How much "crap" do you take from people at work?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Nov 21, 2016

I will preface this by mentioning that I've worked in fast food and retail.

I've experienced more vitriol as a floor nurse than at any non-nursing job I've ever held. Nursing exposes you to the ugliest side of human nature: verbally abusive families, colleagues from other disciplines who try to order you around, rude physicians, and managers who lack empathy.

Above all else, I have experienced blatant misogyny, sexism, racism, and other ugliness from more than a few patients.

meanmaryjean, DNP, RN · Nov 22, 2016

There's a lot of crap-taking in nursing. Reimbursement for service is tied, in part, to 'patient satisfaction' scores. Which is a crock of feces. One of the reasons I left the bedside. You can no longer be honest with patients, you can only tell them what they want to hear.

Sour Lemon · Nov 22, 2016

Ok I am starting school for my bsn soon and this is in regards to all registered nurses only.
I realized that working in food service mostly that I had to take "crap" from managers just constantly criticizing my work and working with mean people serving food and coffee like they're saving lives. I know nursing is different because you obviously are saving lives but I still want to know: how much crap do RNs have to deal with and by whom? Who will be the criticizer tellin you how to do your job and putting you down causing stress?

You will deal with "crap" from patients, their families, doctors, other nurses, nursing assistants, nursing managers, other departments in the hospital, etc. There's very little "saving lives" in most nursing positions. In fact, I often feel quite like a waitress.

You'd be surprised at how many people with serious problems complain about petty things. Among my favorites: "I can't take my medication with this water. It's too hot/too cold/the ice melted/it's been sitting here for twenty minutes and it's not fresh anymore."

Nursing is more customer service oriented than traditional customer service jobs are ...and the managers are much higher up and further removed from reality than most restaurant managers are. As a nurse, your income will most likely be higher, but don't kid yourself into thinking you won't be subjected to unreasonable expectations.

Been there,done that, ASN, RN · Nov 22, 2016

Ok I am starting school for my bsn soon and this is in regards to all registered nurses only.
I realized that working in food service mostly that I had to take "crap" from managers just constantly criticizing my work and working with mean people serving food and coffee like they're saving lives. I know nursing is different because you obviously are saving lives but I still want to know: how much crap do RNs have to deal with and by whom? Who will be the criticizer tellin you how to do your job and putting you down causing stress?

Registered nurses take crap from everybody and anybody. We also clean crap.

We also have to do it with a smile. , while handling life and death situations.

Any openings at Starbucks?

Extra Pickles · Nov 22, 2016

You work in food service so you have a sampling of what you can expect in nursing. Only you will get it from everywhere and everyone. Not every person but every department plus patients and their families and friends. Total strangers with no idea what they are talking about will tell you how to do your job or complain if you aren't doing it the way they think you should be doing it. Hope you're okay with that.

ArtClassRN, ADN, RN · Nov 22, 2016

Stop keeping score. Do your job as best you can and people will send crap in other directions. If patients are abusive, don't tolerate it, call for security or backup and refuse to take care of them.

quazar · Nov 22, 2016

I'll just say this: all those years spent working in waitressing while in high school and college gave me a solid foundation to prepare for the many colorful and interesting personalities I have to deal with on a daily basis in nursing.

In to each life, some crap must fall. In nursing, there is an abundance.

loriangel14, RN · Nov 22, 2016

This is sad. I love my job and I don't feel crapped upon very often.

Libby1987 · Nov 22, 2016

I don't receive any crap at work, not as a staff nurse nor as a manager. Our upper management have expectations but they don't treat us disrespectfully, ever.

We do have to submit to federal and state regulations and we have a tremendous amount of paperwork but I have been treated well for as long as I can remember back.

Well there was this one owner but she was clearly disordered and was hell for everyone with her manic and manipulative behavior, that had nothing to with nursing though.

There is an irritable patient or caregiver fairly frequently but I can't recall a situation that couldn't be diffused. And there was usually fear and/or exhaustion behind it. I could no more take that as being treated like crap than if I had to deal with their bleeding.

For the large part, we receive so much gratitude from our patients and caregivers. And our providers and ancillary resources? Everyone has been intently collegial for the past several years, the whole customer service focus made its way into these work relationships years ago, such a change from when I first got into it and people could predictably be downright snappish and rude.

MrChicagoRN, RN · Nov 22, 2016

^^^This

I don't give crap, rarely receive crap.

There are conflicts and situations to deal with, but everyone is expected to be responsible and respectable.

I'm sure the people that report to me may be sometimes unhappy with expectations and conversations, but there is no reason to let things sink to that level.

martymoose, BSN, RN · Nov 23, 2016

I worked fast food for three years > If it paid more, I'd go back.

At least if you are being treated bad by a customer - you dont have a license attached to it, and usually you "fix" the wrong , and they move on.

With pt's you are stuck with them for 8 or 12 hours straight. And lots of times you try to fix " the wrong " and they still are mad. Many times they are angry they aren't getting "fill in the blank" salt, cigs, narcotics that make them fall into a stupor to the point you are now worried about their airway. confused combatant geriatrics punching you in the head.

sometimes people say " oh , you have to set limits" well, in the customer service theme, no one wants to be told that there are any limits.

Then they take it out on YOU.

Read up on violence in the healthcare setting.