Nurses who don't take the time to care: have you seen examples?

PBAJS · Apr 28, 2004

The charge nurse on my floor has mentioned that she would like to be able to spend more time with each patient, however, with medications, treatments, paperwork, telephone calls she just doesn't have the time.

"... working with someone who is 'so caring' they spend all their time hugging family, etc...while the rest of the staff must do the work for them. Lots of codependency out there and nurses must learn how to balance caring with professional duty."

There was a 'colleague' several years ago that talked, laughed, joked with the patients, the patient's family; knew how many children, grandchildren the patient had, etc.; brought in treats, clothing, birthday gifts for his/her 'pets'. Colleague had told patients 'if you need anything, I'll be right here.' There were times when someone else would answer the call light, the patient would say "I'm waiting for so-and-so to do this for me." We did not have to do the work for our colleague, but in the patient's eyes we were not as good as him/her.

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MandyInMS · Apr 29, 2004

The challenge is to get the esential work done along with all the caring. Nothing worse than working with someone who is 'so caring' they sepend all their time hugging family, etc...while the rest of the staff must do the work for them. Lots of codependency out there and nurses must learn how to balance caring with professional duty.

Reminds me of a nurse that works with us occasionally...OMG...she talks her pts & us to death!!! she is a sweet person and I have no doubt she cares for her pts..but is a bit lax on the actual WORK part..example: she's been in 1 pts room for > 30 minutes chit chatting about their family/her family, while in the mean time buzzers for her pts are going off like crazy..her meds are late being given..so and so needs this or that... :uhoh21:

missmercy · Apr 29, 2004

Does a RN even have to "care" for a patient besides there physical needs? Just wondering...

YES!!!! The beauty of nursing is that we are experts at providing holistic care -- as opposed to other disciplines who focous on their respective systems or disease processes, Nurses have been trained to see the WHOLE person and treat the needs of that WHOLE person!! Any nurse who can't see the need for that... shouldnt be in nursing!!! Any nurse who does not "Care" for more than a person's physical needs -- isn't practicing real nursing! (That's my story and I'm sticking to it!)

nightmare, RN · May 1, 2004

I work with a few of the "pull yourself together brigade" and how they annoy me! Sometimes a few minutes,and I mean a few minutes,is all it takes to calm someone down.I mean why should someone with terminal cancer have anxieties?!I could not believe the callous disregard for someones feelings when it was stated that this woman was " overanxious and a bit of a hypochondriac".

I have a few patients with which it is better to spend 5 minutes listening to them so that they settle down for the night otherwise they sit with their fingers on the buzzers half the night because they cant calm down.

RNPATL, DNP, RN · May 2, 2004

Actually, a fellow student was told by an RN not to worry about doing to much for her pt. as the pt. was about to die. When the student asked the RN why she wouldn't do much, she was told by the RN that she would just be wasting time on the pt. and that she would do better by spending that time with another pt instead. The pt did die, that day in fact. The student, being assigned to that pt though, still spent the quality time with the pt, bathing her, turning her, ROM and everything. The family actually sent a letter to the hospital administrator commending her for this behavior and recommended that the hospital "grab her up before someone else does".
The RN though, after having been heard by the students clinical instructor, received a written warning from the ADON regarding her lack of care. The RN resigned within two weeks. So, let that be a warning I guess.

You know, I have been a nurse for a long time and I have never run into this type of behavior. Yes, I can agree that there are nurses out there that really do not belong in our profession. Perhaps I am still niave after all these years, but I really struggle to believe that a nurse would actually tell a student not to provide care to a dying patient because the care would be wasted. I have to say that I have NEVER seen this. If it is true, it is a very sad statement about the condition of our profession today ... very sad. :crying2:

Town & Country · May 2, 2004

I haven't ever seen that, either.

What I HAVE seen is alot of tired, overworked, frustrated nurses, who cannot adequately care for their "client" and meet the "customer's" needs.................~blech!~

:angryfire

RNPATL, DNP, RN · May 2, 2004

This thread has really bothered me and after work today, I thought about it over and over. Yes, I do have a life, but for some reason I could not get this message out of my head today.

Why on earth would a professor of nursing ask a student to write a paper about nurses not caring? How will this make you, after graduation, a better nurse? I am sure you have all run into the nurse that you don't want to be. For me, I had that same experience. Running into nurses that were down right rude to me as a student. But I learned from that experience and promised I would never be that way.

Anyway, I guess my point is to ask the question why? Why a paper about this? Why not a paper about how to provide care to the dying patient, best practice or outcome driven information that you can implement into your practice after graduation. Maybe nursing school has changed? I am currently enrolled and almost through my BSN classes and I have never been asked to write a paper like this.

Whatever .... just thought I would ask the question.

Gompers, BSN, RN · May 3, 2004

Back when I was 16 and had recently decided to pursue nursing, I was admitted to the hospital for a couple of days for abdominal surgery. One night, I wad managed to get out of bed by myself and was sitting by my window watching the sunset, and this nurse came into my room. No greeting, just huffed, "WHAT?" I said, "Excuse me?" and she said that I had called. I told her I hadn't and that I was fine. Then she YELLED at me for wasting her time! This was on a PEDS unit!!! I decided then and there that I was NEVER going to be that kind of a nurse, EVER. I was a scared kid in the hospital by myself, and there she was yelling at me for something I didn't even do.

Even in a busy ICU, I always try to be pleasant and assist families when they need me and answer questions when they ask them. If something crazy is going on and I'm somewhat short with a parent, it just kills me and the guilt bothers me for days. But most of the time, I love the ICU because even if I have busy patients, at least I'm right there with their families and talk to them, caring for them emotionally while I'm working. And with the babies, I love having the time to make them as comfortable as possible. I love being able to spend an entire shift on 1-2 patients, so that by the time I go home, I know that they were cared for like I'd want someone to care for my own kids.

moia · May 8, 2004

I have seen both..the nurse that is exhausted and really just wants to get the all the work done and doesn't have any time to stop and talk...I have seen the chatty cathy's that infantilize their patients and never make them push themselves..I think the chatty cathy is a lot more damaging then the nurse who doesn't say much.

Part of my practice is to reassure the patient that whatever function they have they are expected to use. Some nurses just do everything and leave the patients feeling helpless.

I don't know if I have ever seen a total lack of caring...there is always one patient that will get the most hardened cynic chatting.

I try to aim my chattiness to those patients that are receptive...some patients need that two minutes and others really just want you to go away...caring sometimes means recognizing that some of your patients are not interested in anything you have to say...you need to respect that too.

mattsmom81 · May 8, 2004

I too question why this was an assignment...seems the 'young eating the elders" is being propogated early in nursing school...why not teach ways to get the job done right, rather than learning how to critique currently practicing nurses???

Caring is only part of the job and as nursing's leaders have pointed out "If caring was enough, anyone could be a nurse."

redwinggirlie · May 8, 2004

Forgive, as I have not read all the responses. Why are you focusing on the negatives in your paper instead of the positives?

SmilingBluEyes · May 8, 2004

Why on earth would a professor of nursing ask a student to write a paper about nurses not caring? How will this make you, after graduation, a better nurse? I am sure you have all run into the nurse that you don't want to be. For me, I had that same experience. Running into nurses that were down right rude to me as a student. But I learned from that experience and promised I would never be that way.
Anyway, I guess my point is to ask the question why? Why a paper about this? Why not a paper about how to provide care to the dying patient, best practice or outcome driven information that you can implement into your practice after graduation. Maybe nursing school has changed? I am currently enrolled and almost through my BSN classes and I have never been asked to write a paper like this.
Whatever .... just thought I would ask the question.

I, too wonder. This is a really different type of assignment. Maybe the prof is trying to get these guys to face negatives of nurses before they even enter the field? Trying to show them how not to be?Trying to show them how it really is? I don't know.....it's weird, is all i can say, and must be so discouraging to student nurses!