Hello everyone. Let me start out by saying that I'm not a nurse. I'm a "pre-nursing" student and I'm just really irritated by something I just read and I'm curious if anyone else feels this way and could possibly comment on it better than I can seeing as how I really have no actual nursing experience.
I like to visit "Ross the Interns" website from NBC's The Tonight Show. He just makes my day and I loyally watch his talky blogs every day. He has a comments section where people who call themselves "blog buddies" can leave comments about his blog and talk back and forth to each other.
Here's where I get pi$$ed. A girl who posts a comment says she is a nursing student who is writing a paper about how patients would like to be treated by nurses. She is asking for suggestions from people (non-nurses) to help her out. The friggin suggestions are incredible! All the responders said they would like their nurse to just smile at them. Many said they don't want to hear about how busy their nurse is and how they don't have time for them. And one poster actually stated that her nurse gave her dad in ICU "something" to help him sleep during the day so the nurse could talk with her fellow co-workers at the nurses station. There was also a post about how nurses sit at the nurses station and whisper "jokes" to each other and how patients probably feel they are talking about them.
Ugg... the whole thing made me so mad. Is this how you are all portrayed??? Is this the profession that I'm so desperately seeking to become a part of?? I have had 3 children and every single experience I had with my 3 kids and the numerous times I've been into the hospital and ER I have admired my nurses and looked up to them thinking to myself that I could never do that job because it required so much out of a person.
How is my perception of nursing so vastly different from the rest of the worlds?? Ever since I've started coming here I've read thread after thread about how the public views nursing and how it is not a "respected" profession. Also how television portrays it as well.
Ok, I'm done ranting. Here is the link... if you scroll down and start reading the thread the students name is Jen something and it's towards the middle of the comments. After that it just snowballs with responses that make me really angry.
I also don't think it's unreasonable for people to *not* want to hear about how busy their nurse is or about how their nurse doesn't have time for them. How is it the patient's fault/problem that the nurse is overly burdened?
They may not want to hear it but that's too bad, because if they demand an explanation I'll tell them. They don't need to complain because they don't like the answer.
And nursing isn't the only area where people will tell you they don't have time to help.
I don't really think that there's anything wrong with patients wanting the nurse to smile at them. Most people prefer to be greeted by a smile, rather than by a stern or unhappy looking face. Smiling takes almost no effort and can go a long way to putting people at ease, particularly if they are scared, frustrated, or distrustful to begin with. I don't see wanting the nurse to smile at you as something excessive or unreasonable.
I also don't think it's unreasonable for people to *not* want to hear about how busy their nurse is or about how their nurse doesn't have time for them. How is it the patient's fault/problem that the nurse is overly burdened? I know I personally was very offended when I was in the hospital and requested pain medicine, only to be told by the nurse, "I have 5 other patients, so you're going to have to wait." Telling the patient how busy you are only, in my opinion, serves to make them feel like they are not a priority and are some how less deserving of care than your other patients.
How would you handle a patient that interrupts you & blocks your way in the hallway as you are wheeling the crashcart to another patient's bedside-just insisting that more ice is needed in the cup?
Sorry, after explaining that I am attending to an emergency and will be with them after it is over (first having offered to point out where the dispenser was to get it herself-where she refused because a special TV show would be missed) & a statement is then made that the person coding was probably going to die anyway and "I can't finish my meal without the water cold," while continuing to purposely block the crash cart, I'm not going to continue smiling and want this lady to feel she is a priority. When some selfish person interferes with another's life, 'tough love' is more appropriate than a customer service attitude. She's lucky I didn't use the paddles on her!
How would you handle a patient that interrupts you & blocks your way in the hallway as you are wheeling the crashcart to another patient's bedside-just insisting that more ice is needed in the cup?
Sorry, after explaining that I am attending to an emergency and will be with them after it is over (first having offered to point out where the dispenser was to get it herself-where she refused because a special TV show would be missed) & a statement is then made that the person coding was probably going to die anyway and "I can't finish my meal without the water cold," while continuing to purposely block the crash cart, I'm not going to continue smiling and want this lady to feel she is a priority. When some selfish person interferes with another's life, 'tough love' is more appropriate than a customer service attitude. She's lucky I didn't use the paddles on her!
LOL. some people need a "How not to act in the hospial pamphlet".
In all seriousness though, public awareness and public education would be the key to resolving this. Patients need to know that short staffing affects the quality of care they receive and managment/administration is responsible for the patient load the nurse must work with. QUOTE]
AMEN and AMEN!!!! At the LTAC where I work (only until Oct 24th, then I'm doing the never comin back dance), administration regularly cancels staff or sends nurses home early so they can cut costs. They also accept patients that no one else will take, giving us patients that die soon after admission, have to be transferred out soon after admission due to being too unstable to keep, or, worse, we end up stuck with these idiot train wrecks because after we get them, they have no where to else to go. The decisions I see admin making is why I am taking another job elsewhere. I just can't continue to work someplace where I feel like my license is on the line ever time I go to work. I worked too hard to lose it so some suit can make her Christmas bonus.
And nursing isn't the only area where people will tell you they don't have time to help.
I don't really find it appropriate for anyone to tell a customer or a patient that they don't have time to help. I think that's just rude and tacky. Perhaps I'm being too picky on the way it's phrased, but I think that there are other ways of telling people you can't help them right this minute, but you'll help them as soon as you can.
When some selfish person interferes with another's life, 'tough love' is more appropriate than a customer service attitude
I guess I wouldn't assume that she's selfish. I would assume that for some reason - probably unknown to me - that person needed/wanted attention right then. If it were me, I would tell her, "I'm very sorry, but I'm need in an emergency, and I'll get to it as soon as I can or I'll have someone else do it." And I'd push on by. But that's just me.
I still don't think it's unreasonable for patients to not want to hear about the nurse's burdens and to want to be smiled at; I actually think that starting off that way can go a long way towards preventing the situations you just mentioned.
And just so everyone knows, I'm not a brand new nurse; I've been a nurse for 6 years. Long enough to know that there are high maintenance people and short staffing and all that other stuff. Even knowing that, however, I still don't think that those are unreasonable requests by patients.
A girl who posts a comment says she is a nursing student who is writing a paper about how patients would like to be treated by nurses. She is asking for suggestions from people (non-nurses) to help her out. The friggin suggestions are incredible! All the responders said they would like their nurse to just smile at them. Many said they don't want to hear about how busy their nurse is and how they don't have time for them. And one poster actually stated that her nurse gave her dad in ICU "something" to help him sleep during the day so the nurse could talk with her fellow co-workers at the nurses station. There was also a post about how nurses sit at the nurses station and whisper "jokes" to each other and how patients probably feel they are talking about them.
How is my perception of nursing so vastly different from the rest of the worlds?? Ever since I've started coming here I've read thread after thread about how the public views nursing and how it is not a "respected" profession. Also how television portrays it as well.
Television portrays healthcare professionals in a very unrealistic light. How many doctors or nurses go to a patients house after they've left AMA, to talk them into coming back and having surgery? In real life when the patient leaves AMA it's outta sight, outta mind and usually good riddens too. Television does us a big diservice. Then you have the "naughty nurses" that are frequently portrayed. I didn't have time to think about having sex at work much less actually finding the time or the place to do it. I was lucky to be able to go to the bathroom. Forget eating lunch. Wolfed it down in 5 minutes.
I never minded working hard. I enjoyed my job. The number one reason I got out of floor nursing after 32 years is the ungrateful and rude family members. I do believe these people are in the minority but when a loved one is sick they really can get out of line. Whether it be due to worry, guilt or being just plain tired they talk before they think. I have had to tell family members "do not yell at me I would be glad to discuss this with you calmly". 99% of the time it worked. For the 1% that it didn't work I turned around, walked out and called the supervisor.
Auguments don't last very long when the fault is only one sided. I won't stand there and bring myself down to that person's level. You can't argue with an idiot...you both end up looking bad.
Surveys always list nursing as one of the most respected professions. I think the majority of people still feel that way. It's the one's who are disrespectful of us who ruin our careers. These people are usually disrespectful of anyone no matter their profession. There are ignorant people in all walks of life.
If a nurse did make a comment about giving someone meds to keep them quiet so they could sit then they should be reported. That is so wrong. As far as nurses sitting around whispering about people...well...if you have a guilty conscious you'll always think someone is talking about you. Sure nurses talk about patients but it's not quite like that. Firstly, who has time to sit around???
Politicians and lawyers top a global list of the most hated professions. Other reviled occupations in the survey of the best and worst jobs include:
Real estate agent
MP
Journalist
Advertising executive
Car dealer
Company director
Accountant
Doctors topped the most respected list. They were closely followed by:
Jo Dirt
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They may not want to hear it but that's too bad, because if they demand an explanation I'll tell them. They don't need to complain because they don't like the answer.
And nursing isn't the only area where people will tell you they don't have time to help.