L&D/OB Nurse Pet Peeve-Rant!

ERNurse752, RN · Feb 20, 2006

Ugh...can't think of anything else better to say than that, hehe.

People spend too much time watching "A Baby Story." ;p

ICURN_NC · Feb 20, 2006

Superfly, this drives me insane, too. I work in an ICU, so I sometimes have the reverse problem: "Oh, how depressing!" You know, I actually do enjoy my job (usually). There are times when people do get better. It's not all doom and gloom!

People (even other nurses) make these assumptions all the time. I work in an ICU, and I'll hear nurses talk about how it must be easier to be a floor nurse because the pts are less acute.

Often, I'll reply by saying, "Do you know what it's like to keep up with 5 or 6 pts who all need something? Meds, baths, notes, support, ect. They are sick, after all. I wouldn't call that easy!!"

Then, I'll here floor nurses say how we (critical care) have it easy because we only have 2 pts. But when everything is wrong with both pts (ARDS, MODS, etc), supporting the families, dealing with new docs who may not really know what they are doing, and keeping your pt alive, you are running all shift long.

We have clinics @ our hosp- some nurses will say how it must be easy to only have to deal with each pt for "a little bit" and then you get to send them home. But can you imagine have pt after pt after pt needing "a little bit"?

I never assume ANY nursing job is easy. Psych, acute care, peds, L&D (which I found REALLY hard when I was in school), LTC, school nursing- each one is so hard in many ways.

As for laypeople, I have had a couple of people tell me that I am lucky to have such an "easy" job- maybe they've been watching too much TV! My pts and (mostly) their family members often tell me they appreciate how hard we work. And then some of they may say how depressing it must be!

Ahhhh!!!!!

Peace,

S

SuperFlyRN · Feb 20, 2006

My props to you ICU RN-not an area I would be good in. Luckily there are nurses for all particular units so we can find our niche. I would never assume anyone is lucky, has an easy job or nothing. Seriously, what do I know-true though-people watch waaay too much TV and glean a whole lot of idealistic crap from it.

'Night-smiles:roll

Trauma Columnist · Feb 20, 2006

Superfly - I think you are very correct in saying there is no "easy" nursing job, ever. In any job, we have a huge responsibility and its never easy. Rewarding, yes.

tvccrn, ASN, RN · Feb 20, 2006

I used to work in PICU and I would get, "I don't know how you do it. I would cry constantly working with the kids." I can see how many people would think that, but I LOVED it. The kids were sick and/or trauma victims and, yes, there were times when I went home and cried after taking care of a child whose "loving parent" had abused them. But, if I weren't there for them who would be? At least I couldn't provide some love in their bleak lives for a brief time.

The only reason I left was I couldn't take anymore new residents who thought they knew better than the nurses who had been there forever and a day. When we ask you to call the attending, there IS a reason, we aren't asking just to hear our heads rattle. After losing two kids in less than a week due to hesitation on their parts I had to leave.

tvccrn

SmilingBluEyes · Feb 20, 2006

i don't knw if it is just me but...i am an rn dividing my time between our birthing center (natural/uncomplicated deliveries) and our highrisk l&d. it occasionally gets stressful (i know some cannot believe this-especially visitors, etc). anyone who has worked this area knows, not everything is rosy-nice and happy outcomes and joyful deliveries. i work in a community where there is a lot of teen mothers, substance abuse, children's aid cases, etc. far from the 'everything is fabulous' outcome that many people think the "baby unit" is comprised of.
i cannot *stand* when visitors or patients or sometimes fellow nurses visiting their friend that just had a baby say "you must love your job, you're so lucky to work here". i would never dream of saying that to anyone about their job, unless i knew exactly the ins and outs of that particular area.
i recently received a very sarcastic remark from a visitor whose daughter just had a baby-everything went smoothly for them. (let me tell you, visitors on an ob unit are something else-they come in droves.) i had just left a patients room who had just delivered a baby that had to be transported to nicu stat for apgars of 3-5-5 only to rush directly to my other laboring patient's room who my rn partner said is decelling. this visitor sees the earnest look on our faces and says to her friend "gee, they look excited to be here-they should hire nurses that actually enjoy working on this floor"-had it not been for the urgency of our situation i would have loved to confront her! how dare she-i hate that just because you work on the 'baby floor' everything is rosy, pink and fun and all you do is cuddle babies! sorry for the rant, but come on!

i can relate as an ob nurse. the old "walk a mile in my shoes" cliche comes to mind. you can't ovecome certain deliberate ignorance, dear. just press on and let these remarks roll off your back. you are among people here who do "get it".

TazziRN, RN · Feb 20, 2006

The only easy nursing job is an inactive license.

I get the same thing from people in the ER..."Oh, you must see some exciting things!"

Yeah.......having to tell a woman that her immediate CPR didn't save her daddy is exciting. There are so many wonderful outcomes in nursing: the healthy babies, the MI's and traumas that survive, but people don't know what it takes to get there....the decels, the praying that you can keep your MI alive until he can get to the cath lab an hour away, the wondering if your trauma pt is going to lose his leg.

allnurses Guide · Feb 20, 2006

I know how everyone feels but if I might add a different perspective, I came to nursing in my late 30's and became an RN when I was 40. I had no idea. Truly.

To be fair, folks who aren't in the medical profession don't have any idea either.

I really thought OB nursing would be for me - but it isn't as fun as I thought. Things turn on a dime in there - yeah, maybe it is rare but it is still scarier than hell. I am not crazy about OB now as a seasoned nurse.

I work with a girl who is all "gaa gaa" over getting into nursing school and becoming a L&D nurse. I'm not going to rain on her parade - maybe it will turn out that she loves it.

Just like any profession - if you don't work in it, you probably don't know jack about it.

I'd cut folks some slack. They aren't being obtuse on purpose.

steph

nurse_clown · Feb 20, 2006

ummmm.... i think i remember saying something like that to my friend who works in the special care nursery. i really envied her.

i work in oncology and palliative care. i get to opposite. "boy it must be hard for you to do this job." i don't think it's hard to do my job. administrative decisions makes it hard to do my job most of the time.

my question is, if that's what ppl think, why do they give us such a hard time?? of course we don't move fast enough. we don't do enough. some patients family members interfere and question a lot of what we do and refuse pain meds on the patient's behalf (that's the most annoying thing) "oh WE don't want him over medicated." blah! blah! blah!

nursing sure aint no picnic!!! but when the shift is all done and i'm walking to my car (freaking out for fear of making a mistake) i think about the patients. i'm glad i'm doing this.