[skinnyNurse]

I know! I was appalled. That is NOT the kind of nursing I want to do. I know I will play "waitress" but them calling me on that phone constantly while I am in other patients rooms was rediculous! They never needed anything that a CNA couldn't have done or retrieved for them all day! It's like working at a hotel and not a hospital. I honestly believe that is their logic for this system. Nurses need to stand together and say NO! After all, there IS a shortage isn't there? Why don't we take advantage of that and start putting our foot down? No more space link, no more working without CNA's, and no more splenda packets for Gods sake!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahah! lolol!!

[squeakykitty]

Originally Posted by ERbunny

I believe the excessively demanding patient usually has another agenda than getting someone to open his sugar packet. There are probably a lot of needs in his life that are not being met. Unfortunately, the RN is not the one who is going to have the time to meet them, esp when someone is crashing next door.

Those needs being to learn respect, manners, and consideration for other people.

[JBudd]

Originally Posted by sample24

Maybe I should have prefaced this with "the pt. had been doing it herself for 2 days..." I actually chose not to go in to all of the other ridiculous demands said pt. had been making, and that at the physicians request we not enable said pt. any more because we were delaying her return to independence. I really didn't think all of the peripheral information was necessary.

My intention was not to label obese pts as your post suggests, but just to share an experience that I had as a nurse that I am able to laugh about now. It's unfortunate that we aren't able to 'vent' even to our own nursing community without judgment. It's no wonder so many nurses get burned out and seek out other avenues of nursing that don't actually involve hands on care.

Gotcha. I guess I read into it that you hadn't heard of that technique, and ran into her for the first time. Didn't intend to sound as judgemental as it does now going back and reading it. Apologies.

[lamazeteacher]

Originally Posted by skinnyNurse

I know! I was appalled. That is NOT the kind of nursing I want to do. I know I will play "waitress" but them calling me on that phone constantly while I am in other patients rooms was rediculous! They never needed anything that a CNA couldn't have done or retrieved for them all day! It's like working at a hotel and not a hospital. I honestly believe that is their logic for this system. Nurses need to stand together and say NO! After all, there IS a shortage isn't there? Why don't we take advantage of that and start putting our foot down? No more space link, no more working without CNA's, and no more splenda packets for Gods sake!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahah! lolol!!

I was once told that my job as someone's Private Duty Nurse (when such a thing existed), was to keep his wife and his mistress from squeezing in his door to visit at the same time. Traffic control! (He'd had a mole under his arm excised, and in those older days it was done in the hospital, and he stayed there for 3 days!) I did cut his steak for him....... and the whole 9 yards, but I was paid well, working for an agency that didn't take all the $$$

[lamazeteacher]

Originally Posted by squeakykitty

Society has changed, and the field of nursing has changed a lot over the years. Just before I was born in 1967, a nurse had the time to reassure my mom when she was in labor and very scared because the last one with my brother was so hard and painful. Now, I don't think any nurse would have that kind of time.

People used to have more respect for one another and for the nurses, but now we live in a Burger King society where people want what they want "right now" the way they want it, and to heck with anyone else. In other words, there is an epidemic of the Selfish Entitlement Syndrome, where people are getting more selfish and rude all the time.

People are not acting this way because of the way a nurse "presents themself". They act this way anyway, and the responsibility for this behavior should rest on them alone. The nurse is not responsible for anothers behavior.

Now, states are even enacting laws against assaults on healthcare staff, which I don't think were there the year I was born. I've seen an interesting thread along these line, here is the link. http://allnurses.com/forums/f8/does-...me-281221.html

I totally understand the venting here. If a nurse has to deal with being at the beck and call of people like this, it takes away from people who are really sick. It does scare me a little, the idea that one of my family members might come to harm because a self absorbed person has bullied a nurse to the point they couldn't even check on my family member.

There is a shortage of nurses willing to put up with abuse, and it will only get worse unless nurses can have a way to get respect and not be abused. Years ago, battered women had no resources. They do now, and nurses should have resources too.

I've been an OB nurse off and on since the '60s, and the ratio of nurse: patients, is much, much better now - probably due to all the machinery: monitors, IV pumps, etc. - and the proclivity of patients to sue, sue, sue.

[Natkat]

Originally Posted by lamazeteacher

I was once told that my job as someone's Private Duty Nurse (when such a thing existed), was to keep his wife and his mistress from squeezing in his door to visit at the same time. Traffic control! (He'd had a mole under his arm excised, and in those older days it was done in the hospital, and he stayed there for 3 days!) I did cut his steak for him....... and the whole 9 yards, but I was paid well, working for an agency that didn't take all the $$$

I think that's great. If someone wants to pay me extra to cut up their steak, read to them, play cards with them and make sure they have me all to themselves, that's fine. That way I won't be torn between opening a Splenda packet or getting to that confused patient who is climbing over the bed rail. That sounds like a sweet gig to me.

[elthia]

Originally Posted by skinnyNurse

I was pulled to a floor today where I had to carry a cell phone that each of my patients had the number to! Imagine how annoying that was! Rediculous! I was recieving phone calls while in other patients rooms. Where does HIPPA fit in here? I personally would be appalled for a nurse to answer a cell phone while in my room if I were a patient Most of the calls were request for pudding or juice! Staff was so scarce, I felt like I wasn't nursing, just waitressing. I had 7 patients (telemetry floor). I did nothing but pass meds all day. The patients were demanding, wanted everything now. They just don't understand what it is like to have so much to do. They must think we are sitting around waiting for them to ask us to do something! The old people are usually very kind when I enter, but the young people are rude and have no understanding of all that I have to do. They want what they want their way and now!

We have those at work on all our floors. the call lights ring to the phones..programmable for each shift. I hate them, but at the same time some rare pt's realize you are busy when it rings over and over and over when you are trying to start an IV or help them on a bedpan.

[elthia]

The most annoying things to me is the 50-60 year old man who has perfect control over his arms and hands. He can cut up his own food, eat and drink from a cup no problem. But his wants his female nurse to hold his urinal for him while he pees. That just reeks of some disgusting misogynist sexual fantasy and I will always refuse to play along.

If you are old and weak and have Parkinson's tremor, I will discreetly help you with your bodily functions that's different. But I refuse to assist any perverted fantasies creepos. It still amazes me how many there are that try to insist on this.

[skinnyNurse]

Yesterday, I was admitting an older gentleman about 79, still "active" with his girlfriend. His son told me thats why he was here. Anyway, when discussing whether or not he wanted CPR he said, "as long as its you that jumps up on top of me and starts pounding" !!!!! YUCK!!!!

[squeakykitty]

Originally Posted by elthia

The most annoying things to me is the 50-60 year old man who has perfect control over his arms and hands. He can cut up his own food, eat and drink from a cup no problem. But his wants his female nurse to hold his urinal for him while he pees. That just reeks of some disgusting misogynist sexual fantasy and I will always refuse to play along.

If you are old and weak and have Parkinson's tremor, I will discreetly help you with your bodily functions that's different. But I refuse to assist any perverted fantasies creepos. It still amazes me how many there are that try to insist on this.

I never did figure out why these guys think that a woman would want to watch them pee. I did have a resident who had a stroke with one sided paralysis do it all by himself, only needing someone to empty it.