Whats your biggest pet peeve working in the ED?

SionainnRN · Dec 23, 2012

I never mentioned anything about needles on my post. This is about sensation. My blood sugar seems to drops everytime I get blood withdrawn, so I pass out. I do not pass out by getting pierced or tattooed. What's so difficult to understand?

Okay are you really this obtuse? You got your panties in a bunch when I mentioned it was a pain when tattoo'd pierced people complained about needles, how do you not understand that? And there are a lot of people who pass out after giving blood, that is very different than an IV with lab draws. Once again this is not a forum for patients to complain, it's a safe place where nurses can vent. Why are you here?

SionainnRN · Dec 23, 2012

So this wasn't a passive aggressive statement that you made? You weren't trying to ruffle any feathers telling people they shouldn't be a nurse?
And considering I have experienced all three "sensations" it does bother me when people whine about getting an IV. That is one of many pet peeves I have along with a whole lot more.

Right? I love that venting about patients in a safe appropriate place makes you a horrible person who shouldn't be a nurse. Sigh.

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · Dec 23, 2012

If expressing the difference between tattoos and piercings, IV's and blood withdrawals is considering bashing, I honestly don't even know what to tell you.

No, I think doeRAYmee was referring to:

Rofl! Wow. Uh, I've been a patient? You know, one of the people you ridicule on the job?

If people bother you so much, you hate it when people whine, then maybe you're in the wrong profession. I find it puzzling when nurses are insensitive to even the most reasonable things.

Enjoy the lack of patient-related things to vent about while it lasts. If you do become a nurse, you will certainly have the occasion to express frustration about your job at some point, even if you are lucky to land in an area you love straight out of school.

cannolis · Dec 23, 2012

I don't think some of you realize that this particular forum isn't locked for only nurses to view. Perhaps if a patient's or pre-nursing student's comments bother you so much (nevermind how much yours bother me,) perhaps allnurses.com would consider creating a locked forum where only licensed nurses are allowed to sneer and vent even the smallest of things about their chosen career. :-)

Trauma Columnist · Dec 23, 2012

Ok. I think this thread has reached a logical conclusion. Just a word though: while everyone is welcome here at AN, please understand that our site is geared towards nurses. We are not being disrespectful when we vent. Think we will give this a cooling down time.

Trauma Columnist · Dec 24, 2012

Re opening this.....please remember the terms of service.

ergoddess · Dec 25, 2012

1) You are comparing three entirely different things, three entirely different sensations.
2) You dont stop blood flow with tattoos or piercings.
3) You don't draw tubes of blood or put anything directly into the bloodstream with tattoos or piercings.
4) Half the time I get a nurse that pokes me at least 5 times before they get a vein, half the time they have to poke me somewhere on my hand instead after poking me several times on my arm.
5) My guess is you dont have any tattoos or piercings.

I have tattoos and piercings & still call BS on the grown babies that have both but whine over an IV stick or blood draw. MAN UP :)

DoeRN · Dec 25, 2012

I was sent to work in the ER at my old hospital when they were severely short. I was in triage and had a woman come in saying she thought she was pregnant and needed to find out. I looked at her and no words came out of my mouth. I took a deep breath and I repeated what she said and my first comment was do you know how to use a home pregnancy test? She said she didn't have money for that. But yet she had a Gucci purse and shoes and a real expensive looking coat. I was floored. This was my very first ER experience as a nurse and I can't believe some of the nonsense that comes to the ER.

emergenurse · Dec 25, 2012

Or the husband who is yelling at staff cause his wife is SOB...for three days....and on O2....and he smokes a pack a day. Sigh.
And of course the people who are covered in piercings and tats but cry when you start an IV.
But I did have a great Mom who's 17 yr old had been taking someone else's adderall. The ER doc said it was basically meth but the kid should be fine. The mom looked at her son and told him..."stop mething around"!! Twas the funniest thing ever.

I LOVE patients and families with a sense of humor!

SionainnRN · Dec 25, 2012

A huge pet peeve from this am. Mom brings in kid for cough and N/V. He gets an X-ray and flu swab. Mom gets super ****** at the very long wait (only two hours) grabs the kid and leaves. Well she ends up having to come back cause the kid has pneumonia! If you're going to go to the ER in the middle of the night, stick around long enough to get the test results!!!

hiddencatRN, BSN, RN · Dec 25, 2012

We were packed yesterday. Packed. I'm stressing out over a seriously unsafe patient load and one of my patients, who was previously seen a couple of days ago and told to follow up for an outpatient MRI in a few weeks but decided to try to get it done by coming to the ER, decides the wait is too long and wants to sign out LWBS. Awesome and we all totally support that decision. I go to give him the sign out paperwork and he's all ticked and I apologize and tell him that we have a lot of very sick people today. He wants to whine about how his outpatient MRI is an emergency. No dude, the patient 4 beds down who was missing for several days and was found stroked out in their apartment and is trying hard to die is having an emergency. You are having an entitlement crisis.

psu_213, BSN, RN · Dec 26, 2012

From today:

Me: "How long have you had these symptoms?" (pain in the ear, post nasal drip, body aches)

Pt: "Since Saturday" (3 days ago)

I leave to get a breathing tx. for the pt. Upon my return:

Pt: "How long will this take? I have to get back to my family Christmas party."