What's with the chip on your shoulder?

[proud2bme]

I was in the hospital visiting a friend who just had a baby. As I was walking by the nurses station in postpardum, things seemed to be quiet. I decided to stop and say "Hello". ONE nurse (mind you there were about 12 nurses total) gave me that put out, what do you want look and grumbled in the most cold, "I HATE MY JOB" voice, "WHAT DO YOU NEED?!"

Needless to say, I was quite taken back by her attitude. In my naive, nurse-to-be brain, I thought all nurses were kind, caring and compassionate people that love their job or they wouldn't be doing it, right? Looks like I have ALOT to learn.

The worst part is, the other nurses that were there saw her attitude and how rude she was and didn't say a thing! Then again, what should they of said?

Now my question: If you had a bi*chy co-worker that was rude like that, how would you handle it, or would you?

[CEN35]

to healing touch:

i know what you mean. like i said, personal experiences leave one thinking a certain way. i saw it in clinicals where i was at in school, and i had two kids of my own. i saw it there too....kind of a bummer.

however, i realize there are people out there that have had that same experience with "er people" also, and probably think the same about "us".

just my two cents......

thanks...

me :)

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Gotta say, I've never worked L&D, post-partum. Maybe just a bad day?? I too have two sons, oldest one (21) born at Yokota Air Base, Japan in 1980. My husband was a staff sergeant, so regardless of MY medical condition, I was expected to make my own bed, get my meals from the cart down the hall, etc... Then, in 1985, when I had my second son, my husband was a first sergeant, so again, regardless of MY condition, everything was brought to me. I still laugh over this.

[dawngloves, BSN, RN]

I had a run in with a rude unit clerk when I had my baby. I came up to the desk and asked for a pencil to fill out my menu. You'd think I asked her for a syringe of MSO4!

She looked at me like I had ten heads and said, "Who are you?!" Told her my name, blank stare, my room number, blank stare. Another women behind the desk looked at the census board and said "Oh yeah, she's a patient" Well no S*#t! Why do you think I'm in this locked unit in a nightgown!?

I was tossed a pencil with nary a glance.

For what it was worth I wrote this down on my survey.

[shay]

We have a nurse on my unit who's REEEEEEEEEAAAAALLLLLY abrasive/blunt/cold to patients and family members. She's young and pretty, but her personality says she should be one of those nasty old ladies from the movies wearing orthopedic shoes and a tight bun. LOL! When she 'does her thing' to pts/family members in front of us, we usually just kinda try to smooth over her pricklies, and go on with our business. She's a decent person, and once you get to know her and she loosens up she's nice, but MAN!!! At first, brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr........coooooooold!!!

Just don't take it personally. And yes, it is naieve to think that all nurses are kind and warm....some of 'em are just plain crotchety and ill-tempered. You just have to suck it up and roll with it.

[Jenny P]

"However, I realize there are people out there that have had that same experience with "ER people" also, and probably think the same about "us"." (posted by CEN35)

Boy, Rick, you've got that right! One of the recent nursing journals just had an article about ED nurses having bad attitudes! (I'll try to find it for you if you'd like).

I think we've each got our own impressions of different units having attitudes; and these are probably because of just 1 or 2 different nurses or incidents.

We had a traveling nurse on our unit recently who'd been floated to CCU. While there, she'd overheard some of the staff griping about all of the incompetent travelers; then tell how their (CCU) pts. were the sickest in the hospital because the med/surg ICU pts. were "just chronics" and that the CV-ICU pts. (where I work) were "already repaired and healing"! Finally someone asked her if she was a float pool nurse and she smiled sweetly and told them she was a traveler assigned to CV-ICU! I guess you could have heard a pin drop about then!

I guess my point is that we have to look at what we say not only to the public and patients, but also amongst ourselves. :)

[Y2KRN]

I apoligize for that nurse, no matter what was going on or what she assumed you should not have been spoken to like that. Ugh.

I will not say that I am a saint or that I have not gotten short with a patient or family memeber, however it has always been after being pushed to an absolute limit, or verbally abused in some way!!

Don't give up on nursing let things like that roll off your back. It is her problem not yours.

Y2KRN

[Fgr8Out]

Clarification of my earlier post: "what do you want look and grumbled in the most cold, 'I HATE MY JOB" voice, "WHAT DO YOU NEED?!' "

Good lord, that nurse needs to get the heck OUT of this profession. NO ONE in any service oriented employment should EVER speak like that. Talk about poor customer relations!!

To the first few on this spool who actually have the audacity to CONDONE this behavior in any way, shape or form... shame.

It is never appropriate behavior to be rude... I don't care WHAT sort of day you've had, it does not belong on stage. Yeah, I REALLY feel secure knowing someone with THAT sort of attitude is supposed to be CARING for my loved one, friend, etc...

I don't know about the rest of you, but if I had been one of those other 12 in hearing distance, I would have certainly taken the opportunity to ask, "Hello, how may I help you?" Off stage, I would have confronted the mouthy nurse and ask her in the future to keep her job issues to herself while on stage... and NOT to blurt them out to family/friends of patients.

Get a job on a construction site if this is the sort of behavior you want to display.

Peace:)

[Q.]

I just thought I would point out that the nurse didn't SAY she hates her job. The author of this thread said the nurse said in a "I hate my job" kinda voice ....blah blah.

Just thought I would clear up a misunderstanding here.

[mother/babyRN, RN]

You know, I second Rick when I say I try to be non judgemental, but If I were in answer to you Rick, I migh say the ER are the first people to "dump" patients on delivery due to whatever phenomenon it is the makes them wary of our patients. I have to work all three areas of maternity and I have not found that post partum or any other nurses have any more attitutude than any other nurses...That nurse originally mentioned might have said something SHE interpreted as a bonding thing (most probably not, but some people are like that)...Many nurses assume ALL nurses these days feel frustrated with all thats going on and express it in different ways...I am not always the happiest person on the job but I do my best NOT to involve the patients in how frustrated I might be....You mentioned this nurse said whatever she said to YOU and not to the patient...Nurses are human and they make mistakes which doesn't absolve them, but might be a way they cope....No where in the hospital are doctors more inappropriate or intimidating, than in maternity....(not everywhere but many OB units..) They can also be wonderful, but it is usually all about control AND involving women, both nurses AND patients...You NEED to develop a strong personality..I fuse my interactions with humor, and when necessary, assertiveness...I just wish we could steer away from generalizations which dump on particular areas.....I think we all know an aggressive, angry or abraisive personality..We have to figure out our own approaches to dealing with them, and, as with doctors, each one might have to be approached differently.....We,of all things, ran out of LR the other night. Unbeknownst to me, then scheduled on the post partum floor from hell (you name it, it went wrong..), nearly killed myself racing to the phone to be met with someone from another floor asking if I had been the one calling for LR..I hadn't as another nurse in delivery (which is separate from pp), had called. They had also run out, apparently. Problem was, I had no idea the delivery nurse had called around, and mentioned I didn't know what the person on the other end of the phone was talking about....She hung up on me! I was upset but then noted that , as the house was busy, she must be in a hurry and had taken the time to call us back. She had no idea that although we are housed on the same floor, we are separate areas...I did call over to delivery and mentioned what was going on and that I had been hung up on and wasn't happy about it, so when they were called, they let the orignial caller know that PP had no clue as to what they were talking about, and in the future, please do not be rude and hang up....Lesson learned in both areas. Peace continues..........

[susanmary]

I'm well-balanced -- I have a chip on both shoulders. Only kidding.

[proud2bme]

Susanmary,

I think ALL yankee's balance their chips quite well! LOLOL!!!!

[adrienurse, LPN]

Maybe it's good that this happened to you. Make a promise to yourself that when you graduate you will set your own example of how a nurse should be. And don't forget to take students like you under your wing.