Entitlement/ superiority attitude of some nurses?

[Infofreak411]

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?

[Angelicpurl]

My pet peeve was the ones who never accept help & when their patient DOES need help when they're not around, they go back and try to redo/undo your help.

I answered a call from a patient I was watching while the nurse wentry on break. Their IV was leaking everywhere. The bag was spiked through the side when they came back from xray. When I replaced their tubing & bag, the IV wouldn't work either. So, I replaced it too. The nurse actually went in & stuck her patient AGAIN, replaced the bag & tubing, said it was all wrong! Now, I had this patient the next night & they told me about it. They weren't happy because they found nothing wrong with what I did (sister was a nurse, so she knew). They were grateful I didn't make them wait until the nurse got back from lunch because she had just left & it was a medicated drip.

I'm not sure what she told pharmacy about why her patient had 3 bags Heparin charged to them in less than 12 hours with a rate of 12 mL/hr. I can read labels too! But, so can a Barcode reader....

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

Angelicpurl said:

My pet peeve was the ones who never accept help & when their patient DOES need help when they're not around, they go back and try to redo/undo your help.

I answered a call from a patient I was watching while the nurse wentry on break. Their IV was leaking everywhere. The bag was spiked through the side when they came back from xray. When I replaced their tubing & bag, the IV wouldn't work either. So, I replaced it too. The nurse actually went in & stuck her patient AGAIN, replaced the bag & tubing, said it was all wrong! Now, I had this patient the next night & they told me about it. They weren't happy because they found nothing wrong with what I did (sister was a nurse, so she knew). They were grateful I didn't make them wait until the nurse got back from lunch because she had just left & it was a medicated drip.

I'm not sure what she told pharmacy about why her patient had 3 bags Heparin charged to them in less than 12 hours with a rate of 12 mL/hr. I can read labels too! But, so can a Barcode reader....

That's so strange! If you had cleaned up a mess like that and had restarted a bad IV for me, I would have been kissing your feet!

[Angelicpurl]

Me too! But that nurse crew was an odd bunch. They had a code one evening & a nurse in that group was at lunch. No one knew anything about the patient & I was the recorder. So, I started going through the chart! I'm glad I don't work there anymore. I never liked not knowing anything about someone I'm covering. She took the Kardex to lunch WITH HER! There was 3 of them just alike & would scream at you in the med room if you so much as glanced at their patient when they were off the floor.

It was same crew that berated me for having a messy room when I had coded a patient on the floor for over two hours.....The ones that gave me 14 patients to their 11 each (with a seasoned nurse orientee each) when I was a new grad fresh off orientation.

I transferred to nights as soon as there was an opening! We went to 12 hour shifts, so it was work "with" them or leave. I chose to leave finally. Our manager thought it would be a change to make everyone work the opposite shift for a week per schedule. Those 3 would only do theirs if they could work together, which defeated the purpose of the manager doing it. He wanted them broke up! I don't know if it has happened yet....

[chacha82, ADN, BSN]

I would not pass judgement on the nurses. I was a CNA for several years before becoming a nurse and the learning curve is astonishing. I worked with other CNAs who would say "Let me just take the test" not realizing the NCLEX doesn't work that way and it is not something you can just show up to do. Perhaps you saw me sitting at the nurses station the other night. I was parked next to the resident as we combed through a patient's chart, waited to talk to the fellow on the phone and racked our brains about why someone with excellent vital signs was in such poor shape.

[nurseinthezoo]

Blah, blah, blah.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

chacha82 said:

I would not pass judgement on the nurses. I was a CNA for several years before becoming a nurse and the learning curve is astonishing. I worked with other CNAs who would say "Let me just take the test" not realizing the NCLEX doesn't work that way and it is not something you can just show up to do.

It's too bad they can't take a legitimate old NCLEX just as a learning exercise. A little humility might do them some good.

[AlabamaBelle]

ambobam said:

This is accurate, unfortunately.

Before becoming a nurse, I worked as a "lowly" secretary. (I say it that way because that's how some of them made me feel) I remember The way that some nurses talked and treated people like me, as if we were beneath them... And I would wonder: how in the world were they actually caring for their patients if they are treating people that way.

Now that I am a nurse, I am lucky to work with many nurses who are caring and actually nice.

I strive not to be the nurse that I despised before I became one. I smile and acknowledge the doctors in the same way that I do the cleaning crew.

But, I also work with some who think their "-sh-" doesn't stink.

They speak to coworkers, patients and family like they are slime.

Just don't become one of the bad ones...

I, too, started out as a "lowly" secretary. Never once have I referred to anyone as "just" anything. I was never treated as such, either.

Each position in the healthcare field has its own unique function. We do not exist in a vacuum. The Environmental Services staff are just as important as the doctor...seriously, who wants to function in a filthy environment with garbage piled waist high and no clean linens? Each one is unique and vital to the function of the healthcare facility and must be treated with respect. Smart people know this. Many doctors I have worked with know this and have expressed their gratitude. Not all, but then that's okay. That is on them. I refuse to let anyone make me feel inferior (Eleanor Roosevelt, thank you for that one). I am the "new" RN at my facility and one doctor actually asked me if I was intimidated....the answer was "No, I am new here. I don't know you yet and what your comfort levels/parameters are. When you know me better, you'll know." The response earned a high-five from the NP and kudos for the best response ever. He doesn't know my previous experience as a critical care RN in a Level I trauma center, but that's okay. I do.

I have, though, a license to protect. On my phone??? I have numerous clinical references on that thing, as well as drug calculations. I am sitting??? Might be the first time I have since I got report. Oops, sometimes I do that standing! I may be contacting a physician about concerns/issues with a patient. In ICU, I couldn't imagine life without wonderful RTs. I learned more from them about vents, suctioning, trachs and various other RT issues. RTs are my friends!

I work with fantastic PCTs...they are vital to helping me get things done in a timely manner. They know, too, if I'm not busy, I'll pitch in and do what I can to help them. I try to approach them respectfully and think I accomplish that. I used to do primary care and I am enjoying team nursing.

Be a good person....some people just aren't good people.

[sammiesmom]

Thank God I have not met any nurses like this! Nurses I know appreciate all interdisciplinary team especially the good docs who do not add to our ever growing list of tasks to do by putting their own orders in the computer. I love our PT, RT, Phlebotomists, Dietary and most especially our aides. They all help me with my job and take care of patients. I am sure administration will be delighted if they can get rid of all of them and dump all work to me! I am sure you have met some good nurses and you follow their example not the person you are talking about. At any profession there is always that one person who think they are God's gift to mankind. They are narcissist and that is a personal behavioral disorder and you can't blame nursing for that.

[nynursey_]

This post has given me time to think about my biggest pet peeve: individuals (patients, visitors, ancillary staff) who think that the nurse is "just playing around with ...." rather than doing her job. When I'm on the phone, or the computer, or speaking to another staff member, rest assured it is somehow directly related to patient care and is indeed important.

Why is the assumption ALWAYS that the nurse is somehow relaxing when she's not with a patient rather than busy with other tasks? [emoji35]

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

Sometimes what appears to be haughtiness, pride, "stuck upness" covers up feelings of failure, inadequacy, fear, shame,, and personal troubles.

OP - just keep quiet, watch, note, file it away. Decide to do YOUR personal best at all times, be kind to everyone - even the B's and those filled with envy of your (presumed) youth and beauty or whatever quality you have that you no longer do. Just decide what you want to be like and discard the rest. People can be wonderful, people can be awful. Pray a lot.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

OCNRN63 said:

I do not answer the phone in the bathroom...ever. I'm not working anymore, but I wouldn't have done it even when I was working. Whoever is calling can usually wait the few minutes it takes for me to pee; if not, then it sounds like an emergent situation that should be handled by someone else.

OP, those nurses you see on their phones owe you no explanation as to what they are doing. You take care of your work, and the nurses will take care of theirs. As a non-nurse, you have no idea all that goes into being a nurse; you may think you know, but trust me, you don't.

They don't exactly owe her an explanation, but would it kill them to say, "I'm getting Dr. ___ on the line for Mrs. B's bradycardia" or "I am calling Central for urinals". lack of info causes imaginings.

[Jensmom7, BSN, RN]

Kooky Korky said:

They don't exactly owe her an explanation, but would it kill them to say, "I'm getting Dr. ___ on the line for Mrs. B's bradycardia" or "I am calling Central for urinals". lack of info causes imaginings.

So now nurses are supposed to explain every facet of their job to CNAs so said CNAs don't gossip about them?

Who has time for that?

Better the CNAs do THEIR job and mind their own business. I respect the CNAs I work with, and help if I have the time, but I feel no need to justify every phone call I make or explain why I'm looking through someone's chart.