Complaining about your employer, loudly, at nurses' station

Nurses Relations

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We received a memo that we should stop complaining about our hospital at work, especially where patients can hear, or in front of other employees. Our manager said that, if we hate our jobs so much, there are other options out there, and she'd rather us work elsewhere.

I have to say, I agree. For one thing, we should be careful what we say within earshot of patients. Also, it's a downer, a morale buster, to hear this constant kvetching, ********, moaning and groaning. As long as we work for an entity, we are their servants and we should not bite the hands that feed us. We should be thankful for our livelihoods, it feeds us and gives us shelter, we have it a lot better than many people in this world.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Specializes in ER.
I will agree with everything but the 'servant' part.

I am free born and not anyone's chattel.

You can employ me but you don't own me.

Happy Holidays.

I said "servant", not "slave". We are employed, paid wages, to serve our patients and the goals of our employers. An employee has the freedom to find other work in the marketplace, a slave does not.

Loudly complaining at the nurses' station puts our employers in a bad light, and makes those patients we serve insecure and fearful that they may be in danger. I do believe we have a duty to those we serve, both the company and the recipients of our care.

I guess I see being a servant to our fellow humans as a noble calling, not an indignity.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
No its literal. I don't walk in and tell them hi I'm your nurse, by the way I hate my employer and this hospital, but if they ask, I tell them honestly. However the fact that I hate my employer doesn't affect the effort of my job, because I like my charge and my ER docs. I have seen enough to know that most employers don't care about their nurses.

While that may be the truth about your personal feelings....the patient and the bedside IS NOT the proper place to discuss YOUR feelings. If I was your boss in the ED we would be having a discussion about your longevity in your present position and professionalism at the bedside.

When patients ask me "do you like nursing?" or "do you like what you do?" my exact word is "No". They ask me why and I tell them that I don't mind the work but health care is full of crooks and that I work for crooks so I hate what I do.

As a patient...if my nurse spoke about their job like that I would have serious concerns about my safety and the competency of the nurse caring for me. People who "like" their jobs are less likely to make mistakes. Recently, I was in a life threadtening emergency and required emergent abd surgery....if at any time my nurses displayed that attitude I would would have been terrified that they just don't care and are going to miss something vital that will threaten my life.

If the nurse doens't give a rat's ass about thier job why would they care about me?

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
I said "servant", not "slave". We are employed, paid wages, to serve our patients and the goals of our employers. An employee has the freedom to find other work in the marketplace, a slave does not.

Loudly complaining at the nurses' station puts our employers in a bad light, and makes those patients we serve insecure and fearful that they may be in danger. I do believe we have a duty to those we serve, both the company and the recipients of our care.

I guess I see being a servant to our fellow humans as a noble calling, not an indignity.

Amen.

I think nurses forget that the patient is why you are there in the first place. Patients are frightened, in pain, worried. Their senses and emotions are heightened. They hear everything. It is inappropriate to vent your frustrations and burden the patient.

When you are caring for patients it is not appropriate to burden them with your personal feelings.

Have I ever been frustrated at my facility and mumbled in my mind I hate the &*^(%( place...absolutely. But it is not for the patient to hear.

News flash...it is not all about your (speaking to the general population and not you emergent ;)) personal feelings when you are at work.

Think about it...you are the patient your are hurting and frightened and your hear the staff talk about how much they hate their jobs. Not a real confidence builder is it?

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You know, as much as you hate your employer...you could be hating life 1,000 more if you have a termination on your record. If a patient relates your comments on a survey or calls customer relations (cringe that we have that department), you could be fired. Don't be stupid. Better to quietly leave and have the last laugh. Blowing your mouth off for anyone to hear is plain stupidity. Look out for yourself and play it smart by keeping quiet.

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Specializes in MDS/ UR.
I said "servant", not "slave". We are employed, paid wages, to serve our patients and the goals of our employers. An employee has the freedom to find other work in the marketplace, a slave does not.

Loudly complaining at the nurses' station puts our employers in a bad light, and makes those patients we serve insecure and fearful that they may be in danger. I do believe we have a duty to those we serve, both the company and the recipients of our care.

I guess I see being a servant to our fellow humans as a noble calling, not an indignity.

I respectfully disagreed with the use of servant as a term for myself as a nurse.

If the term usage pleases you, all the best.

I support your post content otherwise.

Is that really an issue?

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When patients ask me "do you like nursing?" or "do you like what you do?" my exact word is "No". They ask me why and I tell them that I don't mind the work but health care is full of crooks and that I work for crooks so I hate what I do. I have no problem talking smack about my employer, they are out for themselves in the end and their profit, their money, their bonuses.

Sounds like you need to move on. What a terrible attitude to have, and even more terrible that your patients see that from you.

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I vent about my employer plenty. NEVER in front of patients though. I want them to not doubt me at all. (After all a happy and confident patient is less likely to sue). Seriously though, keep your patients out of your beef with your employer. It's not fair to burden them with your issues, or to make them fearful of the care they are receiving.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Why bring this up at Christmas and a lecture to boot? Let's just all have a Merry Christmas and be thankful for all the good in our lives and our family and friends!

Merry Christmas!

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Specializes in hospice.
No its literal. I don't walk in and tell them hi I'm your nurse, by the way I hate my employer and this hospital, but if they ask, I tell them honestly. However the fact that I hate my employer doesn't affect the effort of my job, because I like my charge and my ER docs. I have seen enough to know that most employers don't care about their nurses.

How utterly unprofessional and cruel to vulnerable people.

My co-workers and I vent plenty, but not where patients or families can hear us.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
When patients ask me "do you like nursing?" or "do you like what you do?" my exact word is "No". They ask me why and I tell them that I don't mind the work but health care is full of crooks and that I work for crooks so I hate what I do. I have no problem talking smack about my employer, they are out for themselves in the end and their profit, their money, their bonuses.

You should be thankful you still have a job. I find it hard to believe that your management and those higher up aren't aware of what is being said to patients. Unbelievably unprofessional.

I'm not saying it's never ok to vent about the job or the facility. Heck, just yesterday my teammates and I were venting about how many surgeries were scheduled on Christmas Eve and how the call team basically wasn't going to have any time to enjoy the holiday. However, we had the brains to know not to do that in front of patients but instead talked in the break room during lunch. But as a professional, one needs to know when and in what areas it is ok to vent.

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There's a lot in this thread that I like.

And another blessing to count because as much as my employer is driving me bonkers right now during a rough transitional period (EMR!!!) and I'm disappointed in our healthcare system in several ways, I love my work and I'm grateful for being paid a good wage to perform it.

I'm often asked if I like my job and I tell my patients and families that I love it (the truth) but I would like to see the day when everyone has access to decent healthcare so we don't have to turn down anyone (also the truth).

And it would never be my style to gratify myself in anyway that was non therapeutic to a patient (I've got friends or a therapist if I just want to vent) Get some backbone and get yourself in a different position. As tough as nursing is, I will never feel sorry for someone who was able to obtain a marketable skill in today's world. We could have been born in a 3rd world country and/or truly oppressed.

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Specializes in ER.

If you hate nursing, and a patient asks you if you like your job, simply answer with a smile "It's very interesting work". Not a lie, yet not negative.

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