Rimmel Black Cherries and a story
I think this is the longest I haven't blogged for! But I have good reason which I will get into later. Nail stuff first! I have for you a super quick NOTD using Rimmel I Love Lasting Finish in Black Cherries. I did it about 15mins before I had to head out the door to attend a wedding last weekend and there was a huge risk I would ruin it before I even got there! But it is a beautiful polish so there was no worry at all =)
Black Cherries is a stunning deep red/purple, almost black polish. It has bronzey shimmer through it and is a perfect vampy colour for night time. I wore a black dress with lace and it went wonderfully together. I love Rimmel polishes and this one definitely didn't disappoint. It applied smoothly in 2 coats with very minimal cleanup and dried to a very glossy finish. What's not to love!
Close-up so you can see the shimmer:
I normally try to keep things on my blog light hearted and nail and beauty related however the last week has quite possibly been the crappiest in a very very long time which meant I didn't get a chance to blog or count up entries for my giveaway. I had my final assessment for uni which was a take home exam and it stressed the crap out of me. On top of that, work has been absolutely shocking and the worst week in the 2 years I've worked there I thought I would give you a little insight.
As you may know, I am a nurse and am also studying full time. I love being a nurse and I'm very passionate about my job, but some days I really question why I do it. The pay is crappy for the responsibility, the work is not the best and there is little recognition of the work we do. I work in a drug and alcohol outpatient unit with some extremely challenging patients (clients). It was not by choice that I chose to work in this setting however health issues beyond my control dictated this for me and I'm happy most of the time.
Most of the patients I work with are absolutely lovely people who have made mistakes in their past and are working hard to make a change in their lives. Many of them have shocking family backgrounds filled with abuse and you can see why they chose to take drugs to escape. A lot of my patients are polite and appreciative of the work we do for them however of course many of them have extremely low frustration levels and can be very rude and demanding. It's also extremely full on dealing with intoxicated people and having abuse hurled at you on a regular basis. The last few weeks patients have been so angry and unsettled that it really affects you.
Today I was ready to walk out of work and never come back. We had virtually no nursing staff on and from the moment I walked in to work I was flat out dealing with scripts, phone calls, doctors who needed my help, patients etc. I was completely and utterly drowning and nearly in tears trying to sort everything out as quickly as I could by myself. I called my manager for help as a new patient who was psychotic was hurtling abuse at me telling me over and over again to "hurry the f*** up" and that I was "completely useless" and calling me all sorts of other lovely things in front of a room full of patients.
Now I am a very capable nurse and can normally handle these situations with no problems because I'm so used to them. I get out there with my game face on and don't take any nonsense, but I just wasn't in the mindset to deal with it today after being stressed out and sleep deprived. Do you know what my manager did to help me? Nothing. Nada. Zip. She chose to walk away from me knowing I had all this crap to complete while the psychotic patient yelled abuse at me. Of course he was completely stark raving mad but words do hurt. So does not having support when you're drowning. This isn't the 1st time she's been useless in situations but I was at my wits end today.
Do you want to know the lovely part to the story though? That one of the tough guy patient's in the room stepped in and told the abusive patient that he didn't like the way he was speaking to me and to "calm the hell down because 'chelle is a lovely nurse" and that if he didn't stop he would "deal with him outside". LOL! I was touched and chose not to hear the end bit haha.
So I do apologise for not replying to emails and comments yet. I will hopefully get round to replying in the next few days and have the winner of my giveaway for you by the end of the week or early next week. I hope to do some manis once I get my mojo back too.
Hope you're all having a better week and thanks for listening to me rant!
Black Cherries is a stunning deep red/purple, almost black polish. It has bronzey shimmer through it and is a perfect vampy colour for night time. I wore a black dress with lace and it went wonderfully together. I love Rimmel polishes and this one definitely didn't disappoint. It applied smoothly in 2 coats with very minimal cleanup and dried to a very glossy finish. What's not to love!
Close-up so you can see the shimmer:
I normally try to keep things on my blog light hearted and nail and beauty related however the last week has quite possibly been the crappiest in a very very long time which meant I didn't get a chance to blog or count up entries for my giveaway. I had my final assessment for uni which was a take home exam and it stressed the crap out of me. On top of that, work has been absolutely shocking and the worst week in the 2 years I've worked there I thought I would give you a little insight.
As you may know, I am a nurse and am also studying full time. I love being a nurse and I'm very passionate about my job, but some days I really question why I do it. The pay is crappy for the responsibility, the work is not the best and there is little recognition of the work we do. I work in a drug and alcohol outpatient unit with some extremely challenging patients (clients). It was not by choice that I chose to work in this setting however health issues beyond my control dictated this for me and I'm happy most of the time.
Most of the patients I work with are absolutely lovely people who have made mistakes in their past and are working hard to make a change in their lives. Many of them have shocking family backgrounds filled with abuse and you can see why they chose to take drugs to escape. A lot of my patients are polite and appreciative of the work we do for them however of course many of them have extremely low frustration levels and can be very rude and demanding. It's also extremely full on dealing with intoxicated people and having abuse hurled at you on a regular basis. The last few weeks patients have been so angry and unsettled that it really affects you.
Today I was ready to walk out of work and never come back. We had virtually no nursing staff on and from the moment I walked in to work I was flat out dealing with scripts, phone calls, doctors who needed my help, patients etc. I was completely and utterly drowning and nearly in tears trying to sort everything out as quickly as I could by myself. I called my manager for help as a new patient who was psychotic was hurtling abuse at me telling me over and over again to "hurry the f*** up" and that I was "completely useless" and calling me all sorts of other lovely things in front of a room full of patients.
Now I am a very capable nurse and can normally handle these situations with no problems because I'm so used to them. I get out there with my game face on and don't take any nonsense, but I just wasn't in the mindset to deal with it today after being stressed out and sleep deprived. Do you know what my manager did to help me? Nothing. Nada. Zip. She chose to walk away from me knowing I had all this crap to complete while the psychotic patient yelled abuse at me. Of course he was completely stark raving mad but words do hurt. So does not having support when you're drowning. This isn't the 1st time she's been useless in situations but I was at my wits end today.
Do you want to know the lovely part to the story though? That one of the tough guy patient's in the room stepped in and told the abusive patient that he didn't like the way he was speaking to me and to "calm the hell down because 'chelle is a lovely nurse" and that if he didn't stop he would "deal with him outside". LOL! I was touched and chose not to hear the end bit haha.
So I do apologise for not replying to emails and comments yet. I will hopefully get round to replying in the next few days and have the winner of my giveaway for you by the end of the week or early next week. I hope to do some manis once I get my mojo back too.
Hope you're all having a better week and thanks for listening to me rant!
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wow 'chelle that is crazy! (hugs) have you asked her why she walked away? i hope you can get some closure on this incident, or you will always have this in the back of your mind!
ReplyDeleteComplain to your manager's manager! What does the manager do anyway? And how come there aren't any other nursing staff on? Anyway hope you're doing okay with all this crazy (: You did well, though. I would probably have socked him right in the face. Haha.
ReplyDeleteBtw Black Cherries looks so pretty! (:
Awww chelle you had a stressful week!! That was very sweet of a patient to stick up for you and you should be very proud that someone appreciates your efforts :) The ending to that made me feel all fuzzy inside! Seriously being a nurse is ah-mazing with all the things you guys have to put up with! And its amazing that you have such a big heart to help these people while at the same time sharing your nail polish finds and make-up stories when you study too!!
ReplyDeleteAnyway I hope you have an awesome weekend and get some well deserved retail therapy!! :)
:/ I'm sorry work has been so rough on you!!
ReplyDeletethis is perfect for fall! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's truly terrible how undermined nurses are here in Australia. And I understand (sort of ^^) the stress you have to go through in your job - one of my friends is a nurse as well and while she may not show the stress publicly, I can tell from some of her stories that it's no easy task.
ReplyDeleteIt's really sweet of one of your patients to stand up for you though (something your manager should totally learn!) and I'm glad there are people like him who realise your efforts.
But besides that, awesome mani! I own way too many purple polishes, but now I want this one too, lol.
aw, so sorry to hear about all that b.s. that patient is so sweet for sticking up for you. i hope things get better for ya <3
ReplyDeletethe second patient's reaction was very touchin while your manager's one was very frustrating... hope your week will go better...
ReplyDeletebtw, i should buy more Rimmel polishes :D
Sorry you had a tough time, but it's nice of that guy to step in. I hope you can find support from upper management level, or talk to your coworkers to see if they have the same issue
ReplyDeleteAmazing colour!
ReplyDeleteso sorry for to hear that.. anyways black cherries is really stunning..*hugs*
ReplyDeleteHey 'Chelle, I really do admire you for being a full time student and still be able to work. And I'm sorry to hear on your bad week with the clients. They really do get nasty ey, but what the other guy did was so nice. It was really sweet of him. I hope you continue being strong. Cheer's 'chelle. xoxo. :D
ReplyDeleteYou should complain to someone! Maybe they'll get it fixed? *Huuugs*
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna be a student and worker soon as well, so I'll understand your pain one day.
On the light side, the colors gorgeous!
One of my best friends is a nurse and I admire her sooo much. She always has a story or two about work and I just think she's a superstar for doing the work she does to help others even when they are non co-operative, mental, or high and angry. I know that it takes a very special kind of person to have the patience and love of humanity it takes to deal with this sort of stress (and mess) day in day out. You go girl. Don't let it get you down. <3
ReplyDeletei'm a healthcare worker too and i know what you are coming true! Wish you all the best!! it's hard work i know and.....it's good to write about it so you can give it a place in your mind. good luck and you are a good nurse no doubt!
ReplyDeletewhith love,
Kirst.
I completely understand you! We work our asses off, we are abused by clients/patients and in the end (hope it's not your situation, it has been mine for the last 2 years)we get a major kick in the butt by our managers (who usually are useless, like you say). Hang in tough sweet heart. You have our support! ^__^ As for me, I'm looking for the next manager to kick me (hopefully not! -_-) ***
ReplyDelete'Chelle, I totally know where you're coming from and sending you big virtual hugs. I'm a nurse too and have had a couple of occasions where I've almost walked away from nursing forever because I'd had an absolute gut-full.
ReplyDeleteIt's so sad that it's common place to get little support from our managers because that's what they're there to do.
When I've been in these situations before, I've found it best to take a step back and either have a bit of a break or change roles (and specialties) entirely.
I hope you have a better week next week.
BuBbles
x.
Oh my, that polish is so pretty!!!
ReplyDeleteI have such great respect for nurses; you do such good work with little to no reward, other than knowing you've helped somebody. I hope the situation gets better soon and that you're not left doing all the work on your own. I smiled a lot when I read what the other patient had said to the abusive patient.
ReplyDeleteAnd that polish is gorgeous! It looks like you could almost eat it, the colour is so pretty.
the color looks nice!!!
ReplyDelete*big big hug* oh dear, this is horrible. I can understand how frustrating this can get, no matter how professional you are. At the end of the day, we are all humans with limits. And may I say, your manager really sucks! At least the other patiens appreciate your hard work and that is what matters most :)
ReplyDeleteAlso this is a very pretty colour!
Hi Chelle,
ReplyDeleteI just discovered your blog and the first post I've read made me leave this comment.
I understand the frustration you felt, 'cause my sister is a nurse and also works in a Psychiatric ward like you. Hopefully she has support from the rest of the staff but she tells me some days are really hard, especially when the patient is perfectly aware of what's going on in his/her mind.
A few days ago she was very moved by this patient who rang for her. When she came he just asked to please be secured to his bed because he was hearing voices again, but didn't want to hurt anyone.
I'm glad this other patient stood out for you, unlike your boss.
Cheers from Spain
@Jess: Thanks Jess =) My manager doesn't like conflict or dealing with situations. I haven't had a chance to ask her why she's like this though and I am going to pluck up the courage to discuss this with her.
ReplyDelete@Abby: I am considering doing that! It's just never ending at work lately I'm getting to breaking point. LOL if there wasn't glass in between us I probably would have tried something!
Glad you like black cherries!
@Donna: I really enjoy most aspects of my job, it's just unfortunate that the times of unpleasantness are the most memorable for the wrong reasons.
Blogging is my way of relaxing and I'm so happy to share it with all of you! =D Retail therapy did help over the weekend even though I had to work hehe.
@Rachel Marie: Ahhh thanks hun =)
@makeup,hauls, and anything under the sun!: It's definitely a wonderful colour for fall. I know I'll be wearing it then!
ReplyDelete@Sharon: Most days I quite enjoy my job and it's just those crazy days that get me down especially emotionally. It's hard to switch off after work.
I agree it was so sweet of my patient! My manager definitely needs to take a lesson from him.
Oh you need to get Black Cherries NOW!
@Katrina: Thank you so much Katrina. I hope so too for my sanity haha.
@Alice: Thanks Alice =) I worked the weekend so I had 2 days without her around which was nice!
You should definitely get more Rimmel polishes!
God I hate it when NUM's don't support you at work. We had a manager like that, who basically implied that we had to 'suck it up' with a long term patient and her highly, highly abusive and manipulative parents. The patient wasn't a problem - she had a GCS of 7 it was the way her parents treated us. They would film us secretly, abuse us, abuse the ward. Tell us we were bad people. Abuse the girl's surgeon etc, etc.. I can't really go into detail. BUT our manager literally did nothing, this went on for almost a year the patient was with us for 11 months. Eventually after nurses going home in tears and going to management things changed. The patient was discharged to a nursing home and the parents left. Our NUM stood down and we now have a much more supportive manager. Hope you're feeling better about things now honey, maybe talk to management? Go to someone higher up??
ReplyDelete@Halifax: I'm really considering taking it up further with executives but just need to pluck up the courage.
ReplyDelete@Spaceinvaders: Thanks.
@Thriszha: Thanks Thriszha!
@Nikki: Luckily I've just finished with my postgrad and I won't be studying next year. I need a year off before I decide to study again! People can get very nasty especially when intoxicated etc unfortunately. Thanks for your sweet comment Nikki =)
@Annkiins: I can complain higher up but it probably won't do any good. My piece of advice to you is enjoy studying!!!! It was really the best time because fulltime work kinda sucks =(
ReplyDeleteGlad you like the colour hun!
@JQ: Thank you so much for you supportive words JQ. I really enjoy my job and love being a nurse but it's just those few really negative times that get me really down. I need to grow an even thicker skin I think!
@Kirs: Thanks for your sweet words Kirst! It definitely helped to write it down and get my feelings out. I'm not sure I'm a good nurse all the time though! Lol.
@Akuma Kanji: So sorry to hear about your situation. It really sucks without support. I hope it gets better for you too and that you don't have to kick any butt! =)
@Bubbles: It is so wonderful hearing your experiences as an experienced nurse. Thanks for the virtual hugs =D I'm about to go on holiday to see my family so I hopefully that will get me refreshed.
ReplyDeleteI don't plan on staying in drug and alcohol for that long so I'll definitely consider changing specialities sooner rather than later. Thank you for the advice hun!
@Sarah B: Glad you like it Sarah.
@Danielle: Ahhh it's all part of the job and we do it because we (for the most part) enjoy it.
It does remind you of cherries doesn't it? =)
@Oreleona: Thanks.
@Christina: On that day I just about reached my limit! I usually try to handle things and not let things get to me but sometimes it just gets too much. Patients can be wonderful sometimes =)
ReplyDelete@marox79: Thank you for taking the time to comment. Your story about your sister is wonderful - if only more patients were capable of that. Being a nurse can be very difficult but it can also be very rewarding too =)
@Mez: Oh my goodness what a shocking environment to work in. How did you all survive? That is the reason why nurses leave in droves and we're left with a shortage all the time. I'm so glad to hear that the NUM stood down and that you've got a better one now.
Thanks for sharing your story with me Mez =) I want to take it further up but I need to pluck up the courage.