I finished my nursing education in Dec. 2004 and since that time I have noticed a major shift in the health care ideologies. I figure the best way to do something about it is to recognize it, discuss it and find solutions or underlying causes for it. What I have noticed, is an "us" and "them" mentality, growing between healthcare professionals and the public. My background in ER nursing as a beside/ triage / charge nurse has given me ample opportunity to witness various accounts of this change. For instance, people have become WAAYY less tolerant, more demanding and seemingly harder to please. I find that when people present to the emergency there is such a misunderstanding about what the department is for and how it works, people are on edge the second they step in the door. Don't get me wrong, long wait times, a CTAS triage scoring system that people may not understand and our system of expediting things that can be done in the waiting room probably does have a different perspective to those sitting in the waiting room feeling unwell. However, there must be something we can do to remind the patients that we the nurses do our best to make the department run efficiently and smoothly. What they might not be familiar with is that the staff are balancing patient care with the medical wards and need for beds, the constant flow of ambulances into the department, the short staffed areas, the lack of CCU/ ICU or other specialized beds and it goes on and on. Given all the variable factors, I feel that we in our department really do try to make the system work the best it can. I feel that if the "us" vs. "them" mentality continues we are in for an even more chaotic system. From my point of view, we should try and give the best quality care possible, keep the lines of communication open between everyone and never try to annoy someone "just because". I also think not taking the situation personal helps and really listening to people also goes a long way. I know these things take time and can be stressful... BUT... It is us nurses that understand the full depth of what is happening to our health care... It is us that has the power to change and to educate the public about how things are. We are the advocates of the public and it is our responsibility to prevent further deterioration of the relationship we call the nurse patient bond. We the nurses and the public as patients really need to work together and formulate a team that is not a force to be reckoned with I think that destroying this relationship can be detrimental to both nurses and patients. The health care system in any sense doesn't exist without patients or nurses... therefore it is essential that we work together and overcome any unplanned hurdles of the health system.