Co-workers as patients VENT...please help

Specialties NP

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I work P/T in a group practice with 2 male physicians, an office manager an LPN and 4 receptionists. I have somehow gotten the reputation as the employee health NP and I really am not happy with it. It started out as sore throats and such. They will bring their famiily members to me. They all say they feel that I am thorough and caring, and of corse this was flattering initially. But I have come to find that they are all so crazy and such complainers, I can't take it. It has morphed into people just perpetually complaining to me "What does it mean if I have this pain or this twinge?...". The office manager and LPN worst of all. Pretty much every time I have a second to sit down or stop at the desk to chart they are trying to tell me all of their problems. I counted one day last week one girl gave me 6 different things that were wrong with her in 5 hours. And they get extremely personal-I know way more about the sex life and extramarital affairs of my co-workers than I want to know. Tonight the nurse, who is very good to me, otherwise, called me to torture me on the phone AT HOME while I was trying to feed my daughterabout a rash on her lady parts that she thinks is from rough sex. Explaining in detail the sex positions she engaged in. Like, I don't even want to know this from my best friend. You probably won't beleive me if I tell you that is the least of what these people tell me. I have tried to approach some of the worst complainers jokingly like "Oh, here come the complaint du jour" just trying to jokingly point out that they complain alot to me. I went to my boss and the pretty much the only thing he saw was dollar signs and sent out a memo that no one can be seen on job time anymore. But they still all complain all day-now I am just not documenting it as a visit! The staff is not what you would call high-caliber, obviously, and morale is very low perpetully because the boss is a bit of a jerk. But this job actually works pretty well for me on other levels, I am just so burnt out with these people that I can't even just have a cordial conversation about the weather at work! I have no real desire to be friends with any of these people. I just want to be a co-worker. It is most unpleasant. I actually applied for another job today. Thanks for listening to my long vent. Any advice appreciated.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I work in a large nephrology practice and though I don't work in the main office, get this too. I have nipped it in the bud by saying that for their own continuity of care they should see their PCP. Or, in a situation similar to yours (where too much info was given), I said (in a shocked tone), "Oh I know you wouldn't want to share this with a co-worker!" and then I leave the room. I don't get asked nearly as often as before.

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Specializes in ACNP-BC.
I work P/T in a group practice with 2 male physicians, an office manager an LPN and 4 receptionists. I have somehow gotten the reputation as the employee health NP and I really am not happy with it. It started out as sore throats and such. They will bring their famiily members to me. They all say they feel that I am thorough and caring, and of corse this was flattering initially. But I have come to find that they are all so crazy and such complainers, I can't take it. It has morphed into people just perpetually complaining to me "What does it mean if I have this pain or this twinge?...". The office manager and LPN worst of all. Pretty much every time I have a second to sit down or stop at the desk to chart they are trying to tell me all of their problems. I counted one day last week one girl gave me 6 different things that were wrong with her in 5 hours. And they get extremely personal-I know way more about the sex life and extramarital affairs of my co-workers than I want to know. Tonight the nurse, who is very good to me, otherwise, called me to torture me on the phone AT HOME while I was trying to feed my daughterabout a rash on her lady parts that she thinks is from rough sex. Explaining in detail the sex positions she engaged in. Like, I don't even want to know this from my best friend. You probably won't beleive me if I tell you that is the least of what these people tell me. I have tried to approach some of the worst complainers jokingly like "Oh, here come the complaint du jour" just trying to jokingly point out that they complain alot to me. I went to my boss and the pretty much the only thing he saw was dollar signs and sent out a memo that no one can be seen on job time anymore. But they still all complain all day-now I am just not documenting it as a visit! The staff is not what you would call high-caliber, obviously, and morale is very low perpetully because the boss is a bit of a jerk. But this job actually works pretty well for me on other levels, I am just so burnt out with these people that I can't even just have a cordial conversation about the weather at work! I have no real desire to be friends with any of these people. I just want to be a co-worker. It is most unpleasant. I actually applied for another job today. Thanks for listening to my long vent. Any advice appreciated.

I get asked for medical advice all the time by my family and friends and I simply tell them to call their PCP. Of course, they thankfully do not give me details of their sex lives! Ugh-that is waaaaaaaay too much information. Sorry that is happening to you. Some people really need more class!

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Specializes in Acute Care - Cardiology.

omg! great post anpny!

i can totally relate to this... before i even finished my np program my family saw me as a "free health clinic" for advice, but now its worse. i have gotten so ticked at my own dad because he called me at 11pm one night during my poker game to ask me if he should take my 14 year old brother to the er for a... get this... sore throat!!!!!!! are you freakin' kidding me???? *lmao* he had soccer try outs on monday and wanted to nip it asap. *i am rolling my eyes right now* then he asked for antibiotics... people just dont understand you don't always need antibiotics. :banghead:

it is sooooo hard to get away from once you've helped out. it's like you give an inch and they take a mile... its ridiculous!

at work, i have encountered this as well, but its mostly just for earaches and uris... no sex talk as of yet. :no:

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Specializes in ACNP-BC.

I just wanted to add this: I am fine with giving "nurse" or health promotion advice to family/friends like "Well yes, if you eat more veggies and less red meat, there's a good chance you'll decrease your risk of heart disease, cancer, etc. in the future" but I am not eager at all to give NP/medical advice about which meds they should be on, or what diagnosis I think they may have.

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Well I went to work today with doughnuts and coffee (how's that for health promotion, eh?) and asked everyone to come for a quick meeting and just kind of said that things in our office feel like they are getting a little heavy and that maybe we could try to lighten things up a little and try to be a little more lighthearted. This was met with mixed response. Nobody argued it, per se, but nobody seemed too jazzed. And when one of them later asked me if it was normal to feel so tired all of the time. I said "No, it's really not and you should go see your regular PCP to get checked out." I told her I could see her for sore throats and such but that she should go to her PCP for everything else. Hopefully she will spread the word. I think that part of the reason there are so many health complaints is because the employees are just miserable, and bored, and depressed, many of them. The other part is that I kind of let this situation develop. I just didn't realize that people needed to actually have these kind of boundaries drawn out for them.So, either they will run me out of town for my little meeting, or they will at least leve me alone for a little while. Either way, I think I have to look for a new job :sniff:

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I think you did a terrific job and agree that boundaries have to be set. Sorry it might mean looking for another job.

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Specializes in FNP, Peds, Epilepsy, Mgt., Occ. Ed.

If and when you do get that new job, you will know to start out with boundaries.

I've never had quite the problem you have. Maybe because I've made it a point to listen sympathetically for just a bit and said something like "well, I really need for you to make an appointment..." I don't give scripts without establishing a provider/patient relationship.

I agree about the Too Much Information thing, too. I really don't want to know all the details of anyone's lives that I don't absolutely have to, and that goes double for people I work with!!

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