To think im being unfairly treated at work? (Nursing)

[BlackAppleCore]

Been in current role (ward nurse) for a few weeks doing one or two shifts a week. This is a totally different role to what I'm used to as I've only ever worked as a community nurse before. The staff on the ward are aware of this. The reason I was supposedly sent to this ward is that they apparently have great teacher trainers and I'd learn lots with lots of support.

I soon learnt that the ward is horrendous. It's massively understaffed, very complex and nobody wants to work there so they struggle to recruit or maintain staff. I now believe this to be the real reason I was sent there.

Anyway I can't do IV medication so the idea was they would train me in this and various other ward related nursing. Since starting however I have been to feel stupid and incompetent from other nurses and auxiliaries. I am constantly given patients on IV treatment and get arsey responses whenever I ask another staff member to help me with this meaning my patients are enduring big delays (hours) in getting their treatment. I've had comments such as "you can't even do IVs? Thought you were qualified?!" Etc.

Yesterday was horrendous. This one male nurse has taken a dislike to me and seemed to be going out of his way to make things difficult. Yesterday I was literally drowning in work, constant phone calls for me, poorly patients, doctors giving me jobs and missing medication. This male nurse was constantly asking why I'd not done this and not done that, huffing and puffing, barking instructions at me and sent me down to ground floor of hospital (from 7th) three times in a row for something I'd been told already was simply not available.

Back on the ward whenever I had an IV to do he barked at me to mix it up so he could administer it but I don't have a fucking clue what I'm doing and it's dangerous. With one particular med he barked at me to mix (for example) 50mls of dextrose with 2g insulinS in phosphate etc etc and I didn't know what he was on about but became too scared to ask him meaning I was stood in the treatment room looking like a moron seriously considering just walking out and giving up my pin. He came back in, asked if I'd be done it and then huffed and puffed saying he'd do it himself and I could "write on the label". Half the time I'm asked to mix stuff up and then nobody checks what I've done, just scribble their signature and then go and administer it. I'm terrified I'm going to kill someone. Yesterday I had two hours left of my shift and I was asked to catheterise someone, do an ECG, had loads of IV treatment left to do, observations on 10 patients, a full drugs round and THEN this bloke threw a load of paperwork at me and told me I needed to do an admission. This takes an hour at least.

I'm drowning and there is no support. Just sighing, dangerous attitudes and off hand comments constantly not to mention the sideways glancing and expectations to "mix up drugs" when I have no idea what I'm doing.

AIBU to go to the manager and tell her this isn't working? I don't want to go back.

Agree you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.

But if there is a patient safety issue on your section and you haven't raised it, you'll be crucified. You need to tell someone that your lack of IV training is causing these serious delays. Then the onus is on them to either move you to a different ward, train you immediately, or supply another nurse on your section. But at least you've raised it.

I understand how stressful a ward setting can be if you haven't had experienced in some years and how other stressed staff can make you feel but you are quite right - the most important thing is here, that you are quite literally putting lives very real risk.
Follow the advice given up thread and make sure everything you say to the ward sister is followed up with an email along the lines of "further to our conversation this morning where I told you x and you acknowledged y I am happy we agreed z. I look forward to this action taking place by blah because blah."

Oh crap I'm a nurse and this reminds me of my first ward as a newly qualified.
You need to speak to your manager say staff are trying to make you do things beyond your limits and your scared of losing your pin. At least when they ask you to do things you can say your manager has told you not to and you'll have a bit more authority behind you.
If I were you I'd move wards or hospitals to be honest. I moved to an excellent teaching hospital that was well staffed rated excellent by cqc move back to community or to a day case ward.

This is a cultural issue on this ward and not your fault at all. You need to be brave and speak to the ward manager prior to your next shift. You are being very sensible by saying you are not competent in this skill, I work in the community but there are always skills you maybe havnt used for a while, have never done or dont feel confident in doing and I would always ask a colleugue to accompany/teach me in these instances to safeguard myself and the patient.

I think people forget that nursing is so specialised now in each area and things change so quickly that its impossible to remain competent in every skill throughout your career, let alone keep up with new pathways, policies etc.

Please confidently speak up, you are absolutely in the right here. As for those who say they feel for the other staff - they are working dangerously, against thier own code of conduct and on a human level being unsympathetic and unhelpful to a member of staff who given a few days of help could be an effective and useful member of the team. Hope things get better for you x

The NMC code states that nurses are to only carry out tasks they are competent to do and work within their boundaries. If you've been in the community medication skills can become rusty so its not unreasonable for you to need refresher training and support with IVs. People think that qualifieds can carry out all tasks but that's not true if they haven't worked in particular areas before. You need an urgent meeting with your line manager, with a union rep. If you're not part of a union join today, I think all nurses need that protection, we are very vulnerable in today's workplace. You need to outline all that's happening and have this documented that your ward is putting you and patients in an unsafe position. They need to support you or transfer you to somewhere more appropriate. I wouldn't also sign for a medication or drug that I myself haven't mixed or administered so please be aware of that, if a fatal error occurs, its against your name and pin number. Good luck

Can I ask what capacity you've been 'sent' to the ward? Was there a competency issue in your previous environment? I ask because your expectation of this placement seems entirely different to the staff (twats) you're working with.

From their POV are you an extra pair of hands to help who has then shown up unable to actually help? But from your POV you've needed mentoring in a few areas and have gone there to be assisted with this?

You need supporting more that's clear. But, you also need your big girl pants here. Are there no students or HCAs working alongside you to assist with your obs etc?
Sadly the calls/jobs/paperwork is representative of most ward areas these days hence our rabid anti Tory campaigning
Delegation is key on wards.
You must have had great time management to work out in the community so you CAN do this. Don't let your confidence go completely. Tell the horrid nurse politely but firmly you do not do IVs until such a time that you're safe to.
He is not worth your PIN-seriously. Get straight to the Ward Manager and request an urgent meeting.
Were you given a mentor/person to contact? If no joy - matron.
Don't panic - you can sort this

I remember DD being in hospital once on I/Vs and a Non-invasive ventilator. She was is a side room. They allocated a nurse to her room who could not do I/Vs nor did he know how the ventilator worked. (it was a respiratory ward). Sometimes I think ward managers just make things difficult for themselves. I also experienced an agency nurse who couldn't do I/Vs and who having promised a number of times that she would get them, they never materialised - presumably due to a similar culture that you have experienced OP.

Worried about a previous poster who stated she had mixed iv meds as a student. If you don't mix them yourself, you don't give them.

Op, you need to get off that ward fast. There will be a reason they ar short staffed, it's the toxic environment. See the ward manager, matron and back your meeting up with a follow up e-mail.

This is what you need to do:

1. Print out a copy of the IV drug policy.

1. Highlight where it says untrained staff cannot mix IVs unless under supervision.

1. Take it to the ward sister immediately, sit down and point to your highlighted section, telling her that you are being asked to do this repeatedly, and are uncomfortable with complying.

1. Make a list of all the things you've asked to do in the last half an hour.

1. Make a list of all the bullying remarks you are at the receiving end of.

1. Ask for her help in navigating this, and a new clinical area that you are unfamiliar with.

It's such a shame that people are so unsupported like this. I've been innocent scenery, staff nurse, senior staff nurse, acting sister, and so I've seen a lot of practice, both good and bad, and this is absolutely illegal and unsafe for both you and your patients.

Apologies for the Siri fail! Should have checked. This is how it should read:

"This is what you need to do:

1. Print out a copy of the IV drug policy.

1. Highlight where it says untrained staff cannot mix IVs unless under supervision.

1. Take it to the ward sister immediately, sit down and point to your highlighted section, telling her that you are being asked to do this repeatedly, and are uncomfortable with complying.

1. Make a list of all the things you were asked to do in the last half an hour.

1. Make a list of all the bullying remarks you are at the receiving end of.

1. Ask for her help in navigating this, a new clinical area that you are unfamiliar with.

It's such a shame that people are so unsupported like this. I've been a nursing auxiliary, staff nurse, senior staff nurse, acting sister, and so I've seen a lot of practice, both good and bad, and this is absolutely illegal and unsafe for both you and your patients."

Thanks for the replies. I was trying to keep the OP short but basically I went straight into community nursing from university so have never mixed IVs, let alone administered them. I left my community job due to the shift patterns but remained on the 'bank' with them meaning I'm doing 2/3 community shifts a week. It's a lovely job however I thought to increase work availability and increase on my skills and knowledge I should try getting work in the acute trust so I joined the NHS 'bank' too. I explained my concerns about lack of ward experience to my manager who said it would be a good idea to place me on a specific ward where I could be trained up on drug rounds (baring in mind I'd never even done that before!), IVs and other acute skills. They then sent me to this god awful ward where I soon learnt that I'd been sent there as no other nurses would work there. On my very first day I was handed the keys to the drug trolley and told to crack on. I explained that I'd not been signed off with medications but was told "you have now". I was signed off on every thing in the steps program in my first week with next to no supervision.

Last week I was told I'll be signed off on IVs this week despite the fact that I've had NO training or supervion on IVs. I don't even know how to work the infusion machines as nobody has shown me.

The sister of the ward isn't bothered, she keeps asking me to book shifts on there every week. I'm basically just making the numbers up.

This male nurse didn't even have his own patients yesterday, he was co-ordinating which means he's supposed to help out on the ward where needed. I didn't have a break yesterday, I went from 6am until 4pm with nothing to eat or drink (I lie, I sat on the toilet with a bottle of water at 1pm as I was starting to feel dizzy and faint) yet this male nurse had two breaks in this time.

HCAs are no longer allowed to do obs.

Seriously - whistle blow - the nhs has procedures for this - your ward are endangering lives.

Request a meeting with your ward sister again but with representation. Email a numbered list of your concerns in advance to the charge nurse and whoever else is appropriate. If you make no progress follow the whistleblower route.
Poor you, this must be incredibly difficult and stressful, however this
ward is dangerous and the leadership is nonexistent.

This is why I am no longer a nurse. Wrong on every level.

If at all possible whistleblow. There will be a policy. It will probably mean you won't be able to work there any more but what are the other options? Leaving? Killing someone?

Go above ward manger. Go to hospital head of nursing. Involve HR.
Good luck. It can be an impossible job and I feel for you.

Wow. You go to your manager and say whistleblow. You give them the opportunity to either place you in a more supportive environment to train or you leave. You have your shifts on community to fall back on and there are plenty of jobs about at the moment ( you don't have to stay in them forever), you are risking your pin, patients and your own mental health.

I'm presuming the trust has a mandatory training programme for new Nurse's? Usually class and simulation based. You need to enquire about this. Do they also have a clinical tutor who can come and observe you on drugs round/ IV administration to save the ward staff time.
Forgive me if I'm being naive, I work in a large trust and the above is routine.

Are HCAs no longer allowed to do obs because mistakes keep happening I wonder?

If your ward manager doesn't care then you need to speak to the matron/lead nurse.

You can't competent at IVs without actually having done them.

in the trust i worked for we had to do a medication management mandatory training whereby we had to sit an exam and also we had to be observed doing a drug round [i, had been doing them for about 15 years at this point but that was a whole different issue] is there nothing like this in the trust you work for op?

If you're working on the ward as a bank nurse can you not stop going to that particular ward and go to another one? Speak with the bank and explain to them why you no longer wish to work there and the same with the ward sister.

You don't need to be signed off on medications for the drug round, as long as you're qualified you can do the drug rounds, just use your BNF to keep yourself right. As for IV drug training you need to go on a course, usually one day, the morning is theory and a test, afternoon is usually practice of drawing up then you're given a book which you need to complete. You need supervision of drawing up and making up various drugs and the staff member supervising has to sign you off, once complete you send it back and get your certificate.

You're right to refuse, you're putting your registration and patients at risk by doing a task you're not competent in

Ps once you do whistle blow you have certain legal protections

If you're bank you don't have to work on that ward, you can refuse. Some bank staff are very specific about where they work!

www.gov.uk/whistleblowing/what-is-a-whistleblower

Please go and see the ward manager. If they are unhelpful escalate it to their manager. This is unsafe practice and if anything goes wrong it will be you that is accountable.
I have been in this situation and it is so demoralising and upsetting. Nip it in the bud, you don't deserve to be treated like this. Good luck

So are you still working in the community then and this is just a bank job? You can pick and choose what areas to work in then.

Sorry just read your doing bank shifts. I've worked on the nurse bank in the past and had some god awful experiences. There are wards I have refused to step foot on because of the awful work culture.
Can you request a different ward/area to do regular shifts on?
Your right, this ward won't give a shit about you. Its just about numbers. Talk to the nurse bank manager and arrange a different area or think about a permanent job somewhere.
You need a supportive environment if it's about experience so don't put up with it.
I work in a lovely area now with amazing staff and feel so much happier. Xxx

Next time you're booked in for bank just say you're not working there. Ask to go elsewhere.

I have to be brutally honest, as a nurse it's really unhelpful if a bank nurse can't do anything as you're essentially doing two people's work. I would never object to having to do someone's IV's though and would never make someone do it who wasn't able, that's unsafe.