Entitlement/ superiority attitude of some nurses?

ThePrincessBride, MSN, RN, NP · Mar 2, 2016

CountryMomma said:

I've been sitting on my wide tuchus "playing on my cell phone" at the nurses station. Never mind I was waiting for a call back and calculating total dose received/total fluid I&O in relationship to that call back, I'm sure it's just much easier and nicer to imagine all nurses to be playing candy crush and chuckling evilly while they make the techs run the floor.
So you can't see how you're being offensive, huh? Have fun in clinical with your current attitude then.

I don't know...where is NOADLS?

Editorial Team / Admin · Mar 2, 2016

(a non-nurse speaking)

I think you are reading too much into their "attitude".

What I've learned over the years is that people are passionate; especially, when they love what they do.

Yes, you will talk down about those who make YOU look bad ... who make you work harder ... who makes your profession look bad ... even worse, assumes your job is not hard ... etc. But that doesn't mean you do not respect other professions / people.

Being around a lot of different professions, the best thing you can do for yourself is to let it all out. Just do it quietly (amongst friends). It's good for your soul. It's good for your psychology. You are a happier person if you do.

Now, there are those who just love complaining, talking about people, etc. These people are not happy. It has nothing to do with the profession but the person.

Extra Pickles · Mar 2, 2016

Infofreak411 said:

We actually had a consulting firm come on and asked why the the techs were the ones running around doing everything while some of the nurses sat at the station on their cell phones.

A consulting firm came in and asked why the techs were running around and the nurses sat with their cell phones, did this actually happen, or did someone at work tell you it did? because if a consulting firm is coming in to see how the unit operates and check for efficiency it's unlikely they would ask this question of anyone who would be in a position to relay the information, which makes it sound like rumor not truth. If a consulting firm knows what nurses do and that's why the consultants are there in the first place they wouldn't ask such a question!

When I first joined I posted something about how when I was a student I thought I knew all about how the nurses I saw during my clinicals were mean or rude or lazy and that when I got to be a nurse I wouldn't be anything like any of them, that I would be an awesome nurse, LOL I think I'm a pretty awesome nurse but a little embarrassed at what I thought I knew back then! The nurses I was calling rude or lazy or whatever weren't but to my uneducated eyes I thought they were. Not the same thing! Maybe after spending some time as a nurse you will see the difference between what you see now and what you will know then. Experience changes your perspective!

Nurse Leigh · Mar 2, 2016

OP, I recall several of your previous threads and it seems as if you are incredibly ambivalent about nursing, asking what happens if you don't like it then wanting to know all about being an APN. We can't tell you if nursing is a good choice for you, but we *can* advise you to stop making the generalizations you made in this post.

I can't imagine expecting a higher salary than physician, although I think we nurses are *far* underpaid around here.

One of our frequent and wise members has said that nurses "aren't paid for what we do, but for what we know." To be sure, we do have a ton of things to do each shift but we also have to be thinking critically at each step, ready to change our priorities and add in more work and responsibility. It is unending and it is frustrating to have non nurses try to judge us when they Have. No. Idea.

SmilingBluEyes · Mar 2, 2016

Those "cells phone they are playing on" MAY be the ones they are required to carry to keep in touch with doctors or other ancillary staff to keep up on labs or be contacted at any time, etc. They also use them to do drug calculations or look up meds to become familiar with them before adminstration.

Many nurses are required to carry them so no matter what they are doing (even in the bathroom) when needed, they can be contacted. No nurse likes having to carry and answer those, trust me.

You sure disdain nurses quite a bit; Are you SURE you want to become one of us?

Nurse Leigh · Mar 2, 2016

SmilingBluEyes said:

Those "cells phone they are playing on" MAY be the ones they are required to carry to keep in touch with doctors or other ancillary staff to keep up on labs or be contacted at any time, etc. Many nurses are required to carry them so no matter what they are doing (even in the bathroom) when needed, they can be contacted. Are you SURE you want to become one of us?

Omigosh. The bathroom. You can't even take a potty break without looking up to see papers and charts grumbling about something over which you have no control. And your phone will ring almost without fail. Of course the caller probably wants info you have no access to, cause you're , you know, in the BATHROOM.

Yep, definitely underpaid. ?

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Mar 2, 2016

Infofreak411 said:

Well I agree you have too much to do, in fact I do the same thing. We actually had a consulting firm come on and asked why the the techs were the ones running around doing everything

Anyone who believes that techs are "running around doing everything" is simply showing that they are completely clueless.

Who knew I could delegate "everything" to techs? Wow, I'll remember that next time I have to hang blood, push IV narcotics or pressers, manage an epidural, give chemotherapy, formulate a nursing care plan, triage patients on a rough night in the ER, perform a comprehensive assessment, give a new drug I'm not familiar with, assess a pressure sore, troubleshoot a malfunctioning feeding tube, give IV sedation, hang TPN, give insulin, waste a narcotic, titrate a drip, assess funky heart sounds, interpret and treat an arrhythmia on the telemetry monitor, initiate a code blue and perform actions per ACLS protocol, intervene during a severe vago vagal episode, assess the integrity of a free flap so the patient doesn't lose a body part, give narcan to patient in respiratory failure, assess subtle symptoms of a DVT and intervene, inform a doctor of patient status and take a verbal or telephone order, etc.

All this time I could have been sitting on my tush at the nursing station while the techs do "everything!" I have really been such a buffoon to have not caught on to the BIG SECRET!

martymoose, BSN, RN · Mar 2, 2016

Infofreak411 said:

Well I agree you have too much to do, in fact I do the same thing. We actually had a consulting firm come on and asked why the the techs were the ones running around doing everything while some of the nurses sat at the station on their cell phones. So I know about the time crunch while giving reliable and safe care. But, at the same time why do nurses (some not all) complain about having too much only to get defense when anyone tries to help.

Have your consulting firm come see where I am. We don't have time to sit period or be on a cellphone. We're lucky if we even get a break- I'd say we don't get a lunch more often than we do.

This is why studies are flawed. They only view something at a given time. That doesnt mean that is how things are ALL the time.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Mar 2, 2016

Horseshoe said:

Anyone who believes that techs are "running around doing everything" is simply showing that they are completely clueless.
Who knew I could delegate "everything" to techs? Wow, I'll remember that next time I have to hang blood, push IV narcotics or pressers, manage an epidural, give chemotherapy, formulate a nursing care plan, triage patients on a rough night in the ER, perform a comprehensive assessment, give a new drug I'm not familiar with, assess a pressure sore, troubleshoot a malfunctioning feeding tube, give IV sedation, hang TPN, give insulin, waste a narcotic, titrate a drip, assess funky heart sounds, interpret and treat an arrhythmia on the telemetry monitor, initiate a code blue and perform actions per ACLS protocol, intervene during a severe vago vagal episode, assess the integrity of a free flap so the patient doesn't lose a body part, give narcan to patient in respiratory failure, assess subtle symptoms of a DVT and intervene, inform a doctor of patient status and take a verbal or telephone order, etc.

All this time I could have been sitting on my tush at the nursing station while the techs do "everything!" I have really been such a buffoon to have not caught on to the BIG SECRET!

You forgot kissing family's butt, answering the phones while the HUC get's a break, and discharge teaching. :laugh:

APRN., DNP, RN, APRN, NP · Mar 2, 2016

Infofreak411 said:

I work alongside nurses and am in the process of becoming a nurse myself.
While I have great respect for the profession and my coworkers as well as a passion for it (hence my reason for going to RN school), I've noticed nurses (many but not all) have this superiority attitude like their job is the only job in the Healthcare field that matters. They talk down to all the other professionals (respiratory therapists, social workers, occupational therapists, etc) and disregard any of the hard work they do and just expect a pat on the back for every little thing. I've even heard some nurses say they should get paid more than the doctor because their work is more important.

Also, I hear many nurses complain that they have too much to do, and then when anyone tries to give them a hand they have this turf battle and think everyone is trying to take over their job and isn't competent enough to do so even if it's something as simple as helping bathe a patient.

What's your opinion?

Well now, I'll bet that you're going to be the most humble thing that ever walked the hospital hallways when you graduate now, aren't you ? ;~}

You're going to make sure that your salary does not approach anything beyond a modest sum, because you're so humble.

You're going to make sure that you never take credit for a save when a patient starts circling, because you'll be so humble.

You're also going to make sure that whoever comes along who wants to take care of your patient, have at'em.

You go, my friend ~ get on with your bad self. The world needs more of your selflessness. Thats my opinion.

martymoose, BSN, RN · Mar 2, 2016

Hmmm. description of the techs job. Toilet people sometimes 10 + times a day( I am referring to ONE pt. if any elderly who is a two assist high fall on lasix or having cdiff, that is a clear possibility) That means most of the techs day is spent TOILETING helpless people.

Also, drawing labs, running those stat labs down- oh Im sorry, maybe the nurse should just leaver her pt and leave the floor for the 10 minutes while he/she runs the labs down?Hope nothing happens to the unattended pt. Because when a nurse leave the floor- that mean the other nurses have to pick up the pt while said nurse is off the floor. So, lets see.In my stepdown unit, that means in addition to the 5 pts a nurse has, now she has to watch 5 MORE while Im gone. Hmm,no liability there.We usually don't have a free charge- the charge usually takes a full assignment also.

Hmm, passing trays. I suppose the nurse should stop pushing that IV metoprolol for the guy with a heartrate of 180 and a b/p of 80 systolic to go pass trays so the tech wont be running around doing all the nurses work.

Techs are the backbone, but they do things so the nurse can do the LICENSED things they need to do.

See how that works???

Dogen · Mar 2, 2016

My opinion is that I am the best thing since sliced bread, so I should be paid more. I don't have anything against the techs or the physicians, though. They're all okay. Physicians can be a little... weird, but not in a bad way. In a "building robots in the basement" kind of way.

Seriously, though, if anyone from work is reading this I should be paid more.