Disrespect

[Wife of Spinner]

Why do nurses, who complain so much about how doctors treat them, fail to notice that they treat their aides in the very same manner?

And before you say that it is not the truth, I am an aide and have received the "I am the nurse and I am always right" speech plenty of times!

Just because you are a nurse does not give carte blanche in treating people like they are beneath you!

P.S. I am also a nursing student who will graduate in less than a year, an I have already made my decision not to work on this floor as a nurse, for if I am going to be disrespected like this as an aide, I do not want to work with those who will then decide I can be a person of respect because I carry the title of nurse. I should be respected because I carry the title of HUMAN BEING!

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Perhaps it would be more helpful to everyone concerned to avoid broad generalizations, and instead focus on the individual nurses who are giving you problems.:)

I've been on both sides of this fence, and I can say in all honesty that the majority of nurses do NOT treat aides badly. Many of us were aides ourselves, and we know what can and cannot be accomplished on a given floor with the available staffing and patient load. If we are sometimes less than polite, it's probably because we are just as stressed, just as rushed, and just as overworked as you are.........not because we consider you 'beneath' us.

Yes, there are nurses who do behave this way, and there is no justification for it. The way to handle this is to document each incident and then report it to the offending nurse's supervisor; if she fails to take action, keep on going up the management food chain until you find someone who will. You do not have to put up with being treated like something scraped off the bottom of a nurse's shoe---speak up!

Again, please don't paint all nurses with the same brush.....we don't all treat aides like dirt. We are individuals and human beings, just like you. And of course, the best way NOT to perpetuate this sort of behavior is to treat your own assistants like gold when you yourself become an RN.

[MAISY, RN-ER, BSN, RN]

I too experienced both sides. I knew my job as an aide and always tried to anticipate what was needed ( I was also a nursing student)-very rarely I experienced the "pointed finger" this was usually from someone who did not know me or my work. Now, on the flip side-working with many different aides-I am not always sure what the new or younger aides are taught-I always give specific instructions because I've found it necessary to do so. In addition, I stayed in the area I was a emergency technician-after becoming a nurse,the aides gave me all kinds of crap with "you know how to ...." what they didn't understand-is how much has to be done as a nurse. (I didn't understand until I was truly a nurse). If I have time I do my own ekg, istats, preg,urine dips etc. if not, they have to.

There is never a reason to be rude, or believe everyone is lazy. Unfortunately, its always a few bad apples that give everyone a name.

PS I don't know anyone who is always right, however, I will say-my priorities, or immediate needs will always come before an aides routine. Aides too get set in their ways.

Anyway, good luck with school.

Maisy

[steelcityrn, RN]

If you were treated badly on that floor, I would not work on it either after becoming a nurse. You will probably always treat the n.a.'s better than some other nurses will.

[SassyRedhead]

IMHO, I have found that my idea of disrespect and someone else's covers a broad spectrum.

For example, while I do try to greet everyone for the day during/after report, sometimes I need to 'hit the ground running' and don't have time to exchange pleasantries. I don't believe this is disrespectful, but I know others that do.

When I have a pt that is crashing, I don't have the time to explain the theory of why I need something done for a pt, I simply need someone to do it quickly. I have worked with NA's that find this disrespectful.

Sometimes we need to switch our paradigm to be able to understand what is going on in the workplace, and not be so quick to judge, whether it is aide to nurse or vice versa.

[CVICURN2003]

I love our aides and try to respect them. Ours are very cautious and knowledgeable about what to touch and what not to!!! They know to look out for all of our "extras" like swans and QLC. But, most of all they understand OCD ICU nurses!! I just wish we had one or two more of them!!!

[EmmaG, RN]

I never ask my NA's to do anything I wouldn't do. They know that I respect them and appreciate their work. I've occasionally seen some of what you describe, and it really ticks me off--- and I always make sure I let the nurse know she is out of line.

[haras regnurps]

Just like the Marines slogan says.......respect is earned

well, I too have been on both sides of this. I was once an aide prior to being a student nurse, and then RN.

I think it makes a big difference what your life experience is prior to going into this field. ie how you were raised.

some people just are not kind to anyone they think is beneath them.

for me that attitude is just too "India" for me to handle.

There are medical schools that are actively trying to teach students to treat all people with respect.

To me it doesn't matter if you are the housekeeper or the surgeon. Each has a very important role to fulfill in the care of my patients.

One hospital that I worked at was very short on housekeepers one summer and between OR cases my surgeon grabbed the mop and helped turn over the room. You don't see that very often and it wasn't the last time that this surgeon did something like that.

Found out that his mom was a nurse and he had worked as an orderly before and during med school.

He earned everyones' respect by doing something that most would consider beneath him, he did not feel that way. He earned alot of respect that day.

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

wife of spinner said:

Why do nurses, who complain so much about how doctors treat them, fail to notice that they treat their aides in the very same manner?

And before you say that it is not the truth, I am an aide and have received the "I am the nurse and I am always right" speech plenty of times!

Generalize much?

If you're an aide and you're often treated with disrespect, what have you done about it? Are you allowing it to happen? Are you working to your full potential, anticipating needs and stepping in without being asked to? Or are you holding down a seat at the nurse's station, knitting and gossiping with your friends while the nurses do their own vital signs, I & o's, fingersticks, etc.? If you're just looking for ways to get out of work, perhaps the speech you're getting isn't so much about "I'm the nurse and I'm always right" (not that I know anyone who is always right!) as about "I'm the nurse and I have a lot more to do than you seem to realize, and you're not helping out much."

I'd advise anyone who believes that "Everyone" or "All nurses" or "All doctors" is/are picking on them/being mean to them/disrespecting them to first take a look at their own behavior to see what they're contributing to the problem.

Now if you had said "There are 4 nurses at work who are always disrespectful of me," or "Several nurses I work with" instead of making it about nurses in general, I'd find it somewhat easier to take your complaint seriously.

[linzz]

I have never treated an aide with disrespect and I never would because I believe we all need each other to do the job and even then it is a huge challenge at times. I have found that most aides I have met are great but like any job, there are some that just refuse to listen to the nurse at all, esp. the new nurse.

[CaLLaCoDe, BSN, RN]

haras regnurps said:

...one summer and between or cases my surgeon grabbed the mop and helped turn over the room. you don't see that very often and it wasn't the last time that this surgeon did something like that....

At our hospital the mops are locked up unfortunately. Had a patient once with diarrhea who got up to use the restroom and had made a "Muddy" smelly path on his way there. The bathroom smelled awful! I could not for the life of me get a housekeeper to come help and waited over 30 minutes. Oddly his neighbor put on his light and requested something to eat. Now that's quite an appetite.

Tatq, I have no trouble helping my aides and being kind to them and thanking them for work well done.

ps. Haras regnurps~ I saw the term "India" as in attitude and was offended until I realized you might be indian lol

[haras regnurps]

If you can't be kind to all those that you work with then maybe ya'll are in the wrong profession. I used to have a colleague of mine tell me, " honey, you will kill more flys with sugar than you will with vinegar"--

when I'd get my panties in a bunch over rudeness/disrespect issues.

To this day----- I think of the nurse that told me that everytime someone is nasty and rude / whether it is at work or in another setting. Does anyone still know the golden rule.??

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

I think that someone tried to change this

do unto others as they do unto you / or the even simpler version

...do unto others and then split.

It is just sad that some people have lost sight of the true vision of NURSING..........helping people, anyone, no exceptions.................