I Hate People (my rant)

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Jul 31, 2015

Oh "Felicia",
Where is this magical place where you work, where nurses are NEVER mistreated? Because I'm pretty sure everyone here would like to work there asap! I love when management Nurses like you come on here and pontificate as if they are this era's Florence Nightingale. Abuse is (unfortunately) common at the bedside. What's next, are you going to tell me that racism does not exist. Get a clue!
For you to be a Nurse that long and to have NEVER experienced any form of abuse (verbal, physical, psychological, etc...) is highly suspicious. You must work in management (ex. Patient care manager) or in an administration capacity.
The rate of abuse increases for Nurses who A)work at the bedside, B) work with patients who have cognitive issues, C) for Nurses who are young, female, and visible ethnic minorities. I work as a bedside Nurse and am in-touch with the realities and struggles of bedside nurses.
Your experience is not the norm, and most certainly is not the norm for nurses of colour. Bye Felicia!

Your experience is only yours and you cannot extrapolate it to everyone.

Sorry to burst your bubble, Nurse Know it all, but I am not in administration or management. I am and have always been a bedside nurse. Background is ICU and currently work OR and endo.

I am Hispanic, not "Felicia" or anything magical. When I started I was young, healthy, and reasonably attractive. Now I'm just healthy.

I have never been abused by anyone. That is NOT to say there have never been conflicts or disagreements, differences of philosophy, etc. Maybe it's my bearing-I don't look for trouble but I expect and require people around me to treat me with respect if nothing else. I do not have an adversarial approach but I don't take poor treatment sitting down.

I don't hate people. I don't always love them to death, but in general I like people just fine. Nursing has not sucked the life out of me, and I am not alone in this. I know plenty of nurses who are happy in their careers. They have bad days just like anyone else, but they are still there, still "liking people," and putting their time and dedication to their jobs and patients.

CaffeinePOQ4HPRN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Jul 31, 2015

I work in gerontology at the bedside. The Nurse to patient ratio is usual 1 to 12 per shift, we do not have psw's or cna's helping with the workload (we do everything), all of our pt's are pratically total care and almost all have some form of dementia (which = behavioural issues). My expeirnce is not unique, everyday I work with and struggle alongside very seasoned Nurses (some who have been working 20-25+ years) who are spat on, kicked, punched, called the n-word and other various racial slurs. If I had the option to work in another more tolerable area, I would. But my experience is unfortunately quite common for gerontology and LTC... And the veteran Nurses I work alongside are honest about the abuse that we face.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Jul 31, 2015

I work in gerontology at the bedside. The Nurse to patient ratio is usual 1 to 12 per shift, we do not have psw's or cna's helping with the workload (we do everything), all of our pt's are pratically total care and almost all have some form of dementia (which = behavioural issues). My expeirnce is not unique, everyrday I work with and struggle alongside very seasoned Nurses (some who have been working 20-25+ years) who are spat on, kicked, punched, called the n-word and other various racial slurs. If I had the option to work in another more tolerable area, I would. But my experience is unfortunately quite common for gerontology and LTC.

That may well be, but who are you to decide that your experience is the defining experience for all nurses, then attempt to insult others who had a different experience? How in the heck would you know what it's like for everyone? Pretty arrogant.

CaffeinePOQ4HPRN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN · Jul 31, 2015

Oh bless your heart, I'm not denying you your experience... Just the same as I am not denying my personal experience with abuse, those of my colleagues, or the countless academic research studies concerning violence and abuse against Nurses. There's a reason why Code White (i.e. violent person) exists, and why hospitals now have to provide violence & crisis intervention training for Nursing and supportive staff, because abuse by the hands of patients/families is common reality.

Call it whatever you like, however your experience (of having 100% NEVER encountered abuse as a Nurse, especially as an alleged bedside Nurse) is NOT the norm.

toomuchbaloney · Jul 31, 2015

Oh bless your heart, I'm not denying you your experience... Just the same as I am not denying my personal experience with abuse, those of my colleagues, or the countless academic research studies concerning violence and abuse against Nurses. There's a reason why Code White (i.e. violent person) exists, and why hospitals now have to provide violence & crisis intervention training for Nursing and supportive staff, because abuse by the hands of patients/families is common reality.
Call it whatever you like, however your experience (of having 100% NEVER encountered abuse as a Nurse, especially as an alleged bedside Nurse) is NOT the norm.

I believe that when you add in the potential for abuse at the hands of the employer (remember that misogyny is alive and well in this country) to the potential for abuse at the hands of patients, family members, medical staff, or any male who feels empowered over the female nurse, etc; yeah- I would agree that never encountering ANY abuse would not seem to be the norm.

As a guy I don't get abused much, but I surely have witnessed much more than I have endured.

canigraduate · Aug 1, 2015

Oh "Felicia",
Where is this magical place where you work, where nurses are NEVER mistreated? Because I'm pretty sure everyone here would like to work there asap! I love when management Nurses like you come on here and pontificate as if they are this era's Florence Nightingale. Abuse is (unfortunately) common at the bedside. What's next, are you going to tell me that racism does not exist. Get a clue!
For you to be a Nurse that long and to have NEVER experienced any form of abuse (verbal, physical, psychological, etc...) is highly suspicious. You must work in management (ex. Patient care manager) or in an administration capacity.
The rate of abuse increases for Nurses who A)work at the bedside, B) work with patients who have cognitive issues, C) for Nurses who are young, female, and visible ethnic minorities. I work as a bedside Nurse and am in-touch with the realities and struggles of bedside nurses.
Your experience is not the norm, and most certainly is not the norm for nurses of colour. Bye Felicia!

This is one of the rudest, most condescending posts I have seen on here in a while. And that is saying a LOT.

And, really, "Bye Felicia?" You wanted to make sure this poster received some sort of abuse?

So disgusted.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Aug 1, 2015

Oh "Felicia",
Where is this magical place where you work, where nurses are NEVER mistreated? Because I'm pretty sure everyone here would like to work there asap! I love when management Nurses like you come on here and pontificate as if they are this era's Florence Nightingale. Abuse is (unfortunately) common at the bedside. What's next, are you going to tell me that racism does not exist. Get a clue!
For you to be a Nurse that long and to have NEVER experienced any form of abuse (verbal, physical, psychological, etc...) is highly suspicious. You must work in management (ex. Patient care manager) or in an administration capacity.
The rate of abuse increases for Nurses who A)work at the bedside, B) work with patients who have cognitive issues, C) for Nurses who are young, female, and visible ethnic minorities. I work as a bedside Nurse and am in-touch with the realities and struggles of bedside nurses.
Your experience is not the norm, and most certainly is not the norm for nurses of colour. Bye Felicia!

If someone's norm is getting abused by patients, family members, providers and management I'd have to wonder about what that person is bringing to the interactions. I've been a nurse for four decades. I won't say nurses are NEVER mistreated, but it's not the norm. Abuse at the bedside from patients (or family members) suffering from dementia, delerium or mental illness happens -- of course it does. But when it happens, you just move on. It's not the norm.

In case you're wondering, I'm not management. I've been at the bedside for most of my career. No one is sucking the life out of me. And I too am at the bedside, so I see the realities of bedside nursing. While I am an ethnic minority in this town, and I've had orientees of every skin color, gender, religion and sexual orinetation. I haven't seen -- nor would I have tolerated -- any abuse toward my orientees, either.

I have to assume that your experience is your own, and is not the "normal experience."

klone, MSN, RN · Aug 1, 2015

Oh bless your heart, I'm not denying you your experience... Just the same as I am not denying my personal experience with abuse, those of my colleagues, or the countless academic research studies concerning violence and abuse against Nurses. There's a reason why Code White (i.e. violent person) exists, and why hospitals now have to provide violence & crisis intervention training for Nursing and supportive staff, because abuse by the hands of patients/families is common reality.
Call it whatever you like, however your experience (of having 100% NEVER encountered abuse as a Nurse, especially as an alleged bedside Nurse) is NOT the norm.

Where I work, Code White is a postpartum hemorrhage.

Who is Felicia?

Farawyn · Aug 1, 2015

Where I work, Code White is a postpartum hemorrhage.

Ooof. :sorry:

Jensmom7, BSN, RN · Aug 1, 2015

Lol I forget about this topic for awhile and the come back to it, marveling at the independent life it seems to have taken on.

This is truly The Thread That Will Not Die.

I feel like Matthew Broderick is going to show up at any minute and tell us to go home, it's all over!!

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Aug 1, 2015

I work in gerontology at the bedside. The Nurse to patient ratio is usual 1 to 12 per shift, we do not have psw's or cna's helping with the workload (we do everything), all of our pt's are pratically total care and almost all have some form of dementia (which = behavioural issues). My expeirnce is not unique, everyday I work with and struggle alongside very seasoned Nurses (some who have been working 20-25+ years) who are spat on, kicked, punched, called the n-word and other various racial slurs. If I had the option to work in another more tolerable area, I would. But my experience is unfortunately quite common for gerontology and LTC... And the veteran Nurses I work alongside are honest about the abuse that we face.

Well, sorry you have "no other option" but to work in a hell hole of abuse. It's clearly made you very angry and bitter and it's a real shame you can't walk away and discover that not every place is like that for the bedside nurse.

For the record, I never stated my experience was the "norm." I don't believe yours is the norm either. I believe that the experiences of most nurses fall along a continuum between those two extremes.

I am very happy to have had all manner of options so I would never be forced to remain in an abusive environment for even one day. My unit manager in ICU was one of the finest people I have ever had the privilege to know, and the culture in those units reflected her standards. Those years gave me great experience which enabled me to pick and choose among other offers which followed. No way I'd tolerate abuse from anyone. Life's too short.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Aug 1, 2015

If someone's norm is getting abused by patients, family members, providers and management I'd have to wonder about what that person is bringing to the interactions. I've been a nurse for four decades. I won't say nurses are NEVER mistreated, but it's not the norm. Abuse at the bedside from patients (or family members) suffering from dementia, delerium or mental illness happens -- of course it does. But when it happens, you just move on. It's not the norm.
In case you're wondering, I'm not management. I've been at the bedside for most of my career. No one is sucking the life out of me. And I too am at the bedside, so I see the realities of bedside nursing. While I am an ethnic minority in this town, and I've had orientees of every skin color, gender, religion and sexual orinetation. I haven't seen -- nor would I have tolerated -- any abuse toward my orientees, either.
I have to assume that your experience is your own, and is not the "normal experience."

No, you are not allowed to have your own truth. You clearly MUST be trying to "bury the truth" about nursing. You must be trying to fool all the nursing students into believing that not every bedside nurse spends their entire career being abused by everyone (s)he meets.

Let's add a bunch of "Oh, Felicia's" and "bless your hearts" to complete the condescension and make sure everyone knows that anyone who claims to have a different experience is not to be believed.