No Respect.

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Where did the respect go for nurses and doctors? My nurse friend whom is in her silver years was a nurse many many decades ago and recently has retired.

I was telling her a story of a patient whom I received from the cath lab. The patient arrived as usual from most operational/procedural suites, a hot mess. Lines and tubing everywhere. Bloody sheets and so forth.

Well soemhow the family snuck in with her and it was such a busy night with no tech or secretary so instead of the family being told to wait in the waiting area (while I settled her in) they chose to barge in with the patient and began ordering me on what needed to be done!

I nicely and kindly explained to the daughter what the priorities at the moment were and why, despite my explanations she said

"well the priority right now is getting her (the pt) water and ice".

EYEROLL

Excuse me but that's not the priority and I told her so. I told her that with all due respect I've been doing this for a while and although I understood her mom was thirsty, I had to assess her mom and wait for the fellow to give further instructions.

She finally settled down and stopped talking.

I find this behavior annoying, and families are equally entitled acting and rude to physicians. They do not care that you are an expert and there to care for them. We are not the enemies. We went to school and have experience, and before we can accommodate to your every wish we must ensure your safety.

Anyway, my nurse friend commented how in her early years as a nurse DECADES ago... people respected nurses and doctors more than they do now.

Guess this is just a rant vent. One more reason I want to leave ICU.

Also, I'm so done with the elimination of visitor restricted hours and this new fad in "open visitation".

Also, when families are rude and disrespectful it by no means works in their favor.

Staff only enter the room when they must and on hourly rounds. Meds/treatments and silencing alarms.

The truth is that a receptive and open minded family garner much more attention.

Because staff are actually happy to go in there and provide education and compassion ... because they aren't afraid of being yelled at or abused.

THIS!!!!

FYI - I've been a Nurse for over 10 years in the hospital, at the bedside in the germy trenches. I've cleaned up so much sh*t literally and figuratively that I'm not about to take it from anyone. COB badges come with time and years experience. So, I know that comment ain't about me

Also, you graduated in 2016 and you're pontificating about nurses earning their stripes. Congratulations on recently graduating and earning your licence, but you haven't been an RN for more than 5 seconds. Take it easy tiger. I think there are some nursing students who can offer unique insights to this forum. I don't consider @ItsThatJenGirl to be one of them. Her comment was pompous and just screamed how green she actually is. If she dares to walk into her clinical placements with that attitude she will deservedly get eaten alive :roflmao:

Agreed. That particular poster always seems to have a lot of "opinions" about things, but hasn't even started her nursing career yet.

Specializes in NICU.
I agree with you about the private rooms with large windows, sleeper couches for family, flat screen TVs, etc. It reinforces the "customer service" idea of patient care and it also hides all the hustle and bustle that goes on in the unit. The families don't see that sick patient coming from the OR with a trail of machinery and personnel. They don't see the CNA running back and forth to the blood bank for coolers full of blood products, the charge nurse running to the code with the code cart, etc. The private room seems to hide the whole life-or-death ICU dynamic.

Back in the olden days when we had wards and ICUs with nothing but curtains between the beds, you couldn't help but hear the code in the next bed, see the staff running back and forth with labs, drugs, fluids, blood products, etc. You could hear a defibrillation and smell the blood leaking out of someone's chest. Family who witnessed this KNEW the ICU was serious; there was a whole lot less of the demanding ice, soft drinks for all of the visitors, etc. Staff also worked as a team. If I'm looking over my patient and see the next patient cough out his ET tube, I'm THERE as soon as or even before that patient's nurse. When the patient across the room from mine arrests, I've got the code cart before the nurse has a chance to call for help. I could watch my patient while helping a colleague with a code brown, and when Joe was giving his bed bath I was right there to note the blood pressure dip on his other patient.

Those "open concept ICUs" had a positive effect on team work, and at the same time a suppressive effect on all those requests. I miss those ICUs.

I work in the NICU, and although many new NICUs are adopting the private room style...mine is an old "pod style" much like what you've described. Our bed spaces are separated by curtains. Sure, it gets a little tight....but when a code happens or we're doing a bedside OR on your baby...everyone knows about it and knows to back off. Also...babies can't have water, ice, warm blankets or much of anything at all...and don't know how to push a call bell....so that makes things easier too :p

I don't like free open visiting hours either, or babies or little kids coming into the hospital. It is a stressor on other patients, staff and at times the patient themselves. I once had to ask a parent not to let their baby crawl all over the hospital hallway. I told her not to do it as the floors are not sanitary and a hospital is full of germs, etc, explaining why but she just scowled at me, at least she did pick up her baby. I used to get more respect when I wore a cap, but they don't do that anymore. Wish they would.

1 Votes
Specializes in Cardicac Neuro Telemetry.
I don't like free open visiting hours either, or babies or little kids coming into the hospital. It is a stressor on other patients, staff and at times the patient themselves. I once had to ask a parent not to let their baby crawl all over the hospital hallway. I told her not to do it as the floors are not sanitary and a hospital is full of germs, etc, explaining why but she just scowled at me, at least she did pick up her baby. I used to get more respect when I wore a cap, but they don't do that anymore. Wish they would.

That's disgusting. A hospital is the LAST place I'd want to bring a baby much less allow one to crawl on the floor. Eww

Specializes in Critical Care.

I'm a guy and I'd wear a cap and cape for a little authority ... shaking my head.

Compassion and showing your skills and knowledge doesn't work with everyone.

Specializes in ICU.
I think it's time to STOP telling nurses with valid observations about the profession (yes, even negative observations/realities) to leave. How the heck else is anything supposed to get better if we don't constructively discuss what's legitimately wrong. Or, even share experiences to help each other learn or cope. Maybe if people didn't react like @ItsThatJenGirl we would have more camaraderie and be stronger as a profession. No wonder bad patient behaviour is escalating with a dismissive attitude like that, which actually enables bad patient behaviour.

Customer satisfaction scoring is a catalyst IMO to the deterioration of respect for nurses and healthcare professionals alike. RN to most patients nowadays means Refreshments and Narcotics, and they know all sorts of tricks to get a dutiful nurse in trouble if said nurse doesn't do cartwheels every time they snap their fingers. For example, for something ridiculous, like... failing to get a patient the daily newspaper. Meanwhile, said nurse was wrist deep in wound care in an isolation room on an understaffed unit and thus unable to fetch a newspaper.

Sometimes the nurse is not the "problem".

I agree wholeheartedly. Sometimes when I try to discuss problems and look for solutions, I'm labeled as "complaining." Trying to change things for the better isn't complaining! Discussing problems and seeking input from others isn't complaining!

I agree wholeheartedly. Sometimes when I try to discuss problems and look for solutions, I'm labeled as "complaining." Trying to change things for the better isn't complaining! Discussing problems and seeking input from others isn't complaining!

No, it isn't complaining. Labeling it "complaining "is a way to silence people who are trying to makes changes. Sometimes it works. I know I stopped trying to fix things awhile ago. I just couldn't continue to bang my head against the wall anymore. It just isnt worth sacrificing your happiness and sanity.

Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
I just couldn't continue to bang my head against the wall anymore.

One positive thing about banging your head against the wall is that it feels so good when you stop!

Test Test

Test Test

Quite the creds, there.

Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).
Quite the creds, there.

And only 18 years old!

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