Is the cynicism inevitable?

Specialties Emergency

Published

I'm sure this topic has been hashed and beaten to death, but it's new to me, and definitely not something i can vent about to Facebook or even my family (non-medical)...I started working in the ER setting in January, in the "Minor Care/Fast Track" area. ESL 4's and 5's and "soft 3's" are ours to deal with. Loving the kids, but sometimes their parents/guardians/whatever blow me away. The lady who insisted I give their kid ibuprofen before they left because she had none at home and couldn't afford any. Of course I got the order and gave it to the patient, but in the back of my mind I'm thinking resentfully, "$5+ for that pack of cigarettes you were out smoking when they called your daughter's name in the waiting room but you can't afford $3 generic Tylenol?" I try to put myself in their shoes, but sometimes it gets difficult to understand how a parent's priorities can get so out of order. At least she brought her daughter in, though...

Obviously working in the ER you see, hear and deal with a lot of things you wouldn't otherwise be exposed to...how do you deal with these situations in your mind? The example I gave is nothing compared to what I'm sure a lot of you have dealt with...how do you keep from becoming cynical and jaded???

Chest cold=CHF, feeling crappy and a cough=A-fib, and that random STEMI without any real symptoms. Never let your attitude predetermine a patient's condition.

I recently had a case of post-op/ICU dementia that turned out to actually be DT's. Thanks to the family for telling me at the end of my shift just how much the patient had been drinking after being discharged from quadruple bypass surgery. I passed it on to night shift which blew it off and returned to work the next morning to hear that during the night they called a Code Blue which was not successful, by the end of the shift this patient was dead.

Cynicism is a natural part of coping in the ER but remember that every patient's emergency is THEIR emergency. Listen and use your critical thinking skills, never brush a patient's complaint off until you have assessed them!

Don't be a martyr! Call in sick. I can't imagine how distressing it was for your patients to be cared for by a walking germ.

Don't be a martyr! Call in sick. I can't imagine how distressing it was for your patients to be cared for by a walking germ.

Que? I don't know where that comment fit in?

Specializes in RN.
I've been in the ER for almost five months now, and I've not really been bothered by much. Until a few days ago, when I had to work with a 101 degree fever, a horrible cough, chills, headache, congestion....and I had to care for a few pts with the same complaints (only their "fever" was 99.0 F). My favorite part was that I was coughing so hard I was close to vomiting, exhausted because my coughing was so bad I didn't sleep much, plus the nasal congestion...and I never observed these pt's cough, blow their nose, nada. Yet their pain was a 10/10, they were just soooo sick, asking for pillows and blankets and rolling around in their beds crying about how sore their throats are...and here I am, their nurse, far sicker than any of them, they're getting excuses from work for the next few days, and I'm getting told "sorry, we're too busy, I know you're sick, but you can't go home early." I think that was the moment this starry eyed new nurse became a jaded crab.

Exactly!!

Yup! The more I deal with people, the more I love cats and dogs. smdh.

It's hard not to be every once in a while. Especially when you ate dealing with the least critical patients who always seem to be the most entitled, impatient jerks.

Had someone scream at me last week for having to wait over an hour to be seen for his complaint of "back pain for 10 years". Even after I explained that the doctor was busy with someone who had just been in a brutal car accident, his only response was, "well isn't that convenient?".

People are jerks, and the ones that are not that sick are almost always the ones that think they need the most attention.

Specializes in Emergency Room.
It's hard not to be every once in a while. Especially when you ate dealing with the least critical patients who always seem to be the most entitled, impatient jerks.

Had someone scream at me last week for having to wait over an hour to be seen for his complaint of "back pain for 10 years". Even after I explained that the doctor was busy with someone who had just been in a brutal car accident, his only response was, "well isn't that convenient?".

People are jerks, and the ones that are not that sick are almost always the ones that think they need the most attention.

Exactly!! And the opposite is also true - the sickest patients (I.e. dying from end stage testicular cancer with mets to spine and lungs at 32 years old) are the nicest! This gets me almost every single shift. I shake my head over and over but I doubt I will ever understand it.

We all get jaded at some point, just keep in mind that you are there primarily for those who truly need you and make your job worthwhile, but taking care of idiots is also a part of the job you just can't avoid. It comes with the territory.

Having a support system like this forum is great because all the commenters have the exact same experience regardless of workplace, which shows that it really is universal, nothing you can do about it! So either make the decision to deal with it, or move on. For me right now I have decided to deal with it, but it probably won't be long before I move on. I did not become a nurse to be a punching bag, and there is only so much of it I can handle.

Specializes in ER, Addictions, Geriatrics.

Exactly!! And the opposite is also true - the sickest patients (I.e. dying from end stage testicular cancer with mets to spine and lungs at 32 years old) are the nicest! This gets me almost every single shift. I shake my head over and over but I doubt I will ever understand it.

We all get jaded at some point, just keep in mind that you are there primarily for those who truly need you and make your job worthwhile, but taking care of idiots is also a part of the job you just can't avoid. It comes with the territory.

Having a support system like this forum is great because all the commenters have the exact same experience regardless of workplace, which shows that it really is universal, nothing you can do about it! So either make the decision to deal with it, or move on. For me right now I have decided to deal with it, but it probably won't be long before I move on. I did not become a nurse to be a punching bag, and there is only so much of it I can handle.

Exactly! I am blessed to have such great coworkers as well.at least we all deal with the same people and same crap and can help each other laugh through the frustration at times!

+ Add a Comment