Do many nurses resent their patients?

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

Some nurses here sound like they get really annoyed with a lot of their patients. Do some of you feel that you really get tired of working with the public? I'm hearing a lot of resentment in some of these threads.

Personally, I get more frustrated and annoyed with nursing and hospital management. The patients are the fun and interesting part of the job, even when they are a PITA. I just find them facinating. I like finding out about them. Some of them are such oddballs, where else would you get to meet such colorful characters? I rarely meet a patient that I don't like, for some reason.

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jlsRN said:
Some nurses here sound like they get really annoyed with a lot of their patients. Do some of you feel that you really get tired of working with the public? I'm hearing a lot of resentment in some of these threads.

Personally, I get more frustrated and annoyed with nursing and hospital management. The patients are the fun and interesting part of the job, even when they are a PITA. I just find them facinating. I like finding out about them. Some of them are such oddballs, where else would you get to meet such colorful characters? I rarely meet a patient that I don't like, for some reason.

I sometimes get annoyed with the indivduals but I never show it and I usualy end up laughing about it later. Despite any griping I may have posted on this forum, I do enjoy my job as a direct care staff.

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Specializes in Operating Room Nursing.

Unfortunately there are some patients who seem to delight in making life misery for nurses by being demanding and unreasonable. I think that what happens is that a lot of nurses are continually exposed to this behavior and maybe they resent these types of patients.

I know from experience that it's extremely frustrating when your trying to give the best possible care to someone and your treated like dirt. I can't blame nurses for becoming a bit resentful about it.

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

I guess I really don't get treated like dirt, even by the less likable patients. They seem to appreciate what I do for them. Maybe it's the community I live in?

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That brings up and interesting point.... I think I tolerate my clients better because they can't help it. I think when I become a nurse, there will have to be some adjustment made because I know some pt. can be royal pitha... but hopefully that will be few and far between.... but even then I usualy just put on a smile and bear it when I have to deal with quote and quote "normal" people. (I say that because, I think some of the mentally disabled individuals I work with are sometimes more intelligent and "normal" than some of the supposedly "normal" people I have met outside of work... I have even made the mistake of confusing certain staff I work with, with actually living here!)

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Specializes in Cardiac Telemetry, ED.

I don't resent my patients. I enjoy them very much. Every now and again I encounter someone that rubs me the wrong way for whatever reason, but that's a rarity.

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Specializes in CCU,ICU,ER retired.

In 30 yrs I have only had 2 and both of them were noncompliant diabetics. They would never take their insulin and would come in at least twice a month. When they would come in they always had to be restrained because they would fight us tooth and nail and were so confused. After we got their sugars down they would become lucid and go AMA every time. Scores of Doctors would not take these guys. They didn't even know each other. In our unit, we had to draw straws to take them because you could pretty much be assured to go home with all kinds of bruises and scratches. I have even seen one nurse who refused to ever take one of them and she was sent home.

Sad to say these guys noncompliance eventully killed them.

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Specializes in NICU.

I've never resented my patients. Occasionally their parents, yes ..... but rarely.

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Specializes in Orthopedics/Med-Surg, LDRP.

I've never resented a patient. I've disliked the way they've been demanding, needy, unreasonable or are watching the clock for pain meds rather than listening to their bodies. I think the families are more a PITA than the patients when they're all in our faces, making even more unrealistic demands or treating our unit like a Hilton rather than a hospital when they think they're entitled to things and we're just their servants.

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Specializes in onc, M/S, hospice, nursing informatics.

It must be where you live. I guess if we all lived in "Neverland" like you, the world would be a wonderful, magical place!

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.
It must be where you live. I guess if we all lived in "Neverland" like you, the world would be a wonderful, magical place!

:roll

Better than "The Middle of Nowhere" ;)

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I even like the druggies.

My problem has always been that every patient who comes in is a fall risk, and every other patient tries to get up on their own, and I'm liable for the decisions of adults.

It's the fall risk/no Posey belt thing that gets me the most. Strap 'em in and I'll take care of 20.

;)

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