How do you deal with lazy nurses??

Nurses Relations

Published

One of my pet peeves is lazy nurses! They are nearly useless! They sit and gossip half the night and complain about their patients are pressing the call light. Some making so much money per hour it's sickening. All ages.... mostly younger ones... alot of agency nurses! Just my opinion. No, just the nurse I had to work with the other night!

Sorry.... I know of many young nurses that are hard workers... that don't act like the world owes them something, or they are spoiled brats. And YES, I know alot of hard working agency nurses that get crapped on.

But goodness, this young thing the other night we had was something else!

Thanks for letting me vent....

I just have no patience (or use) for a lazy nurse... for as much as they pay us we should put in the work to earn it.

I think that nursing should be seen as team effort, though you may have different jobs or patients you all contribute to the well-being of the establishment and the people in it. NURSING IS NOT FOR LAZY PEOPLE IT IS A HARD JOB.

Specializes in Gerontology.

I know of a nurse who over-sedates pts so they won't ring at night. If a pt is confused she'll put them in a broda chair all night so she doesn't have to make extra safety checks. Of course, she'll document that the pt was "restless" and "needed" the extra sedation. I have suspecions that she gives more than ordered but have no way to prove it.

Interesting enough, when other nurses work and she is off, the pts don't need that "extra" sedation.

Specializes in oncology.

I completely relate, 25%of our regular staff night nurses can be found either talking on their cell phones, playing on the internet or sleeping way longer than their alloted breaktimes whould allow. I am afraid that I am still trying to work through a solution to this problem myself. I do know that I will help only the nurses who are helping themselves when push comes to shove. If the nurses I am working with that night are carrying their weight, then I will help them when they get in a bind, or are in a time-crunch, but if they are playing all night, then they are on their own.

Specializes in LTC, home health, critical care, pulmonary nursing.

I worked with this one agency nurse about four times, and I begged her to please please please come work full time with me. She was awesome.

Let me start with a blanket apology...I'm sure that I'm going to make someone angry...so mea culpa mea culpa in advance.

At my facility, it is the responsibilty of all nursing personel on that floor to answer ANY call light that is ringing. The nurse assigned to that patient could be tied up in a room with a patient having chest pain, or doing a sterile dressing change, or whatever. It isn't a case of MY patient or YOUR patient....they are OUR patients and it is all of OUR jobs to assist in these patients care and recovery. Having said that....

I have been in the same situation as the original poster...a new, young RN sitting at the desk doing nothing and call lights are ringing, ringing and ringing. I calmly told her that if she wasn't busy, the aide's and I could use some help answering the lights. She jumped right up and helped.

Later in the shift, I pulled her aside for a private talk. During our talk, I discovered a very shy, NEW grad that really wasn't sure of what her responsibilities were. She was unsure of her clinical skills...she said she didn't have a lot of experience is nursing school. And she was just plain SCARED that she was going to make a mistake.

I guess my whole point of this story is....yes, It IS True...Nurses EAT their YOUNG. Maybe...and here is where I am probably going to make someone mad!:angryfire ...instead of criticizing and venting...talk to that nurse. Make a friend, and not an enemy...you are co-workers, help each other. Take a chance, and maybe become a mentor not a tormentor. Our jobs are hard, there is a shortage of qualified nurses...we should be encouraging our new nurses and helping them make the transition into the "real world". I remember the feeling of being the new RN, fortunately....I had a wonderful mentor that helped me through the rough spots.

WHEW...now I'm off my soapbox and ready for.....:trout:

Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

louisiananurse2006. . .you ask "how do you deal with lazy nurses??" your profile indicates that you are a student nurse. what you do is continue going to school. go on and get your bsn. work toward becoming a nurse manager. as a nurse manager you have some authority, power and clout to discipline or run these kind of nurses off your unit. that's how you, as an individual deal with them. otherwise, all you can do is go about your own way and keep your eye on what you are doing. don't worry about these lazy nurses. it's only upsetting you and taking your energy away from important things you need to be focusing on. karmic forces always put things in balance just not the way we would like it to.

i will help only the nurses who are helping themselves when push comes to shove.
hmmm. . .and what about the innocent patients whose needs really must come first?

Dont deal with lazy nurses, dont get your B/P up... just write them up... Not worth it.. Too many yrs of that will kill you... something has got to change SOON!!!!

Specializes in Family Medicine, EMR Configuration.

Maybe someone can help me with my pet peeve. I can not stand people that complain all the time. I work in a communtiy health setting and here we hire a lot of medical assistants and LVN's. Recently two of these long time MA's found out (how I do not know) that another fellow MA was making way more than they were. Way more. So now they are on a rampage and all they ever say is " I don;t get paid enough to help". I over heard one of them say about another MA that came to help from another site that "she didn't ask for help, so I did not offer" What is up with this. They complain about not getting paid enough, now apparently some one else makes more than them, yet when their Doctor call in or leaves early, they are the first one's to want to go home? I am really sick and tired of hearing them complain every day, all the time.... why won't they just quit if they are unhappy. Oh no, they say, we won't quit, they'll have to fire me first????????? I don't get it?

Sorry had to let it out before I opened my mouth here.

ACHC:angryfire

i know the type you are talking about. they would love to hand me one of their tasks like the 0600 picc line blood draw and say "you could use the experience" or "you already have 8 to do, what's one more?" or "did you empty my garbage as i see you've only emptied yours?" or "do you mind getting this one?" meanwhile, i seemed to have beat her to all the call bells tonight.

maybe i'm a glutten for punishment. i try and keep myself busy so i don' t get bored. i play a game to keep myself awake. i race for the call bells. i always offer to go with the rpn to change a brief or get a bed pan. even if it's for the company. night shift..... okay, sometimes i don't like to be alone.

but are they lazy? or aren't they tired? and if they are tired, shouldn't i help? i mean, if i have the energy.... and i could always learn something....or am i a "push over"?

amen

LAZY NURSES**** Why

Lazy nurses bring down moral of all - there should be law against it.

Specializes in Peds, 1yr.; NICU, 15 yrs..

AMEN, to those of you telling the complainers to do something about it. I liked the statement "NURSING IS NOT FOR LAZY PEOPLE IT IS A HARD JOB." by Jupiter Crash. It is also a joint effort, not one of us can do it by ourselves.

Specializes in Peds, 1yr.; NICU, 15 yrs..

Nurse Clown, you are not a push over. You may be the next one needing the extra help, and encouragement.

+ Add a Comment