Angry Nurses - Why?

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Specializes in Medicine.

I started Volunteering at a hospital doing some research for the Emergency Medicine Department. I was posted at the Pediatrics Emergency Room and from there I got to see the Nurses that worked for both the Peds and Regular ER Triage (since they were next to each other).

For some reason these nurses were just not happy with their jobs. All the nurses I've seen there had attitudes up to their chin. Even if a patient was totally nice they still provided an attitude. They spoke as if the patients were stupid and treated them without respect.

Yes the ER is a tough spot to be for a nurse, but why take it out on patients? Has anyone else seen this? Are you one of those nurses that get ***** at patients? It sickens me really that these people would choose a profession that stems itself from the genuine desire to help people and take it for granted. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who want to become nurses but couldn't make it. Why do these people deserve it?

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Never judge a book by the cover.

Moving to the ER nurses forum.

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Specializes in cardiac/critical care/ informatics.

Unless you have walked in their shoes,you can't judge. I agree they shouldn't take it out on the patients. But I bet you don't know the whole situation.

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Specializes in Medicine.

Yea that is true. I'll see how it is once I start school I guess.

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Specializes in Trauma/ED.

My department has been very difficult lately with a very low morale but this is situational not because we don't like our job. We have had to work short and people are working a ton of overtime (I worked 76 hrs in the last 7 days). We are extremely stressed with our situation, not our job. I love my job as they might as well but the ER can make you cranky because there is a lot of people who abuse our "free" care and live very entitled lives. With more exposure you may obtain a better understanding of where they are coming from.

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Specializes in 1 PACU,11 ICU, 9 ER.

I understand how frustrating it can be to meet people who are not happy in their job but as previous posters stated unless you have walked a mile in their shoes you cannot completely understand why they are so negative.

I am one of 'those nurses' who is unhappy on her job(one of my 3 per diem jobs) and am trying to find alternative employment. I am very angry as I have never been put in such a dangerous situation as the ER where I work in my entire nursing career.

I have been a nurse 18 yrs and all in level 1 trauma centers until the last 6 yrs and I have had more negative experiences in the lsat 6 yrs than in the entire rest of my career.

However my other 2 jobs are great and I love them, 1 of them being an ER. 8 or 12 hrs of triage listening to pts who probably 50% of them do not need to be there makes you very frustrated and with management that does not listen also makes you very angry.

However I really try not to carry an attitude over to my pts however minor and inappropriate their presenting complaint to the ER may be.

:banghead:

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Specializes in ED, ICU, Heme/Onc.
I started Volunteering at a hospital doing some research for the Emergency Medicine Department. I was posted at the Pediatrics Emergency Room and from there I got to see the Nurses that worked for both the Peds and Regular ER Triage (since they were next to each other).

For some reason these nurses were just not happy with their jobs. All the nurses I've seen there had attitudes up to their chin. Even if a patient was totally nice they still provided an attitude. They spoke as if the patients were stupid and treated them without respect.

Yes the ER is a tough spot to be for a nurse, but why take it out on patients? Has anyone else seen this? Are you one of those nurses that get ***** at patients? It sickens me really that these people would choose a profession that stems itself from the genuine desire to help people and take it for granted. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who want to become nurses but couldn't make it. Why do these people deserve it?

I have a genuine desire to help people -- and don't particulary enjoy being taken for granted. Perhaps the other nurses you encountered felt the same way. As a volunteer, I am doubtful that you were privvy to the particular circumstances that have led to any feelings of anger on the part of the nurses.

I have managed to retain my basic human compassion, but after being a nurse for a few years, I'm nobody's doormat. And yes, I'll get frustrated when dealing with a patient or family member who decides that I'm not waving my magic wand fast enough, or not making with the graham crackers and ginger ale fast enough and I will walk away and perhaps roll my eyes when a patient who comes in with a stomach ache gets put into a hall bed because we have a kid in respiratory distress 3 minutes out and the room needs to be cleaned and prepped before the squad gets there... Or the 8th patient in a row "forgets" to cover their mouth when they cough, or purposely defecates on the floor... Should I go on??

Please try not to judge until you've been in the role. There is no reason to villify the nursing staff when you are there to help them! Why not try to alleviate some of the burden from the nursing staff within your scope as a volunteer? (ie -- get blankets, make a bed, fetch a glass of water if it's OK with the nurse)

Blee

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Specializes in Mixed Level-1 ICU.

Larry77,

"I worked 76 hrs in the last 7 days"

Who's choice is that?

What would happen if you stopped working so many hours?

Might that absolutely force execs to rethink, rehire, raise salaries to attract more...do SOMETHING to change the status quo!?

As long as you and your colleagues continue to patch the holes why should they make changes and why would you expect a change?

As long as it's working for them don't expect a change

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

For some reason these nurses were just not happy with their jobs.

Why don't you just ask them?

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Specializes in Medicine.
I have a genuine desire to help people -- and don't particulary enjoy being taken for granted. Perhaps the other nurses you encountered felt the same way. As a volunteer, I am doubtful that you were privvy to the particular circumstances that have led to any feelings of anger on the part of the nurses.

I have managed to retain my basic human compassion, but after being a nurse for a few years, I'm nobody's doormat. And yes, I'll get frustrated when dealing with a patient or family member who decides that I'm not waving my magic wand fast enough, or not making with the graham crackers and ginger ale fast enough and I will walk away and perhaps roll my eyes when a patient who comes in with a stomach ache gets put into a hall bed because we have a kid in respiratory distress 3 minutes out and the room needs to be cleaned and prepped before the squad gets there... Or the 8th patient in a row "forgets" to cover their mouth when they cough, or purposely defecates on the floor... Should I go on??

Please try not to judge until you've been in the role. There is no reason to villify the nursing staff when you are there to help them! Why not try to alleviate some of the burden from the nursing staff within your scope as a volunteer? (ie -- get blankets, make a bed, fetch a glass of water if it's OK with the nurse)

Blee

Well from the way they present themselves I made a judgement. People do this all the time. I do understand however that nurses have a lot of work on their shoulders.

I wouldn't greet someone with an attitude in any circumstance. Some of the patients I've seen were brand new but for them asking a simple question with a simple answer was just too much. I would be mad too if the patient was inconsiderate to me but these people weren't.

I would've loved to help but the position I was in was to do research for my director so I was doing a whole other job.

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Specializes in Medicine.
Why don't you just ask them?

You know what, I really wanted to haha. I wanted to just walk right up to them and ask why they were so bitter. Too bad I stopped volunteering before I could do it.

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Sounds to me like the OP thinks he/she understands what its like to be a nurse, even if the OP is saying he/she doesn't. If you are not a nurse (and nursing school doesn't count) you can't really understand the stress that nurses are under. I find it hard to believe that all the nurses at this ER were just so wicked that they were rude to all the patients for no reason. I find it easier to believe that you do not know the full story. Other people on this website may disagree with me when I say this, but I feel that this is a forum for nurses to come vent, share stories, and not feel the pressure to defend ourselves. To come to this website to ask why nurses are so angry and to ask if we are one of the nurses that ***** your patients, or what ever you said, well, I find that rather offensive. None of us were there with you, so we can't tell you specifically why Nurse X said when she said. So really you are coming on here to vent that nurses are rude?? That's how i see it. Honestly, if you want to put down nurses, you can go to any other website out there. Because the general public is so ignorant to what we do as nurses and people want us to eat poop with a smile, that they are quick to put us down. (If we don't smile while eating the poop)

Again, I might be the only one that feels that way, but that's just how I see it.

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