Holding on by a Thread
When my alarm clock starts blasting this ridiculous melody, it takes everything in me to drag myself out of bed. The misery starts the day before when I get a bad attitude late in the evening before my scheduled work day. Once I am in the clinic, something takes over my body and I get this burst of energy when I encounter my first patient. Everything is right with the world again.
The euphoria, however, is always short lived. Sharks can smell fresh blood in the water. Most times I feel like fresh blood in shark infested waters. I will explain that statement later. First, allow me to tell you a little bit about myself. Even though I perform great under pressure, I like to avoid it if at all possible. I enjoy structure. I like to plan ahead. I am easy going and enjoy a stress free environment.
Now back to the "shark" statement. I have mentioned before in a previous blog that when some, not all phone nurses where I work see an empty appointment slot, the feasting begins. The feasting has gotten worse. One phone nurse in particular opened my already fully booked schedule to work-in a patient without consulting me first. On another occasion one of the nurse practitioners told a phone nurse to work-in a patient on my already fully booked schedule without consulting me, when she herself doesn't allow work-ins without consulting her first. I guess in this case, what's good for the goose is not good for the gander. There have been several more incidents but I felt these two were over the top and worth a notable mention.
My point of frustration is the lack of respect for our profession and me as a provider. These individuals would never try this with a physician. The mere fact that I have completed a nurse practitioner's program and passed my certification exam should afford me a little higher respect than a regular staff employee. Am I expecting too much? Is this the way it is and I have been sheltered?
I personally know nurse practitioners who are happy and fulfilled with their choice of profession. Therefore, I know it is possible but I am just not feeling it.