Do you talk about work at home?

edmia, BSN, RN · Mar 28, 2013

I definitely talk about it at home and when I'm with friends who are also nurses. I would go nuts if I didn't because the abuse and disrespect I experience as a nurse is such that if I kept it in, I would explode. Also, I have very difficult cases. Both tragic and just plain annoying, so talking about them is the only way to process it and get it out of my system. It's a healthy thing to do and unfortunately, it is not built into our jobs to have a proper place to debrief about the crap we deal with on a daily basis.

Roseyposey · Mar 28, 2013

Nope, don't talk about it...other than "crappy day, leave me alone." No desire to talk about nursing if I am not getting paid to do so.

WoundedBird · Mar 28, 2013

I'm one who, since elementary school, keeps things inside until they come flowing out faster than a PEG-induced code brown, so I do talk about events with my husband to prevent those meltdowns as much as possible. I'm lucky that he's prior military with experience in HIPAA and clearances, so the vague descriptions and relating events to odd, unrelated things is normal. In return, I get to hear about how his current IT patch and test is going. Discussions like this help us understand the stresses each is under that might not be witnessed by the other and to support each other the best we can. I also find that keeping to HIPAA in the privacy of my home helps keep it strong when I have to discuss a patient in a more public setting like a floor or professional conference.

Morainey, BSN, RN · Mar 28, 2013

Depends. My husband works in healthcare (for a heck of a lot longer than I have) so sometimes I will bounce ideas off of him or ask questions. Otherwise it's the general picture - work was busy, work was quiet, we were short, I got floated, we were slammed, etc.

tnmarie · Mar 28, 2013

I leave work at work and home at home, or at least I try to do so. Occasionally I will ask mom and sis for advice sometimes (they are both nurses with over 30 years of experience between them). Or if there is a really funny/cute story I may share.

My mom and sis both "vent" and generally have to do so right after shift and before going to bed (all of us work nights). They talk about work constantly.

SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN · Mar 28, 2013

My cats aren't such good listeners. My dog, on the other hand, just seems to know when I need her to listen.

My cat might not have been such a good listener were it not for the fact that he's 13 years old and can no longer escape my affection. :)

rumwynnieRN · Mar 28, 2013

On occasion. RN dad and PCT mom. I usually refrain from talking to my boyfriend about these things, but if I'm talking to my parents, yes, I will complain about the doctor(s), and the stupid things patients say or do, or the cool, weird lung sounds the patient had. They, in turn, complain to me about the stuff at work.

Mandychelle79, ASN, RN · Mar 28, 2013

mine is usually explaining where yet another bruise came from.

PediLove2147, BSN, RN · Mar 28, 2013

My best friend is a nurse so when we get together we talk a lot of nursing. Especially now that she has a new job. I love hearing about other hospitals and how they do things (probably why I am always on AN!) DH isn't in healthcare though and usually has no idea what I am talking about. I will mention if I had a particularly hard day but won't go into specifics.

itsmejuli · Mar 28, 2013

I have no nursing friends and no nursing relatives so when I leave work I really leave work behind.

My friends have an interesting mix of careers, we all have so little in common job wise that our conversations have little to do with work. I prefer it that way.

Caffeine_IV · Mar 28, 2013

I used to. Not in detail but I would mention certain things. Since I work in hospice now I don't say anything except to nurse friends or coworkers. Sometimes you just need to decompress.

Most laypeople aren't comfortable talking about death and dying so there isn't much to discuss. I might vent on occasion about scheduling though.

nurse.laura1989 · Mar 28, 2013

Hey all, wondering what the general trend is here.
My question is, do you talk about work when you're not at work?
The reason i'm asking is this: I'm a nursing student, my sister is an RN. She and I will always be talking about the hospital, patient conditions, latest things at work, latest rapid response (HIPAA naysayers can leave now), latest wild ABG (pH 7.06, CO2 140) . Etc.
A friend / classmate of mine has two sisters in nursing, but they NEVER talk about nursing when outside of the hospital. I am wondering if this is common?
To me, nursing is more than a job, it is a lifestyle.
(Obviously there are times when you won't be talking nursing, but if you're younger sibling, niece, nephew etc is studying nursing don't you think you'd talk about it once in a while?)
Potential bias on this forum, seeing how most people online right now are not at work, so are a little more into nursing than your average Jane.

Hello there,

I agree that nursing is a lifestyle more than it is a job! When you meet new people outside of work and they ask what you do, "I'm a nurse" is usually like music to their ears. All of a sudden you'll hear about Aunt Betty's swollen legs or My Husbands Warfarin dose and then if you're really lucky you'll get a nice little rant about the state of healthcare in this country!!!

Sometimes you can't but help talk about nursing outside of work. When my shift is over I have to drive 30 mins to get home, which gives me a chance to clear my head. When I was a student I lived 5 mins from the hospital so if it was a bad day I'd come home all worked up and in a foul mood. Now I can have time to digest whats happened on my shift so when I walk in the door I don't bite my partners head off!! Its usually just a quick, "it was okay... busy as usual... one of my patients said this that was rather funny..." and then we'll move on to whats for dinner!!!