What Is Your Biggest Weakness?

Nurses General Nursing

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Just wondering, to all the nurses out there what do you deem your biggest weakness??? :coollook:

LOL, I see myself in a lot of these posts.

1)Telephonephobia! That describes me perfectly!:chuckle

2)Baths! I hate them, since I never work days. Truthfully, I'm not sure where the showers are located, I don't pay attention to it, even though I've been 4 years at my hospital.:uhoh3:

3)Meaningless forms. Well, that describes quite a few of them!!! Also, Care Plans. They are acedemia trying to still make our lives miserable, even after we are out of school.:angryfire

Specializes in ortho/neuro/general surgery.

My weakness would have to be intestinal fistulas and GI bleeds! :barf01: Second after that, sputum! :no:

On a professional level, my weaknesses are standing up to docs who are being poops- although I have done it a couple times when they refused to order something I thought a crashing patient needed and I got in their face and got what I wanted for them- but most of the time I am too chicken. :banghead: And I am also easily distracted and forgetful and disorganized. And I lay awake at 9 am (I'm night shift) and wonder what I didn't do. I also get anxious sometimes at work that I'll do something really harmful to a patient. Sometimes I almost get panic attacks thinking about how much responsibility I have as an RN- I've only been at this for 14 months. :chair: :eek: :sniff: :confused: :selfbonk: :behindpc:

Going through this thread I was surprised that no one mentioned pt's families. I understand that alot of them are scared, but I have more than a few get in my face upon literally walking in the room for the first time. I don't like having my personal space violated, especially by someone I do not know, so this is a tad awkward for me.

Mine is sarcasm! Coming from Scotland, its virtually second nature, but noone in London seems to see the difference between sarcasm and rudeness... even worse with Filipino nurses whom I have many friends/collegues, its just beyond them. I've got better as the years have progressed :lol2:

Specializes in Multiple.

I have teleponephobia real bad, so my solution? I now work in telephone triage!

Think a lot of nurses seem to have simlar traits - there's nothing wrong with perfection, we should all be striving for that in our role as patient advocates.

My biggest weakness of all time is - FOOD, hence my 199lb portly frame - and weight watchers has reduced it by about 12lbs so far. Think I am in for the long haul!!!

Specializes in Utilization Management.

My biggest weakness is that I don't like to help elderly residents or ETOH'ers OOB to the john in the middle of the night. This is because they can fall and hurt themselves and me.

They fall for various reasons. They lie and tell me they're OK to walk when they're not. They think they're OK to walk when they're really too confused to know which end is up. They want to go into the BR to pee when they have a Foley.

I hate to be mean, so I wind up making the majority of the poor souls wait till I find a tech to help, just in case the patient doesn't make it.

Also, I view this next one as a strength; others see it as a weakness. I talk with my patients. To me, that's good nursing care to get to know your patients. They're scared. Their lives are spinning wildly out of control. Doctors are telling them incomprehensible and unbelievable things about themselves. Sometimes we just don't get it.

So I engage them. I listen to them. Half of the physical complaints just disappear once you really pay attention to what your patients are saying. I explain what's going on and I translate what the doc's been telling them. As a result, I get done a little later, which gets me in dutch with the boss. But I carry with me the knowledge that we avoided a full-fledged MI because I was able to calm someone down and reassure them.

Then day shift comes in and gets all bent outta shape because I haven't gotten my charting done yet and it's 0700. :rolleyes: Of course.

I hate filling out 6 different forms for one patient where you could get it all on one if you did it right. I spend more time on paperwork than on patient care some days. I also have that distraction problem. I hate it when it happens during a med pass. I think my worst pet peeve is nurses who don't take action on a pt problem and pass it to the next shift that passes it to the next shift. :nono:

Ever since transfering to PACU I find I have less and less tolerance for pt.'s families. I'm glad I don't have to deal with them all day. I really like just doing direct care for my pt.s and there is great diversity from ambulatory to ICU/BURNS etc. I just do not seem to have the patience with their families as I used to. oh well...

Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.

Mine is that work interferes with my golfing

Stopping in the middle of chaos- taking care of other nurses emergencies, trying to get 3 pt's ready for surgery, trying to locate CNA's who have disappeared from the floor, distraught family members because their loved one wants to be cremated if he dies- to "chat" with the DON and CEO pleasantly as the ask how the day is going and is everyone going get off of work on time. All I really want to say loudly is "WHATEVER AND NO AS LONG AS YOU STAND HERE AND TAKE UP MY TIME" which is not a good thing to say to administrative personnel.

Speaking of computer charting....for those of you that have went to it....does it help with the paperwork? Our hospital is supposed to be computerized by the time I graduate (woopee).

Not with the system we are using, but all of the print is legible. I still end up charting the same thing in 3-4 different places.

ClaireMacl Mine is sarcasm! Coming from Scotland, its virtually second nature

FINALLY!! My long lost heritage!!!! ;) :lol2: :smokin:

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