Does anyone else ever get tired of "stupid" nurses?

graysonret · Aug 3, 2007

Is it just me...or am I seeing more "stupid" nurses these days, compared to 20 years ago? Yes, it seems that people are relying on "electronic" equipment for vitals than manual. I use a manual BP cuff. I trust my ear more than some machine. I also do apicals too. Some CNAs need help too. They have no idea about vitals. I think it's nothing more than laziness. But, I've met some great nurses and CNAs too. In fact, I married one of my CNAs...and been happy since. :) How many times I've missed dinner or lunch, making sure my patients are properly cared for.......

rn/writer, RN · Aug 3, 2007

I don't know if it's so much physical laziness (although there are certainly those who qualify in that department) so much as it's an overall intellectual lethargy that doesn't want to stretch itself to know any more than the minimum to get the job (any job) done. Curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge (as opposed to mere information) are in danger of becoming lost arts.

Sigh.

paulla29 · Aug 3, 2007

An RN at our facility went and got another nurse to come check on a resident of hers who wasn't responding. She didn't check her vitals but did do a blood sugar on her that was within normal limits so she gave the resident her insulin before getting the other nurse.

The other nurse walked in and could tell before she even approached the resident that she was dead. No kidding. She said she couldn't figure out why she wasn't responding.........Scary.

Lorie P. · Aug 4, 2007

I have worked with wonderful nurses and not so wonderful nurses.
In my experience the Lack of knowledge, laziness of work ethic group are the ones who are so tight with administration that nothing would get them out.

:lol2: boy are ever so right!!

Had this one nurse who gave 120 units of regular insulin and never had any one check the order or question that amount at bed time.

She worked with us for another 5 months and the sad thing is this wasn't the only pt to suffer ( pt expired next day) .

This same nurse didn't stop a feeding when there was over 200cc's of residual when checked.

Thank goodness she no longer works with me, but have another in there place.

:scrying: how did these people ever pass their boards:uhoh3:??

RNSC · Aug 4, 2007

how did these people ever pass their boards?

I think we forget that boards is just taking a test. Anyone can pass a test with book knowlege. Too bad that common sense and application of knowlege aren't somehow tested.

gettingupthere · Aug 8, 2007

=twinmom2k;478408]Sometimes I really have to wonder how these nurses passed their boards. It never ceases to amaze me how clueless some nurses are. I can now understand why we have house supervisors. The really sad thing is the nurse who "went to lunch" was one of the house supervisors just before I got the job. That is really scarey. It just goes to show that management just wants to fill a position and doesn't really care who takes it. Which doesn't make me feel "special" about getting the job. But at least I know how to supervise and can take care of my patients. Before I took this position I was the one the supervisors would call when they had questions etc. This is why I felt so comfortable taking the job, I was already doing it.

Oh well. I just feel bad for the patients who are getting substandard care.

One thing I am grateful for is my college. When I was going through nursing school I hated this school. I felt like they were too strict and their grading scale was ridiculous. 80% was a C and considered failing. I got A's and B's, but still felt like it was too strict. They also were very strict about attendance and made us wear Dresses on Wednesdays.It was suppose to teach us proffesionalism .Well it worked. And I have never met a nurse who graduated from this school who didn't know their stuff. The nurses who worry me are not graduates of this school. So now I thank them everyday for the education I received. And when I go back for my RN next year I am going back to this school.

I too went through a very strict program, 30+ years ago. My main intructor was a retired Army Nurse, she was TOUGH! Our uniforms were dresses, each clinical morning we all had to kneel on the floor to make sure our dresses were plenty long, I mean below our knees. I didn't understand it then, but I still have very strict work ethics ( which I also learned from my mom). My belief is, if you have IT, you have IT, and if you don't you never will! I find working with nurses who are looking to make sure they know just when they have their next break and lunch time is very frutrating. I WISH sometimes I could be that way, but I can't!

And as for how they passed the boards? Some people are good at test taking ( I was not) but have a hard time applying what they learned. Ah, I think a lack of common sense comes into play here!

Bottom line is, everywhere you go, you are going to run into these nurses. There are some naturals ( such as yourself) and some that will NEVER get it!

Debbie

TraumaNurseRN · Dec 16, 2007

I swear I am so tired of nurses that can't think for themselves and don't think for themselves. I am the weekend house supervisor for my LTC facility. This means I am in charge of pretty much everything. I love my job don't get me wrong. I just don't understand some nurses thinking process. Such as: Last Saturday we had a patient that began doing poorly. There was confusion as to whether this patient was supposed to be comfort measures only or not. Basically the family was arguing amongst themselves about what they wanted. But this really has nothing to do with my point. I was called to the unit to assess the patient. When I get there the CNA for that patient tells me she can't get a blood pressure or a good pulse ( the patient did have both she just couldn't get it) I ask the nurse what she got, and she tells me she didn't try. She just sent the CNA down to get it. With an electronic BP to boot. Now I know CNA's are trained to get vitals in our state, but come on. If you have a critical patient is that really who you want to depend on to get your vitals? And I would never use an electronic BP cuff to assess a critical patient. They are fine for routine purposes but we all know they sometimes are not reliable especially in a difficult case. The nurse was completely oblivious to the fact that she should have gotten the vitals herself.
I ended up getting the vitals myself and sending her out to the hospital. This kind of stuff just drives me crazy. It happens all the time where I work. The last weekend I worked a similar situation happened where the nurse did the exact same thing and called me to the room. I get there and there are THREE other nurses standing there all looking at me to do something. They hand me a sheet of paper that has the vitals written on it. It says b/p 78/41, Pulse of 97. So I ask who got the vitals. The CNA in the room says I did. I asked her with what and she gives me the electronic bp cuff. So I get the manual bp cuff and stethescope and take them myself. I get 108/64 and a AHR of 54. Now does this not sound ridiculous to anyone else? That not one of the other three nurses in the room doubted the accuracy of the electronic bp cuff? Not only this but once I get the vitals I go to call the doctor on this patient who is lethargic and very pale, and her nurse goes to lunch leaving me to send her out to the hospital by myself without even offering to do anything.
Okay I am done ranting. I just get so frustrated that some nurses cannot think for themselves. Sometimes they call me to a residents room and haven't even gotten vitals yet. They just want me to do everything. I don't mind helping them and usually I do it all for them. But it would be nice if they would at least offer to help and stay around to see what is going to happen.
Well thanks for letting me vent and I apologize if this is not the forum to voice my concerns.

My question is: Doesn't the long term care facility have protocols when things like this happen? One thing not mentioned by you is what you did, other than to call your higher up and have the patient shipped out. The patient was lethargic and pale and you left the patient to make a phone call. Where's the protocol there? Seems to me you did the same thing the nurse assigned to the patient did. Nothing was done until transport EMS came to transport. They probably started an IV , provided supplemental oxygen, placed the patient on a cardiac monitor, gave fluids, and were advised enroute of further care. LTC facilites in my experience do this all the time. They dump to the ER....then we do care that could have easily been taken care of in the LTC facility.

paulla29 · Dec 16, 2007

My question is: Doesn't the long term care facility have protocols when things like this happen? One thing not mentioned by you is what you did, other than to call your higher up and have the patient shipped out. The patient was lethargic and pale and you left the patient to make a phone call. Where's the protocol there? Seems to me you did the same thing the nurse assigned to the patient did. Nothing was done until transport EMS came to transport. They probably started an IV , provided supplemental oxygen, placed the patient on a cardiac monitor, gave fluids, and were advised enroute of further care. LTC facilites in my experience do this all the time. They dump to the ER....then we do care that could have easily been taken care of in the LTC facility.

I don't think the poster included all that went on (what she did herself), I think she was trying to explain her point. I work in LTC and sadly, I have to agree that too many times, there are nurses that send the res. out without doing any interventions. As for our nursing home, we do not have inhouse supplies to start IV's nor do we have cardiac monitors, but the O2 is readily available. I've actually witnessed another nurse send a diabetic res. to the ER because she wasn't responding well. As you may guess, she didn't even check her blood sugar (even when told to) and when she got to the hospital and they checked it, it was over 500.:angryfire Sometimes I am just speechless.

angelrose · Dec 17, 2007

I've worked in LTC for 13 years and have worked am and night shift as the charge nuse with no one to fall back on and have trained several nurses it sounds like your nurses need retrained on what they do before calling you. You might try telling them what to do ie get manual vitals and assesment ask for them then proceed coaching your nurse thru the process they be lazy or unsure but this way you know the pt ok and the nurses are doing the work and learning to think

sharona97, BSN, RN · Dec 17, 2007

Sounds like a hard-core mandatory inservice s needed their with all administration present as well, or start rehiring (give em something to think about).

Hope it gets somewhat better for you!

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Dec 19, 2007

My question is: Doesn't the long term care facility have protocols when things like this happen?

Since this thread is over 4 years old, the original poster probably is not around anymore to conjure up an answer to your thought-provoking question.

Twix · Dec 24, 2007

here's one, i worked with an lvn who gives report to 6a - 2 p nurse, everybody is ok when they are not, when asked for u/a results, why pt. is on ABT, she says "I don't know."one time she called the MD for a critical lab. result @ 0300 ,and pt. was already in hosp., I can hear MD screaming at her.HAHA.One time she asked if I can help her irrigate a foley cath. patient can get difficult, I had stop her ,as I notice she was about to put syringe to the bulb port, no wonder the patient fights her and then next shift say they have to change the foley. STUPID.