Almost lost my cool at work

[0.adamantite]

I am a very calm, patient person. But the pressures of the hospital are enough to drive even me over the deep end sometimes. I was being pulled in 20 different directions and had to deal with another department who was being totally unhelpful. (Why do they never want to do their jobs?!) After a frustrating conversation on the phone, I felt my temper flare and I quickly finished the conversation "Okay, thanks, bye" and hung up on the person before I got too angry.

I immediately regretted it, it is totally out of character for me. I think the stress sometimes gets to me. We as nurses are expected to get the job done,we can't just foist it off on someone else or try to weasel our way out of it. I hope I'm not turning into nurse ratchet.

[Cinquefoil]

Are you a) secretly made of machinery? b) dedicated to patient-shaming? c) allergic to HIPAA and addicted to restraints, and/or d) a fiend of emotional compartmentalization ?

If you're none of the above, then congratulations! You're not Nurse Ratched!

However, you may still have been having a single lapse during a bad day. And you may have drawn a boundary with a family member.

[Cinquefoil]

If your behavior was out of character, then bravo. And if you can laugh at and forgive yourself for those few less than ideal moments, the basic drives that keep you compassionate and present will be more free to do what they do naturally.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

If THAT'S almost losing your cool, I'd say you're doing pretty well!

[martymoose, BSN, RN]

if you didn't break the phone, you did alright then.

[Biffbradford]

Gotta be careful! I've seen someone get fired ON THE SPOT. The patient pulled out a tube that they just spent 3 hours putting in. The nurse just caught the act as she turned around and in a knee-jerk reaction exclaimed: *****??!

The manager said: "OUT! Security will clean out your locker for you."

[RNperdiem, RN]

I have been there too. Make good use of your time off so you can decompress from work.

Sometimes we have had patient families that are so able to frustrate nurses, that they are rotated among staff so nobody spends too many consecutive shifts with them.

[ArtClassRN, ADN, RN]

0.adamantite said "Okay, thanks, bye"

Good lord. I hope the other person was OK.

[ArtClassRN, ADN, RN]

Gotta be careful! I've seen someone get fired ON THE SPOT. The patient pulled out a tube that they just spent 3 hours putting in. The nurse just caught the act as she turned around and in a knee-jerk reaction exclaimed: *****??!

The manager said: "OUT! Security will clean out your locker for you."

And people still criticize unions. The nurse deserved a verbal warning.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Gotta be careful! I've seen someone get fired ON THE SPOT. The patient pulled out a tube that they just spent 3 hours putting in. The nurse just caught the act as she turned around and in a knee-jerk reaction exclaimed: *****??!

The manager said: "OUT! Security will clean out your locker for you."

Wow...that is a bit extreme but the point is clear watch what one's mouth.

Every nurse has her moments. I have the patience of Job...even I have slammed the phone down hard enough to be heard in the next county.

This is my favourite response...

jrwest if you didn't break the phone, you did alright then.

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

Been there, done that...and I've seen worse.

[xoemmylouox, ASN, RN]

Man that is nothing.. I've seen flat out screaming matches between staff vs staff and staff vs MD. We all have a breaking point. I've hit mine a few times in my career. While I've never screamed or gotten physical with someone else at work I have hung up on more than one. I love the satisfaction of slamming that phone down too. Sadly we just don't get that satisfaction with smartphones anymore.