Need advice before I throw in the towel

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

Sal the 1st — Wed, 04 Oct 2017 09:49:09 GMT

[quote user="Frances Bell"]

Standards can't be too high

[/quote]

disagree with this - ie if somebody has been working in say a referral practice and then goes to work at a first opinion practice then things are going to be very different. The standard of animal care should still be high but the way it is delivered may differ appreciably.

You also have to consider the practice itself - if it is made up of people who have been qualified for a long time and they have a set way of doing things (and often very good reasons you may not even be aware of for doing things a certain way) then you do need to take that into consideration. There are ways and means of introducing new learning and differing methods into practice and some of it might take a little time but so many times I have seen people newly qualified that walk in with the attitude 'that's not what they said at college' and what they have been taught at college and what happens in the real world has little resemblance - but just because it doesn't that doesn't mean that particular practice has poor standards. It is the practice as a whole that sets a standard - not an individual (unless it happens to be the boss). To me this is where much of the dissatisfaction stems from in some nurses - not being able to impose what they feel is right over what the practice feels is right.

I do agree with the too lazy part of the statement tho and that is another story

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

Gizmo — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 21:19:40 GMT

Standards can't be too high but people can be too lazy to be the best they can. Definitely not giving up - haven't yet found a clinic or rescue centre where everyone has the same "ceiling" but working on it. I just want to serve the animals.

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

sarahkat — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 21:12:30 GMT

Please don't give up!! I too felt like you, I also got told my standards were too high. How can your standards be too high??!!??

I left and am now very much appreciated in my new practice.

"Remember some peoples ceilings are other peoples floors"

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

Gizmo — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 16:49:28 GMT

I've also been in the position of being the only one providing true gold standard care, with no-one who was in a position to better things willing to listen or act, and had the same issues of feeling guilty and extremely worried about what would happen to the animals I "abandoned". In the end it became a moral and ethical dilemma and, although it's a very tough choice, I had to leave for the sake of my own sanity.

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

VetNurse Anon a/c — Sun, 10 Sep 2017 13:00:17 GMT

[quote user="Wildlife Nurse"]

I've been in the same position before. It was very difficult leaving my patients behind by moving on, but I tried and tried to get things to change. In the end just couldn't deal with being the only one and it was affecting my own mental health.

I don't believe anyone's standards can be too high. Striving to work at our best should be in the RVN nature in my opinion. I would treat my patients the same as I would my own pets. I moved into referral late July and absolutely love that the standards are through the roof, it's amazing.

Look around, go for interviews, if nothing else you get a sneaky peak! I'm a fan of trial days too, so always ask. There is no harm in looking around, see how other places work, even if you then decide to stay put.

Feel free to message me if you want to know about the leap into referral, more than happy to talk about my experience :)

[/quote]

thank you! Will have a look and see what's out there in my area.....

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

VetNurse Anon a/c — Sun, 10 Sep 2017 12:58:50 GMT

[quote user="WelshyNurse"]

Just to look at it from another angle, you say you've spoken to management before? How did you approach them? Did you have a rant or explain why you had concerns?

[/quote]i didn't rant and calmly explained my concerns. Some of the other staff had been and said the same things to them but their response is always the same - we provide gold standard care and there aren't any issues and it's the person who brings things to their attention that is the problem!

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

Alison Clare Hickman — Sun, 10 Sep 2017 12:51:09 GMT

Cannot guarantee standards are higher at Referral but, in my experience, most usually they are. I have worked in orthopaedic referral and standards were absolutely far higher from ALL aspects but especially (from a hospital nursing point of view) vastly superior with regard to environmental cleaning routines and monitoring and patient monitoring (round the clock awake nurse presence). No way a patient would be left for a minute in a soiled kennel.

Having said this, I have also worked at SA non referral and standards equal to above.

I am meticulously, scrupulously a clean-freak with my patients comfort and stress-free stay in hospital a top priority. Have also been told my standards were too high at one practice. Have also been told they were exactly right and what was required at another (not referral).

Summary: find the practice you fit into if you cannot change for the better the one you are in.

Having said this, WelshyNurse has a very good point to make, Imo. How you approach an issue will influence the response and support (or lack of). And. Having said this... Even if you get a positive and supportive response, it depends if you have enough reserves left yourself to work the changes required...

I come back to the thought that it ain't selfish to support yourself first and foremost; because, if *you* crumble you're no good to beast nor man anyway..

Take good care of yourself and then look to caring for your patients, wherever they are. If you have both, marvellous, that's the gold standard.

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

Wildlife Nurse — Sun, 10 Sep 2017 12:41:05 GMT

Feel free to message me if you want to know about the leap into referral, more than happy to talk about my experience :)

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

WelshyNurse — Sun, 10 Sep 2017 12:20:51 GMT

Just to look at it from another angle, you say you've spoken to management before? How did you approach them? Did you have a rant or explain why you had concerns?

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

VetNurse Anon a/c — Sun, 10 Sep 2017 12:17:05 GMT

[quote user="fairy"]

You should feel proud that you have your own extremely high personal standards and you should find somewhere that will match your nursing care requirements. You will be much happier. I would suggest not rushing the decision of the place you choose to work. It has to be right for you, otherwise you will be in the same situation.

Good luck and keep fighting for your patients.

[/quote]

ive been told by my boss that my standards are too high!! is that even possible! Surely everyone should be continually striving to do the best for the inpatients?

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

VetNurse Anon a/c — Sun, 10 Sep 2017 12:15:20 GMT

Yeah,it's such a big decision that I'd definitely want to do a trial before I committed myself.

Does a practice being a referral centre necessarily mean the nursing standards will be high?

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

Scottywildcat — Sun, 10 Sep 2017 11:52:18 GMT

[quote user="VetNurse Anon a/c"]

[quote user="Scottywildcat"]

As frustrating as it is some people really don't give a crap and there's nothing you can do other than concentrate on being the best you can be and even picking up the pieces of their mess because the only ones who really suffer is the patients

[/quote]

Im also tired of picking up the pieces,as I've enough to do doing my own job let alone other people's too

[/quote]

I don't blame you for feeling like that, there's nothing worse than working with people like you describe and seeing them get away with it time and time again. But unless you are their boss what can you do about it? Makes me so angry that there are people like that in practice and yet its so bloody hard to get a job as an unqualified nurse, even though there are people out there ( including myself ) who would never have such poor standards of care as your colleagues do. How???

I agree your needs and happiness have to come first, although I wouldn't necessarily assume another practice will be better, perhaps you could go in for a day see how they work? Best of luck whatever you decide!

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

Alison Clare Hickman — Sun, 10 Sep 2017 10:30:52 GMT

Spot on fairy

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

fairy — Sun, 10 Sep 2017 08:29:16 GMT

Good luck and keep fighting for your patients.

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

Alison Clare Hickman — Sat, 09 Sep 2017 16:58:40 GMT

i agree with you Anon... Only so much hard work you can do alone to uphold standards. It is no doubt with despair you are having to consider leaving patients to the lacklustre ministrations of the nursing team where you are currently employed. But. Yea. There comes the time when you have to think about yourself and *this* sounds like it is it for you.

Onwards admirable RVN, onwards. Xx

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

VetNurse Anon a/c — Sat, 09 Sep 2017 15:17:31 GMT

[quote user="Scottywildcat"]

[/quote]

Im also tired of picking up the pieces,as I've enough to do doing my own job let alone other people's too

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

VetNurse Anon a/c — Sat, 09 Sep 2017 15:15:22 GMT

Thanks guys. I've often wondered how these people keep their jobs working as they do. I had a prime example last night - I was discharging a cat and saw another had had a poo on his bed so I asked one of the auxiliaries to clean it for me as I was busy with the discharge and they'd already been waiting a while.....I came back after discharging the cat and what a surprise but the cat was still sat there with poo on his bed! I was really angry, the aux came to apologise for not doing it (no excuse as to why she hadn't) and I said it needed doing when I'd asked her as he'd since trampled the poo in his bed,I wasn't impressed at all. I ended up doing it myself as per.

ive had a quick look and there is a referral centre near to me that's advertising so I might enquire.

Given that approaching management isn't an option and its not my place to speak to members of staff about their work (unless I witness something that causes harm or is dangerous) I'm kinda at a loss of how to improve things. I've tried introducing protocols for feeding and rabbit and guinea pig care as I've got further qualifications in this area and things have improved there but it's at the point where the simple things seem to have to be spelt out or they don't get done.

yes I agree that if I were to leave I'd be worrying about the inpatients but that's no reason to stay somewhere really is it. I don't feel like I'm doing anything special other than giving them the care they deserve. I mean using the above example - is this how the aux would treat her own cat???

I really like the majority of the vets and they are really knowledgeable but things may change in the future given the amount of locums we've had recently.....

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

Scottywildcat — Sat, 09 Sep 2017 12:56:55 GMT

How do these people even manage to get jobs in the first place, or more to the point why do they even want to work in a vets when they care so little about their patients they wouldn't even give the basic level of care. Please don't throw in the towel, the profession needs nurses like you, the animals need nurses like you, can you imagine how much worse things would be at your practice if you leave? As frustrating as it is some people really don't give a crap and there's nothing you can do other than concentrate on being the best you can be and even picking up the pieces of their mess because the only ones who really suffer is the patients.

Don't let the bxxxxxxs get you down!

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

Tania Ford — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 20:58:00 GMT

And you 'try' very well. You are truly a wonderful advocate for the profession, so don't do yourself down ❤️

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

Alison Clare Hickman — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 19:00:42 GMT

Aw, ta... #embarrassed ... I try!

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

Tania Ford — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 18:03:22 GMT

[quote user="Alison Clare Hickman"]PM me if you want to have a rant in private... Happy to listen.[/quote]

I would defo PM Ali, as she is AMAZING and has helped me A LOT recently - and helped put the smile back on my face again

Peace, love and lots of giggles xx

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

Tania Ford — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 18:00:03 GMT

[quote user="VetNurse Anon a/c"]I've been there 3 years and the thought of leaving scares me a bit tbh as the grass isn't always greener and all that.[/quote]

No as you say 'the grass isn't always greener', but you may just find it a little better grown and mown, so don't stay where the grass is definitely dead for the sake of it x

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

Alison Clare Hickman — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 17:21:39 GMT

hi, I agree with everything Tania Ford says. Maybe we could break this down into two simple options?

1. Strive to lead by example and raise your concerns with management. Standards should be maintained both for patient welfare and your satisfaction.

2. Decide to look for a practice that holds standards equal to or greater than yours.

Which option do *you* think is most achievable and will ultimately lead to a happier nurse?

Strength of your convictions needs to be applied. You are clearly a great nurse and would be a loss to our profession if you left.

I know how you are feeling though. Been there, done that. I tried 1. Worked at one practice; failed at another. Did 2. Referral orthopaedic. Wonderful! Ah, I met totally like-minded fellow professionals. #suitsmesir! #cleaningfrenzy #patientcomforttoppriority

Have a think. Be brave. Use your skills and standards to find a way.

PM me if you want to have a rant in private... Happy to listen. Also happy to help you find a way thru this.

Peace, love and asepsis.

Ali h

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

VetNurse Anon a/c — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 16:56:50 GMT

I've spoken to management in the past but as they do with everyone who brings something to their attention it gets turned around so you are made out to be the bad guy and we don't have a head nurse but I really wish we did as then there would be someone on the ground witnessing where the issues are but they've never had one and don't intend to unfortunately.

I've been there 3 years and the thought of leaving scares me a bit tbh as the grass isn't always greener and all that.

RE: Need advice before I throw in the towel

Tania Ford — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 16:07:28 GMT

I have worked in practices where I have felt exactly the same :( Unfortunately not everyone works to the same standards and its very sad when you see things being neglected. Even though you say management aren't worth speaking to, I would put your concerns forward, as although you say it wont make any difference - but if they don't know, then they cant put it right. Do you not have a head nurse you can talk to, or are they part of the problem? If you work for a corporate, is there someone higher up the ladder that you can bring this matter to their attention? If you really do not think things will change, unfortunately I think that you will need to move on and try to find another practice with high standards like yourself.

If nursing is a vocation for you (like myself), please do not give up and leave the profession. We need people like you to keep fighting for better standards of care. Im sure there are plenty of practices out there looking for someone just like you! Good nurses are so hard to find these days, that it would be such a shame to just give up because of one practices poor decisions :( Keep going girl - we need you! xx