If you feel that way, you shouldn't be a nurse

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · May 8, 2016

I'm guessing it has to do with the misconception that nursing is a "calling" :singing: *cue the angels*

I know I have to complain/vent sometimes, and I actually do love my job. If anyone has anything to say about it, eh...1) they probably aren't a nurse themselves so are clueless, and 2) they don't know me from Eve. Their opinion is of no consequence to me.

NightNerd, MSN, RN · May 8, 2016

Eh. I haven't noticed anyone really taking the side of a Walmart employee lately, to be honest with you. More often I hear, "It's easy work, they shouldn't complain," or, "Maybe they should go back to school." :facepalm: But yeah, people do expect nurses to have oddly thick skin. Ultimately, anything that doesn't involve being a trophy wife sounds like hard work to me and I will whine about it occasionally.

malamud69, BSN, RN · May 8, 2016

Simple answer....since most health care these days is "for profit" let's never forget...the "customer" is NOT always right...

Emergent, RN · May 8, 2016

I don't shop at Walmart because their employees seem disgruntled and I've heard the corporation treats them poorly. A lot of their merchandize appears to be low quality imports.

brownbook · May 9, 2016

If a clerk or waiter complains about customers being rude....well I would feel badly for them. The clerk/waiter probably has limited job options, limited education, limited job skills. To just say "then you shouldn't be a clerk/waiter" they may reply, it was the only job I could get, I'm lucky to have a menial, low paying, lousy hours job, that most people look down on!

If a teacher/nurse/doctor/dentist/lawyer says customers are rude to them I would think....you spent a lot of time, money, to get your education. I assume you had a vague idea of what type of work your schooling was training for? It is a decent paying, respected job that most people would love to have the time, money, smarts, to do. I'm sorry you found out too late you don't like your work, the customer's rudeness is "getting to you," but with your education and skills I'm sure there are other areas of nursing/doctoring/lawyering, etc. you can work that don't deal with the public?

NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN · May 13, 2016

I don't shop at Walmart because their employees seem disgruntled and I've heard the corporation treats them poorly. A lot of their merchandize appears to be low quality imports.

Shopping at Walmart is bad for my blood pressure. Nothing like getting rammed in the back by another shoppers cart loaded with Slim Jims and cases of Natural Ice beer. The cashiers tend to complain but look at their clientele.

allnurses Guide · May 14, 2016

Eh. I haven't noticed anyone really taking the side of a Walmart employee lately, to be honest with you. More often I hear, "It's easy work, they shouldn't complain," or, "Maybe they should go back to school." But yeah, people do expect nurses to have oddly thick skin. Ultimately, anything that doesn't involve being a trophy wife sounds like hard work to me and I will whine about it occasionally.

Hey don't dis the "Trophey wife" I am certainly not one but I have it on good authority it's hard work. Longs hours in the salon getting hair, nails and skin just so. Learning the proper application of make-up. Going to the gym or plastic surgeon on a semi-regular basis for a tune-up etc...combined with getting enough beauty sleep in..... It must be exhausting.

Hppy

calivianya, BSN, RN · May 14, 2016

Hey don't dis the "Trophey wife" I am certainly not one but I have it on good authority it's hard work. Longs hours in the salon getting hair, nails and skin just so. Learning the proper application of make-up. Going to the gym or plastic surgeon on a semi-regular basis for a tune-up etc...combined with getting enough beauty sleep in..... It must be exhausting.
Hppy

Not to mention you've got to actually have relations with your very saggy old husband. There is not enough money in the world to be a trophy wife, IMO.

Compared to customer service reps, nurses get the short end of the stick. I worked a few different customer service jobs before I went back to school, and the longest I had to deal with a pain in the butt customer was 30 minutes. Now, if someone's a pain in the butt, I still have to deal with them for twelve hours. And, if it's my first shift back and they're there all week, twelve hours the next day and another twelve hours the day after that. I can't believe I ever complained about dealing with the public as a CSR. This is so much worse.

Ruby Vee, BSN · May 14, 2016

Eh. I haven't noticed anyone really taking the side of a Walmart employee lately, to be honest with you. More often I hear, "It's easy work, they shouldn't complain," or, "Maybe they should go back to school." But yeah, people do expect nurses to have oddly thick skin. Ultimately, anything that doesn't involve being a trophy wife sounds like hard work to me and I will whine about it occasionally.

I would think being a trophy wife would be difficult, too. You'd have to be "on" all of the time -- even in your own bedroom. And the kind of guys who seek out trophy wives aren't really much for intelligent conversation (with the wife anyway) or courtesy.

Ruby Vee, BSN · May 14, 2016

Nurses aren't Angels; we're real people with real feelings. We have good days, bad days and in between days. When we have to deal with a nasty "customer", we're stuck with them for twelve hours. If a nurse needs to vent about the ignorant, ornery anal spinchter with whom she's spent the past 12 hours, I understand that completely.

However if the nurse never meets anyone who isn't an ignorant, nasty donkey then I think the problem is probably that nurse.

WinterLilac · May 15, 2016

TBH, I don't complain about my job to people who aren't my close family or friends. I can't risk any comments being misconstrued and fed back to my colleagues or boss. If I've had a bad day, I often just say "meh, you take the good with the bad" and leave it at that. On the other side of that, my close colleagues and I have some fantastic debrief sessions behind the closed office door where there is no filter on what we can say. Once we've debriefed, we shake the day off and start all over again the next day.

Every job has its pros and cons but I personally would feel uncomfortable if a nurse bad mouthed her job to someone she doesn't know very well. I'd feel uncomfortable if anyone slagged off their job to any Tom, Dick or Harry particularly in respect to the rate of unemployment we have here atm.