Pet peeves!

Nurses General Nursing

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I am sure this has been addressed along the way, but what are your nursing pet peeves?

A couple of mine:

How many times have you been taking a medication history on a patient, only to have them tell you they have no idea why they're on a particular med. Hello?! It's kind of an important thing to know :banghead:

Or, when a patient calls on the call bell asking for the nurse to "come here" and I ask if there's anything I can bring with me (trying to save a few steps and a little time) and the patient says no and then get to the room and they give you a laundry list of things they want. (this will almost always happen when you have five other things you're trying to do at the same time..) :smackingf

Okay, I need to quit now..I can actually feel my BP rising...LOL. Any others?

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I hate it when perfectly educated nurses write "HIPPA" instead of "HIPAA."

I hate it when pts hem and haw or are clueless when you are trying to get an Hx-

"Oh, what surgeries have I had? Well, hmmm...let's see...in 1947 I think I had my gall bladder out or no...was it a hernia, I don't remember. No wait- I think the hernia was after I got out of the army, remember when I got back from the army Mildred?....that was the time that your cousin was over from Ohio....."

Or when you ask if they have a history of heart problems, and they say "no", then you find out they are taking 5 cardiac meds have had an MI and two bypasses!

When a pt runs out of some med and they don't know the name of it- "Oh, it's a little white pill."

Oh sure, the little white pill. Every nurse knows the little white pill!

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Specializes in Med-Tele, ICU.

Nurses who give crappy reports!!

Nurses who don't chart and/or label an IV (or dressing changes!) with a date!

Unit secretaries who can't screen phone calls! I'd sort of like to know who I am about to get on the phone with (i.e., Lab, Radiology, MD, family, etc) and what info I need in front of me.

Techs who just seem to disappear when you need them the most!

Arrogant MD's

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*gasp!* You mean you DON'T know what the little white pill is? Despite the fact that only about 50% of the PO meds out there are little and white? LOL! I love to give the pharmacists a hard time on that one -- "you mean I can't send their pill box to you for identification??" Fortunately we have pharmacists with a good sense of humor...

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I hate it when pts hem and haw or are clueless when you are trying to get an Hx-

"Oh, what surgeries have I had? Well, hmmm...let's see...in 1947 I think I had my gall bladder out or no...was it a hernia, I don't remember. No wait- I think the hernia was after I got out of the army, remember when I got back from the army Mildred?....that was the time that your cousin was over from Ohio....."

Or when you ask if they have a history of heart problems, and they say "no", then you find out they are taking 5 cardiac meds have had an MI and two bypasses!

When a pt runs out of some med and they don't know the name of it- "Oh, it's a little white pill."

Oh sure, the little white pill. Every nurse knows the little white pill!

YES!!!!!!!

Or, when I ask if they're allergic to anything, I get: "Some [insert type of med here] but I can't remember the name."

Hel-LOOOOooo! If you're allergic to it we would really like to avoid giving it to you!!!!

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YES!!!!!!!

Or, when I ask if they're allergic to anything, I get: "Some [insert type of med here] but I can't remember the name."

Hel-LOOOOooo! If you're allergic to it we would really like to avoid giving it to you!!!!

It's times like that you want to tell the pt "Okay, well, we'll know for sure when you're in full-blown anaphylaxis!" How dumb can people be?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho.

People who give "baths" and dont bother to take TED hose off for days to wash the legs. Then when you take them off the skin dander and flakes look like snow in Alaska. Gross. I have actually started taking them off when i do my assessment and telling the CNA to make sure they put them back on after their bath. Its the only way i can get them to wash the legs..

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Specializes in Critical Care.

Nurses who can't spell, hello it's sheath not sheith.

Pts who have had chest pain for the past 2 weeks and haven't come in because they know they can't smoke while they are a patient in the hospital.

Fresh CABG patients who want to go out and smoke at 2 days post-op. Oh, and why does my chest still hurt I thought that would be fixed. Yeah, well now you have this scar where we cut you open and fixed your heart.

that's enough for now....

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More: people who come to the ER but then refuse every treatment we suggest........"Then WHY did you come in?????"

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I am sure this has been addressed along the way, but what are your nursing pet peeves?

A couple of mine:

How many times have you been taking a medication history on a patient, only to have them tell you they have no idea why they're on a particular med. Hello?! It's kind of an important thing to know :banghead:

Or, when a patient calls on the call bell asking for the nurse to "come here" and I ask if there's anything I can bring with me (trying to save a few steps and a little time) and the patient says no and then get to the room and they give you a laundry list of things they want. (this will almost always happen when you have five other things you're trying to do at the same time..) :smackingf

Okay, I need to quit now..I can actually feel my BP rising...LOL. Any others?

I would have to say that a pet peeve of mine (I'm a CNA) is when my residents don't get proper mouth care. What is so hard about scrubbing the dentures or at least soaking them??!! The majority of the other CNA's don't do it. There are times that I honestly feel like I need a pressure washer to get all the build up junk off.

As for a pet peeve caused by a resident, that would be at suppertime when I'm pouring coffee and everyone starts yelling "I WANT SOME! BRING ME SOME! I WANT IT HOT! BRING ME SOME!!!". I'm like "There is only ONE of me. I will get to EVERYONE as quickly as possible". Some will even reply to that with "Well, hurry up!! I want some now!".

:angryfire

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People who give "baths" and dont bother to take TED hose off for days to wash the legs. Then when you take them off the skin dander and flakes look like snow in Alaska. Gross. I have actually started taking them off when i do my assessment and telling the CNA to make sure they put them back on after their bath. Its the only way i can get them to wash the legs..

UGH!!! I hate that too! I'm constantly having to lotion up my residents legs because of that reason.

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Specializes in Orthosurgery, Rehab, Homecare.

RNs who transfer a Pt with a trach to our unit and don't make sure they have emergency equipment (ie- Shiley trach in right size, ambu bag with trach attachment, 10cc syringe and stopcock and SUCTION!) It would just be great to code a Pt with a Jackson trach and not be able to convert or clear secretions.

~Jen

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