Absence of Manners

Nurses General Nursing

Published

i'll admit to being somewhat cranky today, and this is a vent. this is only a vent. please do not accuse me of being mean to or mistreating anyone i'm venting about! but i swear, people's parents neglected to teach them manners!

the hospital cafeteria has wifi, and i know that you're bored waiting for uncle zeke to get out of surgery. it's great that you can sit in the cafeteria with your laptop and surf the net. however when lunchtime comes and you're not eating, just surfing, please get up and go somewhere else so that all those people standing around with trays full of food and peering around for an empty table can sit down and eat!

didn't your mother teach you that it's rude to sit in front of grandma, who is npo for the or, and eat your tacos or fried chicken? grandma can't eat and she's very hungry. please go somewhere else to eat your bagful of fast food and come visit grandma when you're done.

poppop had surgery, he's getting diuresed, his mouth is dry and all he wants is a big glass of water which he cannot have. it's rude to sit there and slurp on your big gulp in front of him.

i know you're a brand new np and all, and very proud of your degree, your knowledge base and your new prescribing priveledges. you would look every so much more professional, though, if you weren't chewing a big ole wad of gum with your mouth open and snapping, cracking, popping and blowing bubbles!

yes, the intensivist is slow, he's boring and he's old fashioned. it's excrutiating to watch him tackle the keyboard on a cow. but that's no excuse to be on the other cow shopping for stilettos during rounds! nor is it cool to be texting your husband, your best friend, or your husband's best friend instead of paying attention to what the nurse has to say.

i know you graduated from man's best nursing school last month and that therefore you think you know everything. but please, i'd rather have you ask what you think is a really stupid question than try to give blood through a d5w carrier, use ffp as a carrier or push dilantin through tpn. and it's really not cool to give the 20 meq of kcl iv push, either!

i know that you think 15-b's 20 or so relatives who average two teeth and thirty-two tattoos each are immensely entertaining. i might think so, too, if i could get past them to take care of the patient. we have rules that state only two visitors at a time -- please enforce them. if you let all and sundry hang out in the patient room eating their kfc and drinking their big gulps (see above) and then i tell them they need to follow the rules about no food, no drinks and only two visitors at a time, i become the mean nurse. that's not fair!

i appreciate that you're 30 years younger than me and ever so much more good looking than i ever dreamed of being. that does not mean, however, that it's cool to roll your scrub pants down to your hips so that your thong pokes out the top even when you're not bending over. nor is the push-up bra that's spilling the girls out your v neck very professional, either!

please hang up the cell phone so i can assess you. please get off facebook -- you're sitting in my chair and using my computer and that's just not cool. and please, if you work here, come and help me clean up poop even if the packers are winning in the next room!

Specializes in Assessment coordinator.

Thank you so much for this. I needed this laugh so badly. :jester:

Specializes in Vascular Access Nurse.

I don't know about y'all, but I go out of my way NOT to tell people I'm a nurse when I or a loved one is a patient.....unless things are greatly inappropriate...which rarely happens. Just treat me like I don't know a thing...because I may know a lot about a few subjects, but I sure don't keep up to date on everything and wouldn't question the knowledge of a nurse in their specialty. It's usually those who say "well, I'm a nurse at such and such" or "my sister is a nurse and says that XYZ drug is causing all this trouble" that generally know the least about what's going on! IMHO

and it's really not cool to give the 20 meq of kcl iv push, either!

:eek: can we say "lethal injection"? good thing you were there as seriously, someone could have died (duh :smokin:). you are a true lifesaver. :hug:

Specializes in Med Surg.

As far as food in the room it's kinda hard to stop when the hospital cafeteria encourages the ordering of "guest trays" so the pt. can eat with their spouse, kid, grandkid, etc. Or when a visitor goes to the cafeteria and instead of a tray all the food is served in a nice, neat carry out container. How can you blame the visitors when the hospital is encouraging them to start with?

At one hospital I worked at, one family would bring in two grocery bags full of food and a small cooler of sodas to drink while they camped out in Mom's room. No visiting restrictions means many families come early and stay late. And yes, I do try to get them out of the room when appropriate, but y'all know what that's like! When did visiting a sick relative become a social event?

I think I might top that. The policy in L&D regarding visitors has become a joke. It says two visitors at a time, but i guess that doesn't apply to some people as in, "That's the rule for everyone else. It doesn't apply to me. After all, my wife/sister/her best friend/aunt/second cousin twice removed is having a baby!!! I gotta be here!!! "Well, duh, what a coincidence! Every one on this floor is going to have a baby (hint to relative: you aren't the only one whose family member is having a baby today). BTW, when did birth become a spectator sport? That's one of my pet peeves.

Anyway, there was a family who had 10 family member crammed in one room. A few family members wanted to stay for the whole show (as if it gives them special clout with the baby for whatever reason). Good grief! The baby surely isn't going to remember this, the mom might remember (if she wasn't snowed by a combination of Stadol plus the illicit drugs that we onboard when she was admitted). is it going to be less special if you meet/get to hold the baby two hours from now instead of trying to be the first to get to hold the baby. Mom did all the work, shouldn't she get to hold the baby first? Also, mom and dad should have a few private moments of to facilitate bonding and celebrating the new life they will be starting together. Honestly, there was one huge family milling about, waiting in the halls instead of the waiting room (a big no-no and this rule is prominently display throughout the unit), disregarding mom's wishes to have only two at the bedside - seriously, one mom wanted to wait to find out the gender and her hubby is going to make the big announcement regarding the baby's gender.ever, despite the fact that this lady was asked to move to the waiting area by both the family and staff, shesnuck back on the unit by waiting outside the WR door for someone to come out. She planted herself right outside the room waiting for the announcement regarding the baby's gender. Once she got it, she ran out the door back to the main waiting area and announced the gender. Dad had waited the whole pregnancy for the moment he could share the gender with everyone, and he was beyond angry when she did this. I was mad for him. When confronted by another family member about her behavior, all she said was "They'll have to get over it." At that point, security had to be called in.

I'm sorry that this is turning into vent post of my own. That wasn't my intention. I'll get to my point.

Another family brought every one together for a family reunion, complete with an ice chest full of beer! :eek: They had two coolers: one for the mom's room, one for those who were in the WR. There were out there with feet on the ice chest being "drunk loud." The charge nurse asked them twice to take it back to the car and they refused. Needless to say, security had to be called and the family in the WR was kicked off the hospital campus.

It's so sad because of a lot of people have to suffer because of the actions of a few.

Sorry that this post got out of hand with my vent. I didn't mean to hijack this... [hug] I hope things are going better for you!

Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.
As far as food in the room it's kinda hard to stop when the hospital cafeteria encourages the ordering of "guest trays" so the pt. can eat with their spouse, kid, grandkid, etc. Or when a visitor goes to the cafeteria and instead of a tray all the food is served in a nice, neat carry out container. How can you blame the visitors when the hospital is encouraging them to start with?

That's a really good point. When I had surgery last year, my husband was encouraged to get a guest tray so he could eat with me. It was also kind of weird because instead of having menus, the hospital had me call prior to every meal like I was getting room service.

Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.
That's a really good point. When I had surgery last year, my husband was encouraged to get a guest tray so he could eat with me. It was also kind of weird because instead of having menus, the hospital had me call prior to every meal like I was getting room service.

Moogie I think this is very considerate of the hospital to do this. Was it a private hospital or public?

(Luv Star Trek don't you? Those darn Ferengis are always up to something!)

Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.

Private. It startled me the first time I got "room service". If I really had a choice, I would have asked for Thai food from across the street. :) But the hubby pooped out on that one. ;)

Specializes in Vascular Access Nurse.
That's a really good point. When I had surgery last year, my husband was encouraged to get a guest tray so he could eat with me. It was also kind of weird because instead of having menus, the hospital had me call prior to every meal like I was getting room service.

My hospitals meals also work like this....in fact, it's called room service! The pt or family member can call any time and as many times as they like to order how ever much food they want. It's supposed to be only for the pt, but I've never seen Grandma eat 10 cheeseburgers in a day!:uhoh3:

Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

Is take out the same as take away in the US?

Specializes in Med Surg.
Is take out the same as take away in the US?

If you mean going to the drive-thru, getting your food and scarfing down the french fries real quick before they get cold and then eating the burger at home -yes.

Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

If you mean going to the drive-thru, getting your food and scarfing down the french fries real quick before they get cold and then eating the burger at home -yes.

Ha ha ha! Thanks :)

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