reconfiguration

I nearly lost my position in the "unit reconfiguration" that is taking place. They are taking beds from our unit, the cardio-thoracic surgical stepdown, and beds from next-door neurosurgery, and creating a middle unit for otolaryngology and plastics. The positions on all floors were bid on by seniority, and by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin I managed to grab the very last day/eves spot! I would've cried. Not a single cardio-thoracic nurse volunteered to become a plastics/oto nurse. No thank YOU. This whole split cause us to lose some fantastic nurses, and was just unfair and unpopular all around. Everyone had a stomachache, for weeks.

So it is back to business on my unit of choice. I'm ecstatic even if it means being lowest in seniority. But hey- I wanted to work Christmas anyway. Triple time here I come!

patient stalkers

I took care of a very difficult patient, or should I say a patient with a very difficult family, for two 12 hour days. I bent over backwards to keep the family from going over the edge, and to keep from calling security (as the night shift had done). I went out of my way to deliver on all kinds of bizarre requests, and tiptoed around their ever-changing moods. I was exhausted by the end of those two days, but I was also tired because the family stalked me around floor, trying to convince me to join a Jewish group and go to Israel. I told them several times that I wasn't Jewish, but they didn't believe me. The stalking got out of control, to the point where if I left the conference room they would be standing outside of it, waiting for me.

I spent the next two days at work under an alias, at the opposite side and end of the hall, because they were looking for me. I think I did really good work with them, considering how hostile they were to the rest of the hospital staff, and I'm glad that they liked and trusted me. I also got much closer to the PAs on the cardiac surgery team, and one even gave me a hug at the end of the day and told me I did good work. Still, I'm more than relieved that they'll be gone the next time I go back!