of renal failure, then, maybe, there would be some changes in the US.

SCREW DaVita and their "cost cutting" managers!

It's all a great idea but that is all very unlikely to ever happen.
As medical practice costs are unregulated I don't see how the field would accept any form of regulation in regards to this.

Do you know if there any other sectors in the medical field that have quality standards similar to what you are suggesting? If so what are they?

It's also very difficult to determine a fixed numeral value to determine a quality standard such as in this case a 1 nurse to 3 patients ratio. Regulation and standardization rules and laws are all a big headache to implement.

[DeLana]

Why is it that most nurses treat you like you are a nobody, like "why are you wasting your time." I go to incenter dialysis every Mon, Wed, Fri, and it seems like we are cattle being herded in and out. They don't seem to care, they just want to get you on and off faster so THEY can go home! Just for once I want someone who treats me like I am a HUMAN and not a steer! I'm sure there has to be nurses who take their job a little more seriously, I mean come on they aren't working at a McDonald's or anything, just show some compassion!

You can't generalize like that.  First, not every worker in a diaysis clinic is a nurse; more likely, those who put you on the machine are techs, not that it makes any difference in they way they should be treating you.  But to get back to the topic, nurses. 

In my 8 years as a nurse I have to say that I have encountered a few who don't deserve the title "nurse"; actually, I wonder why some of them want to work in healthcare - or with patients - at all.  Some of those are "burned out", and it seems that outpatient dialysis attracts more than its share.  Why, I don't know, maybe they think that the pace is slower than at the hospital and then they're surprised when they find out that it isn't?!  

Anyway, I hope you will encounter some caring, compassionate nurses and techs soon; they're out there, but sadly, due to the staffing issues they often don't have the time to really talk to you and make you feel cared for.  But please don't assume that just because the worker(s) don't spend much time talking to you* that they don't care.

Good luck to you, and congratulations on your new baby!

DeLana   

*Sometimes, the only chance I had to actually talk to patients was when the I put them on or took them off the machine. That means I had very little time to spend with the patients not assigned to me that day.

[RichardMEL]

Reading all of this makes me feel quite happy I am where I am. Sounds like a lot of the private stuff in the US is quite poor.

Down here I am outpaitent in hospital hemo unit. I think the staff:paitent ratio is around 2:1 -  but it is only a small unit (10 stations) and everyone is very friendly and caring! They have a sense of humour and are happy to work with your schedule (imagine, I got to move a Saturday afternoon session to a morning so I could go to the footy! I have a good relationship with all the nurses (some more so than others, but you get that) and indeed some if I share something with, such as I'm going to dinner someplace, or something is happening in the family, they will ask next time I see them.. or they ask about my cat, or my brother or whatever. And it helps to be recognised and welcomed when I walk in the door. They know who I am, what station I am on today etc and remember my various problems (eg: cramp, snakey fistula, etc).

I may grumble about some things (the sandwiches! yeouch!) but really the care is first rate. True, I have not been to other places to compare, but I certainly feel everything is done properly and caring.

What's this about reuse?? reuse of WHAT? Nothing is reused in my unit...

I understand it costs the govt $60,000 (AUD) a year/dialysis paitent. I'm glad to be paying taxes to support myself and others in this unfortunate situation!

[Rerun]

Some units "reuse" the dialyzers.  They flush them and pressure test them and the thought is that you get better clearence.  There is a whole topic on this:  http://ihatedialysis.com/forum/index.php?topic=1205.0


What is a "footy"??

[RichardMEL]

Sorry.. "footy" = football, as in Australian Rules (not like that American thing) and not like european football (a.k.a. soccer).

[angieskidney]

Sorry.. "footy" = football, as in Australian Rules (not like that American thing) and not like european football (a.k.a. soccer).

Rugby?