Team, What's That?

If you're a nurse, you know that working as a team is essential in every way. My endeavors at my current facility began with a wonderful team. Everything flowed easily and we could tell when someone needed help before they were swamped. Everyone pitched in to help each other. I thought this was a dream job....but of course, when things are running like a well oiled machine, some a**hole just has to mess with it.

So, things changed quickly. Management, in an attempt to "make things better" started making changes without talking to most of the staff members.

Here's my thoughts on that:

1. Okay, maybe I don't have a right to know what changes are going on and why they are being made, but...man, it makes me a hell of a lot more likely to be on board.

2. People that are being demoted or pulled to the sister unit feel like they are being punished for something that isn't being addressed. Even if you tell me I'm not being punished, until you tell me what's going on, I'm going to feel that way, just like anyone else who cares about their job.

3. Are you not telling me what's going on because you have no clue? Are you just working with some random mathematical matrix or are you making decisions based on performance, support and need? Without an explanation, it makes most of the staff feel like you are not only incompetent, but it makes you look like a freaking idiot who does not need to be in the position that you are in, whether or not it is the case.

So...due to these changes, most of my co-workers have been on edge to say the least. Unfortunately, we are also entering the summer season, which means that we are having our hours cut back because our census' are low. Can we add more stress to the already stressed nurses please.....ugh.

The unit I am currently on is one of the most stressful to work, no doubt. But the nurses make it so much harder on themselves. If one nurse is drowning, the rest of them watch as she goes down alone. There is NO teamwork. It seems like none of them have even heard of the word "team". So it's horrible to work a shift, if you can imagine.

I have no problem helping others even if I'm "in the weeds". But if I'm just wasting time I could be using to catch myself up, what's the point? I don't know what to do in this situation, because I refuse to become one of "those" nurses. The nurse that only watches out for herself, treats her patients like sh*t, and pretty much comes to work only to pick up a check. I am terrified that someday I could become "that" nurse. I try to do everything in my power to counteract the thoughts that I encounter that make me want to become "that" nurse, because it's the easy way out.

How can you be in the business of people and not be a team? Isn't that a preposterous idea? How can I even rebuild a team, if there was no team to start with? How do I interest selfish people to act together for the good of not only themselves, but their co-workers and MOST importantly, their patients?

Maybe I can't do this alone, but I am determined to try...for one person cannot save the world. But I'd like to be part of the team that can.

-Gray