BAITANDSWITCH

Just another day at work, another treachery to deal with.....

I signed up for an ER shift for today. When I get to work, I'm told by the supervisor I'm assigned to the ICU because they have to babysit psych patients who don't have medical clearance to be transferred. GRRRRRRRRRRRR..........

I get in and find that the night shift nurse probably has more loose association and flight of ideas that the patients do. I couldn't get a straight report on my only patient if her life depended on it. Granted, it wasn't anything too critical, not even MONITORED (in the ICU!), but I had to piece the story together by reading the chart so I could at least sound intelligent when the docs came in to do rounds.

The bright spot of the day was that I got to work with another ICU nurse who is extremely personable and very competent. At least I got to help her out a bit with beds, phone calls, walking her patient around, since usually it's just HER in there, no other nurse, no secretary. We even got lunch!! She rants and raves too about how they've turned the unit into a dumping ground for patients nobody wants to take care of and staff that can't function anywhere else. So sad....At least I didn't have to work ALONE, as I originally feared. And my patient was well-behaved, non-demanding and eternally patient.

I just hate the old bait and switch routine.....but it's 8 full hours in the can!