I've been pretty bothered by many of the things I've encountered while doing my clinicals, in ALL the settings I have worked in so far. I decided to go into nursing, because I really do like taking care of people and trying to promote a better quality of life for them, and I feel like God has called me to do this. There are some events that are rather disturbing to me though. Many of the comments that are made, the constant gossip at the nurses station about patient's families, and the patient's themselves. I've seen so many nurses be so two-faced, one way in the patient and family's presence, then complete opposite the moment they are out of hearing range, and they say such ugly things..... I've seen staff be so rough with patients (ungentle), causing discomfort and in some cases additional pain and distress. What is going on? Is this the way it always is, or will become? I've heard that many nurses get a "hardened heart" after working in the field for a while. Will this happen to me? I just don't see how I can just not care. I understand the "distancing" from not letting other people's problems affect my personal life, but I just don't understand what happened to the compassionate part of being a nurse. That is the whole reason why I am in nursing school. Am I just kidding myself? Any input would be greatly appreciated!!
Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.
If I got disciplined over an anonymous letter it would make my attitude worse, not better, and especially towards student nurses, if it was clear that's where the comments were coming from. Who wants to be accused without the opportunity to answer back. It's cowardly.
The very best thing for us would be to not send students to this unit anymore - I won't go into the details, but some very disturbing incidents have occurred and keep occurring.
The very best thing for us would be to not send students to this unit anymore - I won't go into the details, but some very disturbing incidents have occurred and keep occurring.
I hope someone from your school confronted them as to why you left and weren't coming back, and that the only feedback wasn't just an anonymous student letter.
Sometimes an anynonmous note makes the person feel better, so I can understand that.
Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.
I hope someone from your school confronted them as to why you left and weren't coming back, and that the only feedback wasn't just an anonymous student letter.
Sometimes an anynonmous note makes the person feel better, so I can understand that.
Believe me, there has been MUCH communication between the school faculty and nurse manager/ hospital DON. And while they state they're sympathetic and supportive of our school, they simply cannot or will not control these nurses and let all sorts of atrocious behavior continue.
Thank you all so very much for sharing your thoughts and experience.
I understand the frustration and venting... that comes with any job. I've only been on 2 different units, and I never pictured the "behind the scenes", as a student I admit I am a bit nieve. The things that did bother me were the comments being made w/in earshot of pts and familes (one nurse I was assisting said "I hope this pt is DNR!" about a very ill lady who's daughter was standing in the doorway), lots of cursing too around the nurses station... Eff this & that, she's a pain in the orifice..... I mean, anyone could walk by and people were visiting in adjacent rooms. One pt even told me he could hear everything that was said at the nurses station! (how embarrassing!)
Another example, the nurses visiting (not about pt care, but personal stuff) while one pt called for help several X throughout the day and all she wanted was assistance to the restroom. After she had soiled her bed, I responded to her calls, since noone else was and helped her to the restroom, where she was able to relieve herself w/out messing the bed.
Pts asking for pain medication, who were in obvious pain, and were told 2-3X someone would come... and they were not necessarily busy, but talking about this & that! I was horrified. What if I had my foot amputated, or had fluid overload and a bowel obstruction, and the nurses just poo-pooed it until they got around to it b/c they were too busy yakking. An RT telling a family to "just sue me", b/c you ain't gonna get anything. A CNA literally scrubbing an excoriated elderly patient between her legs while she cried out in pain. A nurse giving an injection w/an 18 gauge needle b/c there weren't any smaller ones in the server next to the room. UGH, I could go on.
Anyway, these were the kind of things that gave me a very heavy feeling in my stomach. I don't feel like I could really say much... because I don't work there, and I'm "just a student". BTW, I'm an online student, so I'm at the unit alone w/a preceptor, so no instructor is there, ever. Granted, yes there are a couple of good nurses on these units, and I've mentioned my concerns to my preceptors. Anyway, I don't want any part of this type of behavior! Venting behind closed doors is one thing... but being professional and genuinely caring about a person is another....my opinion anyway.
I just wanted some feedback on those who've been in the field a while, and am very grateful for your responses, to get me thinking.
Thank you all so very much for sharing your thoughts and experience.
I understand the frustration and venting... that comes with any job. I've only been on 2 different units, and I never pictured the "behind the scenes", as a student I admit I am a bit nieve. The things that did bother me were the comments being made w/in earshot of pts and familes (one nurse I was assisting said "I hope this pt is DNR!" about a very ill lady who's daughter was standing in the doorway), lots of cursing too around the nurses station... Eff this & that, she's a pain in the orifice..... I mean, anyone could walk by and people were visiting in adjacent rooms. One pt even told me he could hear everything that was said at the nurses station! (how embarrassing!)
Another example, the nurses visiting (not about pt care, but personal stuff) while one pt called for help several X throughout the day and all she wanted was assistance to the restroom. After she had soiled her bed, I responded to her calls, since noone else was and helped her to the restroom, where she was able to relieve herself w/out messing the bed.
Pts asking for pain medication, who were in obvious pain, and were told 2-3X someone would come... and they were not necessarily busy, but talking about this & that! I was horrified. What if I had my foot amputated, or had fluid overload and a bowel obstruction, and the nurses just poo-pooed it until they got around to it b/c they were too busy yakking. An RT telling a family to "just sue me", b/c you ain't gonna get anything. A CNA literally scrubbing an excoriated elderly patient between her legs while she cried out in pain. A nurse giving an injection w/an 18 gauge needle b/c there weren't any smaller ones in the server next to the room. UGH, I could go on.
Anyway, these were the kind of things that gave me a very heavy feeling in my stomach. I don't feel like I could really say much... because I don't work there, and I'm "just a student". BTW, I'm an online student, so I'm at the unit alone w/a preceptor, so no instructor is there, ever. Granted, yes there are a couple of good nurses on these units, and I've mentioned my concerns to my preceptors. Anyway, I don't want any part of this type of behavior! Venting behind closed doors is one thing... but being professional and genuinely caring about a person is another....my opinion anyway.
I just wanted some feedback on those who've been in the field a while, and am very grateful for your responses, to get me thinking.
Angela
I just dont know what to say to you it sounds very horrific and I am just apauled
Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.
An RT telling a family to "just sue me", b/c you ain't gonna get anything. A CNA literally scrubbing an excoriated elderly patient between her legs while she cried out in pain. A nurse giving an injection w/an 18 gauge needle b/c there weren't any smaller ones in the server next to the room. UGH, I could go on.
Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.
The things that did bother me were the comments being made w/in earshot of pts and familes (one nurse I was assisting said "I hope this pt is DNR!" about a very ill lady who's daughter was standing in the doorway), lots of cursing too around the nurses station... Eff this & that, she's a pain in the orifice..... I mean, anyone could walk by and people were visiting in adjacent rooms. One pt even told me he could hear everything that was said at the nurses station! (how embarrassing!)
Another example, the nurses visiting (not about pt care, but personal stuff) while one pt called for help several X throughout the day and all she wanted was assistance to the restroom. After she had soiled her bed, I responded to her calls, since noone else was and helped her to the restroom, where she was able to relieve herself w/out messing the bed.
Pts asking for pain medication, who were in obvious pain, and were told 2-3X someone would come... and they were not necessarily busy, but talking about this & that! I was horrified. What if I had my foot amputated, or had fluid overload and a bowel obstruction, and the nurses just poo-pooed it until they got around to it b/c they were too busy yakking. An RT telling a family to "just sue me", b/c you ain't gonna get anything. A CNA literally scrubbing an excoriated elderly patient between her legs while she cried out in pain. A nurse giving an injection w/an 18 gauge needle b/c there weren't any smaller ones in the server next to the room. . .Anyway, I don't want any part of this type of behavior! Venting behind closed doors is one thing... but being professional and genuinely caring about a person is another....my opinion anyway. I just wanted some feedback on those who've been in the field a while, and am very grateful for your responses, to get me thinking.
Angela
Let me give you some advice, if you don't mind. As a student there's not a whole lot you can do about this kind of thing. But that doesn't mean that you forget about it. As you go onward in nursing make it a point to learn how to deal with these kinds of situations. Much of it is behavioral. There are ways to deal with it as a same level staff nurse and as a manager. One of the best ways to stop it is as a manager--that is where you can really make a difference. It may take you some time to get there, but it's the most effective way. By each nurse who abhors these situations taking the care to learn to confront and deal with them one by one, each will do their part to help stamp them out. As a manager, I would have told that RT that I never wanted to hear him talk to any patient on my unit in that manner again and I would personally write him up and make sure there was some sort of company policy he had violated to make it stick with copies going to him personally and his manager. I'd be on his rear end every time he was on the unit and he'd know it. I won't put up with that kind of patient abuse and god help him if I hear it from his lips myself.
Ya know, you may be the only person in that unit to see these things and make a difference. I would tell someone about what you are witnessing. It is really importnat--document what you have seen and let someone know--maybe it will help just one other person not go through such horrendous treatment. I could never just say nothing!
I've been pretty bothered by many of the things I've encountered while doing my clinicals, in ALL the settings I have worked in so far. I decided to go into nursing, because I really do like taking care of people and trying to promote a better quality of life for them, and I feel like God has called me to do this. There are some events that are rather disturbing to me though. Many of the comments that are made, the constant gossip at the nurses station about patient's families, and the patient's themselves. I've seen so many nurses be so two-faced, one way in the patient and family's presence, then complete opposite the moment they are out of hearing range, and they say such ugly things..... I've seen staff be so rough with patients (ungentle), causing discomfort and in some cases additional pain and distress. What is going on? Is this the way it always is, or will become? I've heard that many nurses get a "hardened heart" after working in the field for a while. Will this happen to me? I just don't see how I can just not care. I understand the "distancing" from not letting other people's problems affect my personal life, but I just don't understand what happened to the compassionate part of being a nurse. That is the whole reason why I am in nursing school. Am I just kidding myself? Any input would be greatly appreciated!!
Angela
Here we go again. Yet another thread about the big bad experienced nurses.
How would you feel about a thread: "New Grads: Idealistic and Unrealistic"?
You can be a brand new nurse and be uncompassionate. You can be a nurse with 30y experience and be extremely compassionate. It has a lot to do with what kind of person you are in general, not necessarily how many years you've been in the profession.
I don't judge my peers (delegates are another thing, but I think we're talking about peers here). If I were to see 'em doing something illegal, that would be one thing, but short of that, I don't sit in judgment on 'em. I have pts, so I don't have time to be distracted by stylistic considerations. Anyway that's what my manager is getting paid to deal with. I'm getting paid to care for my pts, so that's what I do.
I've been pretty bothered by many of the things I've encountered while doing my clinicals, in ALL the settings I have worked in so far. I decided to go into nursing, because I really do like taking care of people and trying to promote a better quality of life for them, and I feel like God has called me to do this. There are some events that are rather disturbing to me though. Many of the comments that are made, the constant gossip at the nurses station about patient's families, and the patient's themselves. I've seen so many nurses be so two-faced, one way in the patient and family's presence, then complete opposite the moment they are out of hearing range, and they say such ugly things..... I've seen staff be so rough with patients (ungentle), causing discomfort and in some cases additional pain and distress. What is going on? Is this the way it always is, or will become? I've heard that many nurses get a "hardened heart" after working in the field for a while. Will this happen to me? I just don't see how I can just not care. I understand the "distancing" from not letting other people's problems affect my personal life, but I just don't understand what happened to the compassionate part of being a nurse. That is the whole reason why I am in nursing school. Am I just kidding myself? Any input would be greatly appreciated!!
:eek: 
Yet another thread about the big bad experienced nurses.
VickyRN, MSN, DNP, RN
49 Articles; 5,349 Posts
The very best thing for us would be to not send students to this unit anymore - I won't go into the details, but some very disturbing incidents have occurred and keep occurring.