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  • Give the nurses gifts, but not the techs

    If this is normal, then forgive my posting. I heard this from my mom. She works as a technician in her department, and this week is being dubbed "Nurses Week," during which time, everyone in the department has to cough up five bucks to put toward giving all the nurses gift cards.

    Good for them. I know nurses don't have gravy jobs. But do the technicians get a week for themselves with gift cards bought by the rest of the staff? Nope. The technicians are just the scum of the departments and they can all go suck a bag of dicks if they expect gifts.

    I think if they're not going to give everybody pats on the back for their work efforts, then no one should get them. Everybody works hard there, not just the nurses.

  • #2
    Is it compulsory to give up part of your wage for other employees? That's disturbing if true, and a guilt trip if it's not the case.

    Rapscallion

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    • #3
      I don't know what kind of technician your mom is, but my bf is an X-ray technologist and it's pretty much the same deal (except I'm not sure if there is a nurses week here, he hasn't mentioned it if there is), but the nurses get way more attention on them than they should. IMO

      Also here, if a nurse goes to work in a rural town for, I think it's 3 years, maybe 4, they get either all or part of their student loans forgiven, but that same thing doesn't happen with any of the other medical professions (except doctors I believe).

      Not trying to start any arguments here either, I'm just stating what I see where I live.
      “Bad taste creates many more millionaires than good taste.”

      -Charles Bukowski

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      • #4
        I don't think it's required, but my mom felt bad because she was originally the only one who didn't give money (because she didn't have any to give). She had to borrow money from a co-worker to give to these people so she wouldn't look like an ass.

        I just wish all the staff got attention because everybody in a department - doctors, nurses, technicians, secretaries, and the folks who man the front desks (not secretaries - their titles elude me right now) all make stuff work every day. Not just the ones who make upwards of $40K a year.

        Oh well, Mom's going to retire in a couple years, so she won't have to deal with it much longer.

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        • #5
          At my job, if someone wants people to pitch in money for a gift for the manager or a coworker, it's done without any kind of pressure or guilt trip. They simply send out a group email (being very careful to exclude the person that the gift is for, I would hope), letting everyone know that they want to get a gift, and that if they would like to contribute, they can come by and drop off a few bucks. No one tries to put up any sort of guilt trip.

          I think there's a "Boss's Day" or "Week" or something like that, and this is one of the occasions that someone might collect money for a gift. I have no problem with this, because most of the managers I've had were nice people. Interestingly enough, no one tried anything like that when that tyrannical asshole was in charge.
          Sometimes life is altered.
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          Uneasy with confrontation.
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          • #6
            This is out of line. If management wants to recognize the nurses, fine, but they shouldn't expect other employees--especially the ones who aren't being recognized at all!--to pay for it. This should come from the company, not the employees.

            Chipping in for a gift for someone's birthday, baby shower, retirement, etc., is different.
            When you start at zero, everything's progress.

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            • #7
              I feel for you - being that last week was National Medical Laboratory week, all my instructors warned us that once we graduate & start working, each year when that week rolls around, we'll be totally ignored, and to be prepared for the dog & pony show that is "Nurses Week" - so at least we know what to expect, even if its unfair. Few people really realize just how important the lab techs are in the scheme of things.
              The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away.

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              • #8
                Oh it is out of line, especially when the people who make the least amount of money are the ones being asked to help fund these gift grabs. I don't know if mentioning wages counts as fratching or not, and I commend anyone who works in a hospital for what they do. But five bucks can be a far harder hit to the wallet to someone who makes a tiny bit of money compared to someone who makes more money (or a lot more money). I know it sounds cheap, but even so, it sucks that people who will not get equal recognition are expected to pay for the nurses to feel good about their jobs.

                So management is basically saying, "The nurses are better than you." Meanwhile, the techs get the most shit...like they don't talk to the patients enough. But then on another occasion, they get scolded for taking too long to perform a certain test and for talking to the patients too much. For as much shit as the techs deal with, I think they deserve gifts too.

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                • #9
                  Personally, I just look at them like they are insane and say 'No!" If they press, I ask them why they didn't have a collection and get me a birthday present on my birthday? Why should I spend my few dollars on people who make lots more than me. As I raise my voice a little (not yelling mind you) and start getting murmers of agreement,they leave quickly. After the first time, no one tries to pressure me again.

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                  • #10
                    They can't force people to give money for that.

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                    • #11
                      Star: You are correct -- but it sounds like they're being "guilted" into it, which is worse in some ways, as it's not "official" nor "on paper", so there's no leg to stand on if someone objects; the response from higher ups will often be "So? Don't contribute. It's voluntary!"
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                      • #12
                        As a nurse, let me say any arm twisting of the sort Shadowball describes is totally inappropriate.

                        That kind of effort should come from administration or the physicians, NOT the other staff! Period.

                        Nurses Day started out the same way Secretaries Day did: an effort to remember the hard word of people who were usually completely overworked and under appreciated.

                        Nowadays, Nurses Day really is more of a celebration of the evolution and accomplishments of our profession. It's not an effort to ignore or under appreciate the hard work and efforts of our fellow health care professionals. Truth is, we DO recognize and appreciate the hard work of our colleagues.

                        Members of other allied health professions should press administration to recognize their departments the way nurses are. But please don't ask me to give up the recognition my profession has earned.
                        They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

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                        • #13
                          I agree with Panacea, it's not that the nurses should give up the recognition, just that others should also have their day.

                          So few workplaces these days ever have anything nice to say to their employees. They're right there to tell you when you mess up, but when you do a good job and even go above & beyond, the silence is deafening. Getting a little appreciation now & then can improve your whole day, and it doesn't cost a thing.
                          When you start at zero, everything's progress.

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                          • #14
                            I think if they're not going to give everybody pats on the back for their work efforts, then no one should get them. Everybody works hard there, not just the nurses.
                            This.
                            Is it compulsory to give up part of your wage for other employees? That's disturbing if true, and a guilt trip if it's not the case.
                            And this.


                            I'm all for giving people pats on the back but... yeah why should one group be special golden children while another group of hard workers gets treated like shitbags? And ... if they're going to guilt people into paying up then fuck them with sandpaper. Not everyone can afford to cough up money for donations.

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                            • #15
                              Quoth ShadowBall View Post
                              Meanwhile, the techs get the most shit...like they don't talk to the patients enough. But then on another occasion, they get scolded for taking too long to perform a certain test and for talking to the patients too much. For as much shit as the techs deal with, I think they deserve gifts too.
                              I once had a surgeon get all titchy with me over something like that. Patient came into the ER with chest pain. She must have complained about RUQ or abdominal pain as well because the ER physician ordered a gallbladder scan. Apparently, they were going to do some sort of surgery on this woman anyway and he just wanted to check her gallbladder and if it was bad, take it out at the same time. Fair enough. However, the test itself can run anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours. Longer sometimes if the gallbladder decides to be obnoxious. Not only that, I had to call for a tracer and I had a patient on the table who was in the middle of her exam.

                              Surgeon not happy. I pretty much told Surgeon to deal. If he wanted the test, it was going to take a certain amount of time and there was nothing I could do about it. Surgeon shut up. And the test turned out normal anyway.

                              Quoth Panacea View Post
                              Members of other allied health professions should press administration to recognize their departments the way nurses are. But please don't ask me to give up the recognition my profession has earned.
                              I've said it before and I'll say it again: I have mad respect for nurses. I considered nursing school for a (very) brief time and decided I couldn't hack it. A good nurse is a special soul and not everyone is cut out for it.

                              Personally, I would definitely appreciate a luncheon or gift cards, or some other type of recognition from administration. However, I would much rather them take that money they might have spent and use it to provide my fellow techs and I the resources we need to do our jobs. Get us IV needles that don't splatter when pulled out of the catheter. Get us extention tubing that isn't so hard to screw a syringe into and doesn't leak at the hub. Replace our old and broken syringe shields so we can keep our radiation exposure lower. Work with us to standardize protocols so all patients can receive accurate testing. Give us access to additional training opportunities to improve our skills. That's what I'd want.
                              I am no longer of capable of the emotion you humans call “compassion”. Though I can feign it in exchange for an hourly wage. (Gravekeeper)

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