Nurse Jobs London

Last weekend started with a thud as I got pulled. Now, according to our manager, we are not supposed to take an assignment if we are pulled, only float, doing admissions, IVs, whatever. I told the staffing person that, but was informed that I *would* take an assignment as she “had a desperate need for nurses on that unit.” I was further threatened that if I refused the manager would call the administrator on call (the subtext being that my contract would be canceled). So I went on up there and it was the usual disaster you walk into when being pulled.

It wasn’t that I had a huge number of patients.actually there were only 3 and an empty bed.but the floor was barely controlled chaos. It looked like everyone up there was a traveler with the exception of one LPN, and a traveler was in charge. No clerical person whatever (well, I’m used to that now). Oh yeah.and after I got situated I found that there were *two* other RNs working as CNAs. Well, one left at 11, but still, how did someone who’s used to that floor get to do that, and I had to take patients? Also, there was a CNA who was working extra hours as a sitter, yet he was hauled out of his patient’s room and told to do vitals, etc. I found that out when I went to put a patient’s oxygen apparatus on her, found her wet from neck to shoulders, and was told by her nurse (who seemed to be busy chatting with a couple of people from another floor), “Just get K to help you.” K and I cleaned her up and changed the bed, and that nurse never showed up in the patient’s room at all.

My own patients weren’t too bad, actually, a couple of pulmonary types, one with a sitter, the other just as pleasant a guy as most chronic lungers *aren’t*. The third was a fresh post-op who’d had a radical resection for prostate cancer. He was also Hispanic and I was told had minimal English. He arrived shortly after I did along with an Anglo couple who may be neighbors or employers or some such. He later told me the man was “the best friend I ever have in this life.” He actually spoke more English than he’d been given credit for, and I think understood more than he spoke. I have a similar situation with Spanish, so between his pidgin English and my pidgin Spanish we did quite well. He was a *very* busy patient with frequent vital signs, a catheter that wasn’t draining quite as much as I’d have liked, and a wound drain that was draining far more, IV fluids and antibiotics, pain medications, etc. I was in his room at least 4 times an hour, or so it seemed. He was a very pleasant gentleman and really quite nice-looking for his age.in another situation I might have given him more than a passing glance. In any case, that night ended in a manner quite unlike most. First, the atypical chronic lunger asked for his anti-nausea pill and yet another cup of coffee, and when I brought them, he said, “I appreciate all y’all do for me.” Then, as I was finishing up in my surgery patient’s room and started to leave, he smiled at me and said, “Thank you for taking such good care of me.” Good heavens, appreciation from not one, but TWO patients? Unheard of.and worth far more than bonus pay.

The next two nights it was back to my own unit, and business as usual. Now I’m coming up on the pre-holiday weekend, and also scheduled to work Christmas Eve. Most places don’t work their travelers on holidays because they have to pay them too much. This place won’t be like that because it basically runs on travelers. In fact, I heard from travelers in my unit who worked Thanksgiving that the hospital put their regular folks on call and yanked the travelers around everywhere. It figures.

Countdown to the end in progress.17 shifts to go.