Does ED have a bad rep for mean nurses?

Specialties Emergency

Published

I was perusing the posts and this question came to mind. I have worked several different units but my short stay in the ER showed me some of the meanest, bitter, most unhappy RN's I've ever met. Most were nice to me, but a handful of the veterans were downright unwelcoming and nasty to me and more importantly, to their pts, too :(

One of the docs saw what was going on and offered advice--he told me it was b/c I was attractive. He suggested I try baking treats, being extra helpful, etc. I did all that and it seemed to make things worse. It seemed the nicer I was, the more they disliked me. Anyway--I could go on and on. It was one of the hardest experiences of my life b/c I so wanted to be accepted there, never had a problem ANYWHERE else. It was months ago but still messes with my mind.

I found the ER to be my fav work. Loved the pt population, will go back to this or another ER one day. The tele unit I transferred to seems SOOOOO much busier for me than ER. I get out late almost always, juggling so much more than any other unit I've worked on. Most of the RN's there are registry or agency, I am staff. I go home drained both emotionally and physically almost always. Just an observation. I'm not saying the floor works harder than the ED. It's just different, different degrees of busy-ness and workloads, and I wish we would all recognize this. Nursing is tough enough without us fighting each other, for any reason, period. The really great RN's, the ones who are secure with themselves and truly love what they do, are who continue to inspire me. The old dinosaur RN's, like the ED ones I referred to earlier, shouldn't be able to call the shots anymore. (They need to change jobs :)

Whew! I feel better! Just my 2 cents.

Specializes in ER.

It is REALLY important to judge every unit on its own merits.

I absolutely LOVE the nurses in our ED. I have been there about ten weeks as a completely clueless new grad, and NOT ONE person has said anything rude or discouraging to me. They work as a team, and you never feel like you are on your own in dealing with a rough situation. They have been kicking butt in pt satisfaction as well, treating the patients with respect and kindness even when it is really hard to do.

I think each unit has its own vibe and culture...bad attitudes are contagious and will spread like wild fire if they are tolerated. Places staffed with a bunch of mean spirited, hateful people will breed more employess with that type of attitude....so it continues.

i agree with everyone i don't think ed/er nurse are mean.no matter where you go there is always someone who is not happy .i have worked 4 different er's and like most of the people i work with .but i am there to work not win a popularity contest.[/quote)

Oh. Of course I am there there only to win a popularity contest.

Sarcasm aside, the key phrase you used is "most of the people" (not all)

I am talking about a small percentage.

deleted

Specializes in ER, telemetry.

When I first started working in my ED, some of the nurses on nights were especially rude and nasty, so I switched to days. Since, the nasty nurses have moved on and I am thinking about switching back to nights. But, there are nasty nurses everywhere and on every unit. You just have to avoid them, ignore them and try to have the best attitude you can. I even had a nurse ask me once how I could be in such a good mood all the time. I'm not, but at least I protray myself in a good light while at work.

Specializes in ICU,ER.
One of the docs saw what was going on and offered advice--he told me it was b/c I was attractive.

I have no idea why this comment made me snicker.....maybe I'm just tired.:)

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.

i've never heard that er nurses were any meaner than anyone else. i'm concerned about the op's assumption that all those people were mean to her just because she's so attractive, though. it's so much easier to dismiss our problems with others as them "just being mean" rather than to look at our own part in the interactions. and looking at our own part in the interaction and concluding that it's just cause we're so darned good looking . . . it just seems rather convenient.

i've never heard that er nurses were any meaner than anyone else. i'm concerned about the op's assumption that all those people were mean to her just because she's so attractive, though. it's so much easier to dismiss our problems with others as them "just being mean" rather than to look at our own part in the interactions. and looking at our own part in the interaction and concluding that it's just cause we're so darned good looking . . . it just seems rather convenient.
i have to respectfully disagree with you. i say this from personal experiance. before i was married and had a son, i was very attractive. not tooting my own horn, but i was. and other women were very jealous and insecure, and yes, downright mean. then, after i got pregnant and gained way too much weight, i am now about 35lbs overweight, and no longer pretty, and those exact, same people are very nice to me! i have the exact same personality that i have always had, but it is nothing short of amazing at how differently i am treated!!! so, i believe the op!

as far as er nurses being "meaner" than floor nurses, i can see her point there too. i dont think that they are meaner, i think that some think that because er nurses are a bit more jaded from years of seeing so many drug seekers. i have no doubt that we have probobly dismissed someone in true pain at one time or another as just another drug seeker. floor nurses at least have the luxury of taking care of patients that have been pre-screened. i mean if a pt makes it to the floor, then they have at least proven that they have a real problem, meriting some sort of attn and meds. but, in the er, it is a whole different story!! jmho

Specializes in Trauma/ED.

After reading this post I'm wondering what the answers would be if you asked the same question on a Med/Surg page...I bet your responses would be a bit different.

I don't think that ED nurses in general have a "mean" reputation but I have heard from numerous people that they, or we, have a "best nurses with the hardest job" type attitude and that we will say whatever we have to to get our pt's out of our dept.

Specializes in Day Surgery/Infusion/ED.

They didn't like you because you were "attractive"? That prety much tells me all I need to know. :rolleyes:

Hi

I'm a girl - my name is Steph.

I responded to the generalization you made "Does ED have a bad rep for mean nurses?".

My own little pet peeve . . . . generalizations. :wink2:

I'll work on it. In the meantime - there are "mean" people in all walks of life and I have worked with my own fair share of mean people. But it has nothing to do with the department, imo. Our ER is great. Our med/surg for the most part is great but does have a few hard cases. OB - nope, not one mean person. Surgery - nope, everyone is cool there too.

steph

I have to respectfully disagree with you. I say this from personal experiance. Before I was married and had a son, I was very attractive. Not tooting my own horn, but I was. And other women were very jealous and insecure, and yes, downright mean. Then, after I got pregnant and gained WAY too much weight, I am now about 35lbs overweight, and no longer pretty, and those exact, same people are very nice to me! I have the exact same personality that I have always had, but it is nothing short of amazing at how differently I am treated!!! So, I believe the OP!

As far as ER nurses being "meaner" than floor nurses, I can see her point there too. I dont think that they are meaner, I think that some think that because ER nurses are a bit more jaded from years of seeing so many drug seekers. I have no doubt that we have probobly dismissed someone in true pain at one time or another as just another drug seeker. Floor nurses at least have the luxury of taking care of patients that have been pre-screened. I mean if a pt makes it to the floor, then they have at least proven that they have a real problem, meriting some sort of attn and meds. But, in the ER, it is a whole different story!! JMHO

God Bless You :)

I am not a narcissist. I am the most down to earth, non-threatening person there is. I should never have brought this question up in this forum. I do believe that, in general, ER nurses are no meaner/nicer than any other. Even during this horrible experience, I met some really great RN's in this same ER. BUT...the ones who were mean to me were miserable people who I now believe felt threatened by me. Too bad...all I wanted to do was learn and grow from them.

BTW--I never called myself attractive. I was told I was attractive.

Thank you for being so truthful amygooch! Your hubby is lucky to have you ;)

noelle

i've never heard that er nurses were any meaner than anyone else. i'm concerned about the op's assumption that all those people were mean to her just because she's so attractive, though. it's so much easier to dismiss our problems with others as them "just being mean" rather than to look at our own part in the interactions. and looking at our own part in the interaction and concluding that it's just cause we're so darned good looking . . . it just seems rather convenient.

re-read my post. i do not assume anything. i myself, never said i was "so attractive." i have worked many jobs and several different units and have never been treated like some of the rn's in this particular ed. it still hurts! you know nothing about me. you are merely reacting to the fact that i mentioned what one of the docs said to me and are prejudiced against me already for being "so darned good looking." you actually prove my point, so thanks.

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