So TIRED OF IT

[ThePrincessBride]

I'm so over it. I'm so over dealing with ahole patients who are so entitled and disrespectful to staff and think that they are in some damn hotel with room service. I'm so over management choosing to side WITH these patients and not backing up staff. I am tired of the ridiculous pay, the crazy assignments, over-the-top patients, the cliques, and how hospital-based care is now some big business and how I am a glorified pill-pushing waitress. I'm tired of patients cursing at me, lying, manipulating and everything.

I'm tired of not feeling supported by management. I don't feel like I can talk to my manager. I am no-nonsense and I don't tolerate absolute disrespect or cursing from completely alert and oriented young people. Yet the manager thinks *I* am the problem and states I should take a class in how to deal with difficult patients....but seems to forget that these patients have a tendency to fire MULTIPLE nurses and even entire hospitals/nursing homes.

No. Nurses aren't the problem. PATIENTS and SOCIETY are the problem. Don't get me wrong. Not every patient or their family is bad...but the ones who are rotten ruin everything. And they are becoming more frequent.

Am I the only one who thinks nurses shouldn't have to put up with nonsense? We should be allowed to say that being cursed out or told to shut up by "with it" patients is unacceptable. Would you go over your manager's head to the Director of Nursing to have this addressed?

I am ready to escape the bedside. I am done with adult med/surg (which I do on a contingent basis). Any other contingent jobs out there that are decent paying and not at the bedside? I am done with acute care for adults...it keeps getting worse and worse.

[johsonmichelle]

I totally understand where you are coming from. The main problem is management , if they put their foot down, I think a lot of these problems would reduce. They are turning the hospital into hotel like setting whereby the patients and their families can do as they please. The turn over rate for bedside nursing is so high because of this. Customer service jobs are difficult in general but I think think that nursing field tolerates too much bs to the point of jeorpodizing nursing staff safety.

[Everline]

I left hospital bedside nursing quite quickly, in part, because of the customer service mentality that I believe actually harms patients in the long run. I have not looked back or regretted leaving for one second. I do understand that being sick and hospitalized can be a scary thing and that people may act in ways that they wouldn't normally. I have empathy for their situation. That doesn't mean i have to be anyone's verbal or physical punching bag and management should make that clear to all patients who think it's okay to lash out at nurses. And on the topic of customer service, I did not become a nurse to recite scripts that a hospital thinks will get it better ratings or scores. No, I don't actually "have the time" to attend to your family members sixth request for beverages, blankets and tv maintenance. Nor do I "have the time" to fix your pillow back and forth seven times in a half hour period when you are perfectly capable of doing it yourself. People can have incredibly entitled attitudes that are far outside the realm of reasonable.

I work outside of the hospital and we do not have to put up with patients abusive behavior. I am actually very tolerant of a lot of attitudes but if you start cursing, demanding and being abusive you will hear the phone disconnect the call or you will be escorted out of the building. Thank goodness my manager supports us.

Nurses are not human punching bags.

[Spadeforce]

You must work at a sucky hospital. I've never had to deal with that. We just called the cops and management backed us up. Try changing jobs first ???

[peachtreednurse, RN]

Nurses are no less deserving of considerate treatment than any other person to come under our care. Nurses are often thought the panacea to whatever comes down the pike, and in my opinion no nurse should have to carry the weight of that kind of expectation, let alone heckled or berated as they are doing it...

[missmollie, ADN, BSN, RN]

I don't give people a choice, per se. I give them an ultimatum.

Pain issues

Patient: My pain is a 10/10... while eating, drinking, and talking on the phone.

Me: I'm so sorry to hear that our 20 of oxycodone isn't doing the trick for you. We are going to stop all narcotics, start with Tylenol, and slowly add in other medications so we find a combo that works for your pain. In the meantime, we'll turn and add ice and heat as necessary. Let me go call the doctor, but don't you worry. We will figure this out.

Patient: No, my pain is a 3/10. Everything is working just fine for me.

Me: Well, if it gets worse and what we're doing isn't working, you let me know! We will work to ensure your pain is under control, but I know that if what's being used isn't working, we can start small and always add, but I would hate to give you something that is obviously not working.

Difficult family members

Family member issue: ridiculous issue

Me (very super totally honest about the worst case scenario) Well, if you don't like us doing *ridiculous issue*, then your loved one can go into *respiratory, cardiac, renal, or total body* failure. If you had to choose between life or death, which would you prefer?

Family: Life.

Me: Excellent choice. We will continue doing what we're doing, but I assure you if any family interrupts with your preferences to life, I will have them removed from the room. We are here for the patient, and I will ensure the best care for them.

Family issue: the coffee greedy family:

Me: here is your 17th cup of coffee. I not only brought in 5 extra empty cups, but also brought in the whole pot. Here is all the creamer available on the floor, and all the sugar. (coffee is a 2:1 ratio of hot water and coffee, or a 1:1 ratio of decaf and water, or I use 3x the amount of coffee to make it extra unbearable). Let me know when you need a refill. A refill is never requested.

I am not a waitress, nor am I there to fulfill family requests. I am there to take care of the patient by any means necessary. Don't be afraid to use any of these. They work.

[missmollie, ADN, BSN, RN]

Also, for the capable patient:

Patient: I need you to fix my pillow.

Me: Well, part of your improving is your ability to do things for yourself. You fix the pillow.

Patient: (pathetic) I can't.

Me: I'm sorry it's so difficult. Let me fix the pillow for you. I'm going to put in an order for case management to see you, assess you, and I expect you'll need extensive recovery in a Nursing home. We will ensure you are given the care you obviously need. I expect a two to three month stay in a nursing home should get you to where you need to be.

Patient: Fixes own pillow/wipes self/helps moves self

Me: Or if you continue to make the improvements you've shown here, you may be able to go home! It's amazing how much you can accomplish on your own.

[Libby1987]

I've been in home health for many years and admitting patients with follow up myself up to 1 1/2 years ago, I still talk to many for questions and some for service recovery. There have been the rare outliers, patient's and/or caregivers, that are near verbally hostile and/or completely unreasonable in their expectations.

When I read these threads though, and there are many, about this seemingly epidemic of patients demanding hotel type treatment, I have to wonder then why in their own homes they're usually so damn grateful for our service. I mean these patients are just 24-48 hrs off of your care often still anxious and hurting, and I'm not doing handstands for them, where did the belligerence and sense of entitlement go?

[Aunt Slappy]

When I read these threads though, and there are many, about this seemingly epidemic of patients demanding hotel type treatment, I have to wonder then why in their own homes they're usually so damn grateful for our service. I mean these patients are just 24-48 hrs off of your care often still anxious and hurting, and I'm not doing handstands for them, where did the belligerence and sense of entitlement go?

*shots fired* This should get interesting fast. I have to wonder if the gratitude has to do with you showing up when promised and doing the care they need.

Having been on both sides in the hospital, most memorably as the mother of a child in ER after a car accident whose call light went unanswered for over 20 minutes, and as the busy CNA responsible for 13 tele patients who couldn't get out of a contact room to answer the call light for over 12 minutes, I think much of the attitude and frustration comes from not just feeling ignored but *actually being ignored.* I know staffing ratios suck and it's hard, but I'm sure it's contributing. When I was that CNA, I worked with nurses who wouldn't answer a call light if a patient was on fire. Not saying anyone in this thread is like that, but I know it was a major problem where I worked and it created huge patient safety issues because patients would give up on getting help and get up by themselves.

[Ms_Interpret]

PREACH!

*Hugs*

[Ms_Interpret]

I've been in home health for many years and admitting patients with follow up myself up to 1 1/2 years ago, I still talk to many for questions and some for service recovery. There have been the rare outliers, patient's and/or caregivers, that are near verbally hostile and/or completely unreasonable in their expectations.

When I read these threads though, and there are many, about this seemingly epidemic of patients demanding hotel type treatment, I have to wonder then why in their own homes they're usually so damn grateful for our service. I mean these patients are just 24-48 hrs off of your care often still anxious and hurting, and I'm not doing handstands for them, where did the belligerence and sense of entitlement go?

If I roll my eyes back any further I'm pretty sure they'll get stuck there. If they do, will you come to my house and take care of me? I think I could help clear up some of your confusion.

[Libby1987]

If I roll my eyes back any further I'm pretty sure they'll get stuck there. If they do, will you come to my house and take care of me? I think I could help clear up some of your confusion.

Rolling your eyes doesn't bother me.

If they are obnoxious just for not getting their pillow fluffed and demanding 6 ice cubes, not 5 or 7, they sure change fast when they get home.

[Ms_Interpret]

Rolling your eyes doesn't bother me.

If they are obnoxious just for not getting their pillow fluffed and demanding 6 ice cubes, not 5 or 7, they sure change fast when they get home.

I'm sure you're right. You're the best nurse that ever graced the profession. All these other nurses are terrible.