Who is GENERALLY more of a "PAIN"?: Co-workers OR Patients?

Nurses General Nursing

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I know that there is trouble with BOTH sides.....but generally...which "group" makes your job more stressful?

The patients, or the other employees themselves? How so?

Patients= family, visitors, etc.

Employees= ANY of the staff

Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, LTC.
Yeah, because our collagues extend past our units. There are other 'monsters' out there to get us...:lol2:

Agreed!

Specializes in ICU, Telemetry.

Coworkers...the patients usually leave (by the basement door or the front door, but they leave). Coworkers can be there for YEARS....

Specializes in Geriatric.

I have to agree that families, certain ones, are really a pain but they are as afraid as the patients most of the time and just want to be reassurred that you are in control of the situation, once they know that they are still annoying but I can deal with them. I think by far, the Administration, is a real pain. They second guess you and interject when they are not even aware of the circumstances they are attempting to "resolve". They should know their nurses and have faith in the ones that know what they are doing and leave us alone. We are not dealing with a cookie cutter society, where one size fits all. Every situation has different solutions and because mine is not theirs, does not make them right.

Perfection Bullies (PBs) are the worst type of toxic co-workers. They start the shift all stressed out, and expect everything handed to them on a silver platter. They are especially hard on new nurses. Everywhere I've worked I've encountered one, and I even had one as a teacher when I was in nursing school.

The PB where I'm at now got booted out of the medical unit, and now she's on the psych unit. When I first started, she reamed me in report for not having prepared her clipboard. After that, most of my co-workers started telling me not to feel bad, because they too have been victims of this toxic co-worker's bad attitude. It was like a rite of initiation, and now I was part of the group.

This type of co-worker explains the meaning of the saying, "Nurses eat their young." PB's create a hostile work environment that leads to poor communication, increased errors, stress, poor morale, and higher turnover. I'd rather deal with patients or family any day! They may take up more of my time, but they usually respond well to respect and reason. PB's, on the other hand, are highly irrational, and you are stuck with them!

Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, LTC.
Perfection Bullies (PBs) are the worst type of toxic co-workers. They start the shift all stressed out, and expect everything handed to them on a silver platter. They are especially hard on new nurses. Everywhere I've worked I've encountered one, and I even had one as a teacher when I was in nursing school.

The PB where I'm at now got booted out of the medical unit, and now she's on the psych unit. When I first started, she reamed me in report for not having prepared her clipboard. After that, most of my co-workers started telling me not to feel bad, because they too have been victims of this toxic co-worker's bad attitude. It was like a rite of initiation, and now I was part of the group.

This type of co-worker explains the meaning of the saying, "Nurses eat their young." PB's create a hostile work environment that leads to poor communication, increased errors, stress, poor morale, and higher turnover. I'd rather deal with patients or family any day! They may take up more of my time, but they usually respond well to respect and reason. PB's, on the other hand, are highly irrational, and you are stuck with them!

There is one of these nurses where I work. Sadly, she has caused many nurses to quit and I blame the short staffing on her. If she didn't chase all of the new nurses away, there wouldn't be staffing issues. Higher ups know all about her, but refuse to say anything to her b/c she has been there 20 years and is otherwise a great nurse. I can't stand her. I cringe getting report from her. She is pure toxic. She will even hide pt creams/lotions and that so that the off going shift can't give them, but will then say the next day "I wonder how mrs. jones got her cream last night when it is still sitting over hear behind the computer monitor where I left it yesterday. It is signed out... Oh well." She does that to all of the new nurses.

Specializes in M/S, ICU, ER, PACU.

I have to agree with the vote for the co-workers. I have a strong work ethic and although I know we are not all cut from the same mold, I can't stand sub-standard care either. There are a couple who think coming in on time means within a half hour of when their shift was supposed to start. If they can't answer or read their email they think they are having a bad shift. If a patient's monitor is beeping because their sat is 78% or they have had a run of VTACH, they are put out that they actually have to get off their lazy a-s-s-e-s and do their job.... Ugh, I hate that.

Specializes in Nursing Home / Prison / Hospital.

Where I am now, it's management for sure. Get out on time and get all your work done is the rhetoric from management. To many people to take care of (like 20+) and not enough people scheduled to work. Management decides we don't need that much help scheduled. Works out great when someone calls off too (like everyday on every shift) which equates to even less help. Oh, and by the way, here's more work we need you to get done. Sorry ya lazy sonsabiotches, I'm gonna get all my work done THEN clock out. Don't like it, then come and help us on the floor. What's that? You're not gonna help? Then shut up and get out my face! If I have admits, /\ in condition, orders coming out my orifice, or any of a 1k other incidents that seems to happen, I'm finishing up my work before I go home. No dumping allowed. But before I sit down to do that mountain of paperwork, the people are going to be taken care of. Swear I'm not a bitter person, but dayum. It's dayumed it ya do and dayumed if ya don't! Oh and, would you like to work a double shift tomorrow? :lol2:

VT247

Specializes in Ortho, Neuro, Surgical, Renal, Oncology.

Coworkers. They're overworked and overstressed

Specializes in L&D, Family Practice, HHA, IM.

Thank God for this thread! My own "pick for the pain" is management. Coworkers are generally good where I work, patients can be PITAs but, like an earlier poster said, are gone within a short period of time.

Management on the other hand....they make you go to classes where you learn about customer service but don't bother to put the philosophy in action themselves when it comes to treating their staff (everyone from the front desk to triage to RNs to secretaries) right, overwork the staff and underpay them, don't clock in or out and spend their time chatting on the phone and not hiring temp staff when coworkers are away and then ask you to do more, more and still more, without realizing what this does to morale and how it contributes to the turnover rate and shortages.

...which is why I am looking for another job!

Specializes in Med-Surge, ER, GI Lab/Scopes.

Co-workers who are family to patients.

Specializes in 12 years exp in corporate healthcare.

Co-workers OMG!..its like leave your problems at home! don't bring them to work and take them out on me PALEEEZZZZ!!! :nono:

Family members are really the worst. They doo not want their family member in pain to get medication, they interfer all the time with the care of the patient. I understand that not all nurses are created equal but when they have a bad experience with none person and it might not even be anyhting to mention than they start watching you like and make your life miserable. they call adminsitration on a dime and cause more p[roblem and paper work. I wish they would let us do our woprk and trust us. All of us get up in the monring with the idea top do a good job. Things happens whihc may cause us top detour but the main idea is patient care. We care otherwise we would not have become nurses. Nursing is very stressfull with staffing ratio outrageous and with more and more sicker patients and more demanding family. It is not going to get better, Give the nurse a break, please!!!!!!!!!!!!

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