For those of you who may not know, my position is known as a Mental Health Tech. I do 15 minute rounds, vitals on patients, and assist them with whatever I can so that their stay at the facility is comfortable. On top of the tasks previously mentioned I also go on transports, patient pick-ups from the main hospital, and of course responding to patient codes whenever hostility’s occur.
I work the night shift, so when all the patients are asleep and when tasks are done, I walk around at times. This is usually between rounds, so I don’t miss tasks. I usually tell the charge nurses and my partner on the floor when I’m going as a courtesy. I also walk around to check in on other units, assist them, and other techs if need be. If not that I do it to stay awake, since its a shift that goes from 7PM to 7:30AM… that’s twelve hours with a 30 minute break.
To get to the meat and potatoes of it all… the charge nurse of the unit that I’m currently stationed in says “The shift coordinator asked me if I knew where you were. She’s been asking around and says that she notices you walking around a lot. Remember that you’re on probation… if you’re not careful you could get in trouble.”
Remember… I tell everyone what I’m up to. And I’m not the only one who does it. That along with what I said previous irks me and it makes me want to do the bare minimum. Which is take vital signs, take care of the patients, and make sure they’re comfortable. I will not jump over hurdles any more for no one.