After completing numerous clinicals and working as an EKG tech, I have observed and often dealt with nurses that are a prime example of what I don't want to be when I graduate. I also concede that I am a mere senior nursing student with no real-world experience.
1.) Night shift nurse who sits on facebook: Since when did it become acceptable to go on a computer and use social networking sites whenever you don't have work to do. In the time that you have sat on facebook you could have filled charts, done further research on your patients' needs, read nursing journals, assisted another nurse or CNA, or just do something that might help the morning shift. Instead, you sit on facebook trying to see if anyone you haven't seen in a few years got fat.
2.) The "thats not my job nurse": This kills me because as a tech I constantly hear this. "Mrs. Smith needs to go to the bathroom can you help her so I can do the EKG?" The reply from the nurse, "Ask the CNA...thats not my job." The nurse should really take a step back and re-evaluate your career choice because by not helping me you are not helping the patient.
3.) The nurse who openly criticizes patients or gossips with other nurses at the station: Guess what, people hear what your saying. You are making a fool of yourself and instead of complaining how so and so didn't bathe this patient during their shift, why don't you do it yourself? Be a professional, do your job to the best of your ability.
4.) The nurse who uses personal problems as an excuse to not care: I'm partial to this because I'm young but I don't care that you have kids, I don't care that your child has the snuffles and you were up all night. If you are unable to successfully complete the tasks of your job DO NOT COME INTO WORK. I have no sympathy for you. If I was out late partying and had a hangover and used it as an excuse would you care? An excuse is an excuse, either do your job right or call out, you are only hurting the patient.
5.) The nurse wearing winnie the pooh scrubs in an adult acute care setting: Your an adult. Dress like a professional, talk like a professional, and people will treat you like one.
6.) Nurses who always apologize to doctors when they call them: It is a doctor's job to take your call, listen to what you say, make decions based on the information you give them. Get some backbone, speak intelligently, and stick to the facts. If you show them you are serious, they will take you seriously and not blow you off as some stupid nurse who bothers them at home.
The OP never personally attacked anyone on here, yet I see a lot of you personally attacking him. This thread will be shut down quick.
I really hope that some of you amazing nurses don't think it's okay to sit on Facebook all night (if you read everything said the OP has clearly mentioned he is not talking about checking it for five minutes.) Also, gossiping where patients and visitors can hear you? Not appropriate. In any other business, one would be fired for doing such things. Why is nursing the exception?
This isn't "your house" and the OP wasn't criticizing all nurses or you. He was criticizing specific ones he has worked with. As if you haven't complained about co-workers or felt that certain people were setting bad examples?
No one should come here and expect to be attacked. What a horrible mentality.
Specializes in Nursing Education, CVICU, Float Pool.
The OP never personally attacked anyone on here, yet I see a lot of you personally attacking him. This thread will be shut down quick.
I really hope that some of you amazing nurses don't think it's okay to sit on Facebook all night (if you read everything said the OP has clearly mentioned he is not talking about checking it for five minutes.) Also, gossiping where patients and visitors can hear you? Not appropriate. In any other business, one would be fired for doing such things. Why is nursing the exception?
This isn't "your house" and the OP wasn't criticizing all nurses or you. He was criticizing specific ones he has worked with. As if you haven't complained about co-workers or felt that certain people were setting bad examples?
No one should come here and expect to be attacked. What a horrible mentality.
I totally agree with you. Allnurses.com is supported mainly by nurses and I an all for respect even though many today aren't. Many, not just here, have the you snap I'll snap back attitude and that stems from just going off an impulse. I am guilty ofb this myself, but when I realize I'm wrong I try to correct myself b/c I was raised much better.
I remember when I watched that Allnurses commercial it said that allnurses.com is a place for nurses, nursing students, and those interested in nurses. So this is everyone who has an account and is interested in nursing's "house" really. Though it is mainly nurses that you see hear. Everyone deserves respect and proper treatment.
Like you said the OP never at anytime in any of his posts criticized or attacked anyone. Unless you know you were that nurse he was talking about, he wasnkt talking about you. I commend him for being humble enough to comeback and clarify himself and apologize.
Let's now confuse defensiveness with trying to give an explanation of what the op might be seeing. It is also not defensiveness to explain just what a nurse has to deal with. I would think the op would want another perspective besides the one he observes.
And it is not also wrong to suggest waiting to see just what the job entails before making such high promises.
I hope the op becomes the nurse he wants to be. :)
Specializes in Peds, Med-Surg, Disaster Nsg, Parish Nsg.
Just a reminder.......This site is for nurses as well as nursing students and those contemplating nursing as a career. It is a place for nurses to share with their peers as well as a place for experienced nurses to mentor students and others entering the field. It is not a place for rude criticism and personal attacks. The Terms of Service addresses this very clearly.
Our first priority is to the members that have come here because of the flame-free atmosphere we provide. There is a zero-tolerance policy here against personal attacks. We will not tolerate anyone insulting another individual's opinion nor name calling and will BAN repeat offenders.
Many rude, divisive, condescending, and inflammatory posts have been deleted or edited to comply with the Terms of Service. We promote the idea of lively debate. This means you are free to disagree with anyone on any type of subject matter as long as your criticism is constructive and polite. We want to encourage civil discussion rather than an attack mode of piling on.
Let's now confuse defensiveness with trying to give an explanation of what the op might be seeing. It is also not defensiveness to explain just what a nurse has to deal with. I would think the op would want another perspective besides the one he observes.
And it is not also wrong to suggest waiting to see just what the job entails before making such high promises.
I hope the op becomes the nurse he wants to be. :)
I still believe several of the replies, including my own, were defensive, but that isn't to say I think they were wrong. As far as I can recall, I agree with those who say the OP didn't attack anyone personally. But I also think some of his views did--unintentionally, I'm sure--bear some resemblence to other remarks most of us have heard at one time or another that clearly were attacks.
Wow! What A long thread. Quite Simply: Some of this I agree with and of course some of I don't agree with. As an experienced EMT- Basic and Now A CNA working my way through Nursing School. Based on Observation this is all human nature. We are Human Beings. None of us is perfect. The Obnoxious MD Who Treats the nurse wrong May have his reasons Just as The Nurse who delgates to the CNA. This is why Nurses are not Doctors and CNA's are not Nurses. It Is A Health Care Team People ! We Are All Interdependant on one another. Which BTW is an entirely different issue.
Just a reminder.......This site is for nurses as well as nursing students and those contemplating nursing as a career. It is a place for nurses to share with their peers as well as a place for experienced nurses to mentor students and others entering the field. It is not a place for rude criticism and personal attacks. The Terms of Service addresses this very clearly.
Many rude, divisive, condescending, and inflammatory posts have been deleted or edited to comply with the Terms of Service. We promote the idea of lively debate. This means you are free to disagree with anyone on any type of subject matter as long as your criticism is constructive and polite. We want to encourage civil discussion rather than an attack mode of piling on.
Finally I get some back up here. I would like to thank those who contributed to the thread instead of being, simply ridiculous. I'm not going to comment or defend my opinion anymore because there isn't even a slight remnant of my original post anywhere in the last ten pages.
Finally I get some back up here. I would like to thank those who contributed to the thread instead of being, simply ridiculous. I'm not going to comment or defend my opinion anymore because there isn't even a slight remnant of my original post anywhere in the last ten pages.
I hope at least you did get some different perspective from some of the posts. Even as you strive to be the nurse you want to be - you will find that you find yourself situations where someone feels you are not being the nurse you should be. Just beware of that.
The kind who routinely eats their youngins' and even chews on some of their contemporaries. The kind of nurse that gets really, really lazy. I mean -- i understand nursing IS tiring, and at times, you just want to sit and take the shortcuts -- but BE on the job and don't try to get around the work that's required.
The kind that does not stab their co-workers in the back. But mostly ....I'd never hope to become the kind that becomes a robot YES girl to upper management and administration taking the side AGAINST their fellow nurses. These sort of nurses are poisonous to our profession. I work with one and she is a piece of work.
sometimes I read part of a sentence and then just imagine the rest of it.
it's just that they're so darned tasty!
Eh, somebody brought up insects and it kinda spoiled my appetite.
I do the same thing, imagining the rest of the sentence, often leading to inappropriate laughter. Perhaps they will name this particular mental illness after both of us.
Specializes in Professional Development Specialist.
I'm still a new nurse, and I always used to be willing to help a pt to the toilet, etc. But very soon I realized that soon the patients began to assume that was my job. Every time I went into a room for a nursing duty, I was kept far longer than I could spare toileting them, remaking their bed, helping them find some random thing. My med pass would get further and further behind, and I ended up staying hours late every single day charting because I couldn't do it all. Eventually I learned to say "I will send the CNA in for that." It was hard for me to do at first but frankly if you want your nurse to be your nurse then you need to let her set some limits. It was far more important for me to have time to assess the pt in end stage HF down the hall than toilet Mrs X to save the EKG tech some time. An 8 hour shift and 15 patients doesn't leave even an extra 10 minutes for toileting sometimes. 10 minutes extra for each means 2.5 hours of my shift!
If you want to be a good nurse then you'll need to put your prejudices aside and consider the whole picture. You'll have many patients who's lifestyles or personal habits or choices you wouldn't make for yourself. Yes there are lazy and bad nurses out there. Some of us may not look fantastic in the 20 minutes you meet us, but you are only catching a small glimpse and we may otherwise be very good at our jobs.
happy2learn
1,118 Posts
The OP never personally attacked anyone on here, yet I see a lot of you personally attacking him. This thread will be shut down quick.
I really hope that some of you amazing nurses don't think it's okay to sit on Facebook all night (if you read everything said the OP has clearly mentioned he is not talking about checking it for five minutes.) Also, gossiping where patients and visitors can hear you? Not appropriate. In any other business, one would be fired for doing such things. Why is nursing the exception?
This isn't "your house" and the OP wasn't criticizing all nurses or you. He was criticizing specific ones he has worked with. As if you haven't complained about co-workers or felt that certain people were setting bad examples?
No one should come here and expect to be attacked. What a horrible mentality.