December 2005

Whoopee and so forth.

Am off to bed early, very early, start tomorrow.

May everyone’s year be better than any previous.

Mental

Consider this an extension of how not to retain staff

Well the new place looks like it will be ok. I had an induction day to start with. Got introduced to the staff, shown round the building, given standard fire lectures etc. Given a general run down of the the day to day unit routine, introduced to some of the residents.

On the whole I was quite impressed.

Then I was told about my new uniform.

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Merry Christmas to you all. Season’s Greetings etc.

Mental.

Hello. I’m going to start with more general stuff. Most of this will be aimed at more systemic things rather than just the personal problems that convinced me my last job was not where I wanted to be.

Most of this will be aimed at The Management, sorry Julie, for the porpoises of argument management will be deemed as Charge Nurse / Ward Manager / Matron / Sister and above. Whatever your title is if you are the highest authority on the ward you are probably the bottom end of management. Also when looking up from the bottom you can often appear to be one large homogeneous blob.

So here goes.

1. Banish The Blame Culture

If you work somewhere where the comment;

Mental: I can’t do that because I’ll get into trouble with …

is heard too often there is possible a culture of blame. Too much of that and staff become demotivated and willing to experiment and try new (or old) things which may benefit the lives of clients. Simply for fear of ‘getting into trouble‘. It does not matter whether the nurse actually will get into trouble, the fear is the blocking factor.

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Well that is it. Have just worked my last shift. I will be unemployed until
after Christmas. Then I will be starting a wonderful new life in nursing
home nursing.

That makes my career to date :

1. 3 Years as a project 2000 student

2. 19 Months working in acute mental health nursing

3. About four and a half years working in a community residential project. Which could be described as very slow rehab.

4. About six months in hospital ward based dementia care.

I find it a little strange that I lasted longer in acute, as a young innocent new nurse, than I lasted in elderly hospital care.

I will post about my most recent job at some point in the next few days. Then some months down the line I will probably post again in a more balanced way

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My computer has died on me three times today. Complete screen locks requiring a reset. My cat is in the huff with me. He has no forgiveness for being put in a cattery and fed a healthy diet. I’m addicted to stupid number puzzles. All the light bulbs in my living room have popped, I forgot to nip to the shops and get some more. Plainly my non-existent household god is in the huff. Everyone I know (well some people) are suffering various crises, death, mayhem and illnesses. Generally not having much fun.

On the up side as my mother used to say:

Mental’s Mummy: Worse things happen at sea you know !

Well that makes me feel much better

Being in this state of mind I am going to put some Nick Cave on the Hi-Fi and write up a half formed idea that has been floating round my head.

You are not going to like it and I suggest you read no further.

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On the way home I looked out the window and thought:

Mental (inside brain): Oh look at that ! A field of tiny sheep !

I mentally listed what I had got up to on holiday.

1.

Conversation where I avoided mentioning just what kind of nurse I am.

Check.

Because every year I have this conversation; then the following statement is made:

Conversee: I don’t know how you can work with those kind of people.

That gives me a headache.

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Happily enjoying our holiday in the land of the ’slow children’. The locals seem to have no shame about their children, at least they had a very big sign at the side of the road announcing it to the world.

I suppose if the sign said ‘Danger, Slow Children‘ we would have to drive through extra fast.

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Off on holiday.

My poor kitten ( about five years old ) has been stuffed in a box and given to a cat hotel to look after.

Will have very limited Internet access for next while.

Job hunting seems to be going well. Downside is I am having to look outside the NHS

If I make it back alive will be back in about a week and a half.

Much love to Cat.

Mental