What is your biggest nursing pet peeve?

Zoomer · Aug 10, 2005

1. customer service. I once told a patient who complained about "the service" that she didn't have to leave a tip.

2. Not starting report on time. Also since we pick our own assignments in the ICU where I work some nurses come in early and expect report after they have picked out their choice assignment (usually the patients that were bathed by night shift are sedated on the vent, never the confused gomers) then I have to give report all over again when the rest of the nurses get there and realize what an unfair assignment it is

3. Lateness. Some nurses are always 5 minutes late then get ticked off when they get the "leftovers". Leave your frickin house 10 minutes earlier!!!

4. Nurses who don't answer call lights or who will sit and ignore IV's beeping or vent alarms because it's not their patient. I call it selective hearing.

5. Constant negativity. If this hospital is such a lousy place then why have you worked here for 20 years.

6. sharing all the negativity with the new nurse I am orienting.

7 Smokers who take 5 or 6 breaks a night. Believe me that 5 minutes you tell me you are going to be gone is actually 15 minutes and I don't appreciate haveing to cover for you every single time, and why is it half the staff expect to be able to leave at the same time?

8. Phone calls from "family" who get angry when you won't tell them all the details of their brother-in-laws illness.

9. People who don't think the visiting hours apply to them.

10. People who bring their 2 and 3 year old kids to visit and stay unitll well past the kids bedtime. Also let the kids roll all over the floors or drink out of grandmas cup. Not to mention running up and down the halls. I once had a visitor leave a 6 year old with grandma for several hours because she didn't have a baby sitter. No reason why grandma can't take care of junior just because she has had major abdominal surgery.

TweetiePieRN · Aug 10, 2005

I hate when I am the only aide for 24 pts and the RNs decide to help me, but only a teeny bit and they want tons of credit for it. "I did three of your vital signs!" an RN once said to me, like he wanted me to thank him for this amazing act.

I understand where you are coming from since I once was an aide...but you should be glad you even got the RN to do that. At my hospital, we (the RNS)are so inundated with paperwork that we almost never have the time to do any vitals. I guess 3 is better than nothing, huh?

elthia · Aug 10, 2005

my biggest peeve right now is the grandson in law of a patient that comes up to the desk at 1030 pm ( and yes he was repeatedly told it was past visiting hours) demanding the right to stay in the room overnight. My reply "according to policy that is only for the critically ill patients in private rooms, the patient is not critically ill per the MD's assessment, and I have no private rooms." Then he states "look I want to speak to the doctor in the hospital about his case, he's not doing well and I want the doctor's opinion.'

My reply, "I'll be more than happy to have the RN reassess him, but I'm not calling the resident on call unless there is an emergent condition, the resident is not the patient's doctor, and all the resident will say is to call the MD If you want to speak to the MD please call back tomorrow between 8 am and 6 pm." He throws a fit, wants the primary attending to come in, "He's completely going down hill, he's had 3 liters out of his NG tube, I'm a med student and you don't let the sun go down on a small bowel obstruction." I smile sweetly and say, "you are NOT listed as the NOK, but I'll be more than happy to call my house supervisor if you want to place a complaint, but if you are in med school, then you should be completely aware about HIPPA and patient confidentiality ." The supervisor did have to come up.

oh and the NG output was 300 ml's, and the pt had been sucking on ice chips, he had an ileus not an SBO.

I feel sorry for the nurses at the place where he does his residency.

mattsmom81 · Aug 10, 2005

I heard this a LOT when i was an aide. Heard it a lot from the students in a local BSN program. i always love to ask those that make that remark "Well then why ARE you going to school, then?"

As a new grad Diploma RN, I worked with a clueless BSN grad who told me 'in a few years you'll be passing bedpans and I'll be the nurse telling you to do it. '

She believed the bunk her school indoctrinated her with; and was so amazed that the hospital let her go in 3 months! of course this news was greeted with a smile from us lowly diploma, AD, and LPN's who could do the work.

mattsmom81 · Aug 10, 2005

"I kind of laugh and get a lil bit irritated when people say "sugar diabetes", instead of, just 'diabetes". Why do they feel the need to say sugar?"

Its a common old timey expression. The 'test' was to taste the urine...it was like 'sugar' thus 'sugar diabetes'. :)

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Aug 10, 2005

"I kind of laugh and get a lil bit irritated when people say "sugar diabetes", instead of, just 'diabetes". Why do they feel the need to say sugar?"
Its a common old timey expression. The 'test' was to taste the urine...it was like 'sugar' thus 'sugar diabetes'. :)

Only you and I are old enough to remember when

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Aug 10, 2005

The nurse that flirts shamelessly with the surgeon (Oh, DAWKTER, TEE HEE HE HE HEE!)

It's unprofessional, not to mention tacky. This is typically the nurse who's charting isn't finished when the 2 hour case is.

(This was not a good day.)

BunnyBunnyBSNRN, ASN, BSN · Aug 10, 2005

As a new graduate RN, it really bugs me when the more seasoned nurses forget what it was like to be new.

Yes, I ask a lot of questions. No, I don't know anything (I just graduated)! I'm looking to you to help me, that is why you are my preceptor! Oh, and yes, I do like getting a "good job" or a pat on the back once in a while - I'm sure you did too when you were new.

krob0729 · Aug 10, 2005

Ewwwwww!!!!!!! :uhoh21: TMI :rotfl:

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Aug 10, 2005

Glad the times have changed, i really wouldn't want to have a sip of that.

Blackcat99 · Aug 10, 2005

Nursing staff who constantly complain bitterly about how horrible their job is and how much they hate their job and how they can't stand it another minute!!! :angryfire It seems these types never leave their so-called "horrible jobs."

katy_kenemy · Aug 11, 2005

:rotfl:

I understand where you are coming from since I once was an aide...but you should be glad you even got the RN to do that. At my hospital, we (the RNS)are so inundated with paperwork that we almost never have the time to do any vitals. I guess 3 is better than nothing, huh?

not at my hospital. the nurses have plenty of time to do all their own vitals if they want (and the real old time nurses do.... without complaining!-- when i am super busy, that is). no, mostly the new RNs sit around talking about their pregnancy... all our lazy RNs are pregnant right now. (is there a correlation? could i do a study?). :rotfl: