tired (correction - major complaint session)
... but only working 55-60hr/wk, which is not much, considering my counterparts in the states and uk do 80-90hr/wk.most of the tiredness is a result of stress caused by the inefficiency of the hospital system:
- nurses having a low thresh-hold of calling us up for little things, so that they can pass on the buck and document "RMO informed" ~ once was even told by one that this way she'd have her arse (*whoops is that a swear word??) to which i replied "who'd cover mine?"
- people (generally nurses') tendency to page you and RUN (thus no one answering when u call back) ~ i now only let it ring 6 times and hang up if no one picks up. if it's urgent, they're ring back. i get countless pages per day, often in the middle of seeing a patient (having pulled them up from the bed to listen to their back, while risking my back; or in the middle of a putting a needle in someone). i don't have the time to wait for them to answer.
- not being able to find the nurses to verbally ask them to do something (cos documenting in the notes isn't enuf, cos while nurses document extensively to cover their asses in the notes, a lot don't read anything from the notes), only to find that they're at their break. Let me tell u, there's something even more certain than DEATH and TAXES, it's NURSES and THEIR BREAKS!
ok, i'm sorry (to nurses and my non-nursing readers). this is not meant to be a complaint session about nurses, but they do cause me so much frustration and stress.
right, i was talking about the SYSTEM. the system's just inefficient. so much calling around to find the right people/department, running around to use a fax machine/photocopier/printer, lining up to get to the computer and when it's your turn, bashing the keyboard to get to the blood test results, running around looking for bed-side charts. OK, these sound trivial and are probably common in other workplaces, but patient-care is direct affected cos of the time and enegery we spend doing all the above. I've worked at several non-hospital settings before and not found one as inefficient as a hospital.
ah, i feel so much better now. guess i was just more frustrated than tired.
One positive thing at work: i love attending meetings. teaching sessions are precious. complaint sessions/meetings are golden (we get to tell the hospital administration where the problems are and suggest ways to fix them).
to be continued...
posted by zhinger @ 9:42 pm
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