Miserable nurses

Nurses General Nursing

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This is more a vent, because i had a horrible day at the hospital today. As a nursing student I was assigned to one of the nurses at DEU facility. At 7am I introduced myself and let her know I will be working with her. She looked at me, didn't say anything and left. I literally ran after her. She was getting a report when the patient started complaining how everyone gives her different diagnosis and she can't trust anyone. As soon as we stepped outside of the room (night shift nurse, my nurse and I), PCT informed the nurse that patient wants to talk to the head of the hospital. Charged nurse told my nurse to just talk to the patient again and try to calm her. At the same time, the night nurse told me to stay outside of the room while they are talking inside (so that patient doesn't get even more agitated).

I was standing outside of the room when my nurse open the door and screamed at the top of her lungs "why are you just standing there, my patient tripped and almost fell, what's wrong with you. You should help me."

I made sure patient was ok (she didn't fall, she tripped as she was walking and talking to the nurse) and told my clinical instructor to assign me to another nurse. She said "yeah, we had the problem with this nurse before" and she reassigned me.

Towards the end of my shift, I overheard charge nurse talking to the mean nurse. She informed her that medical director complained that she never smile or talk. I was thinking "ok, but screaming on top of her lungs in front of the patient and patient's family at 7am is ok?" I was just buffled that no one cared, it seems like some nurses can act any way they want and professionalism is something some nurses forgot and they still can get away with it.

Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.
I am not saying that I am not taking responsibility, i drew 8 instead of 6 units of insulin (thanks god, my new nurse, checked the dosage and asked "where are you looking, this is 8" I am just saying that I have never made a mistake before with the insulin, but obviously her behavior is affecting others around her.And while we have to learn to not let such things affect us, it would be more important if she learned how to control her ****** attitude and not use busy as an excuse (just as I shouldn't use her behavior for my mistake).

At the end of the day, the only person's thoughts, actions and feelings you have any control over is your own. You can choose whether you allow other peoples crappy behaviour to impact on you

It also helps not to personalise stuff, because so often peoples bad attitudes and crankiness is nothing do to with you, its about stuff they are dealing with in their own life. Doesnt make it right, it is what it is

Signed one of those miserable nurses who just loves to eat student nurses for lunch

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

OP, just to let you know, the unit was quite probably declared "education dedicated" by people who never in their lives saw a live nursing student, much less dealt with one. Then, all nurses there, whether they wanted to teach or not, were just put in front of the fact and left to deal with it as good as they could. Some of them might not like teaching, or might be even unable to teach - still, nobody cares unless a student comes and says something like you did.

I do not condone unprofessional behavior, especially with my extensive experience of abuse by both instructors and colleagues. But, please, recognize the fact: you're about to enter a profession where you are not likely to find someone even fictiously (leaving alone for real) caring for your feelings at any moment - and everybody will blame you for everything. That upset and calling to the high tops patient very well might just be treated by 4 different specialists, each of them, of course, caring for their own part. Why a nurse should be put on chopping block for that, nobody knows, yet she was placed right then and there, upteenth time in a row.

I hope your further experience will be more positive but if something like that happens next time, tell your school instructor that you need 30 min break so you can gather yourself back up. Then get yourself a coffee or something and think about THAT grumpy nurse now left with THAT patient and 4 or 5 more of them, all alone, still blamed for everything, and trying to fix what can be fixed.

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Specializes in Gerontology.
The instructor said they had problems with her before, so... And I had a bad day on Sunday, said some offending things to my bf... he broke up with me. Bad day is not an excuse. Said words/behavior have consequences.

I just don't understand why she still gets students if she has a problem with it. On the other hand, it is DEU, she shouldn't be able to decide what she wants/doesn't want to do. It is part of her job whether she likes it or not. And she is relatively young.. Wonder how she learned nursing skills...

I think it is bad form of your instructor to be bad mouthing a nurse to a student. If she has had problems with this nurse in the past, why does she continue to assign students to her?

I don't know what a DEU is, and if this is a unit you on,y work on by choice? Maybe she is just burnt out by a few bad students

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DEU is a hospital (or a certain floor) where nurses get extra money to have students and teach them.

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Specializes in Mental Health, Gerontology, Palliative.

Do you know this for certain?

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Maybe my instructor had a bad day, maybe she doesn't like dealing having to deal with nurses (on top of 15 students), maybe she has personal issues, maybe she didn't realize she was saying it loud... give her some slack. Same goes for charge nurse who took a mean nurse aside and didn't notice that I was there charting and able to overhear their conversation... But let's just blame everyone else, except the one who started everything, and obviously has a history of being miserable and bitcy.

I think it is bad form of your instructor to be bad mouthing a nurse to a student. If she has had problems with this nurse in the past, why does she continue to assign students to her?

I don't know what a DEU is, and if this is a unit you on,y work on by choice? Maybe she is just burnt out by a few bad students

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Yes, this is my second time on DEU floor.

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Do you know this for certain?

Yes, 100%. I know this because our instructor told us. Plus, the instructor is at her office all the time (most of the time) and has 10-15 students. why so many? Because nurses are the ones who do the teaching. I have been to non-DEU sites. Instructor gets 5-6 students max and she is the one responsible for teaching and supervising - not nurses (but these non- DEU nurses don't get that extra pay).

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Specializes in Travel, Home Health, Med-Surg.

QUOTE: I just said her words and behavior affected me, it affected my motivation for the day (sorry, i am human and don't have a thick skin). I should know better than let it affect me, but... it did.

Did it ever occur to you that maybe she was going through something that affected her...

QUOTE:she made me feel miserable for no good reason. She was rude at 6.55am when I introduced myself

As a student you have no idea what it is like to be a nurse yet. Maybe she was coming on at 0655 from working the day before with adrenaline still going because of multiple issues that she already knew would need to ne taken care of, maybe something happened before you introduced yourself, maybe she just didn't feel well that day, maybe she had boyfriend problems, maybe she could just tell from looking at the patient assignment it was going to be a bad day, maybe she doesn't like or feel comfortable with students (for no or little compensation).....whatever the problem she was having, you (as a student) just made it worse...

Even professional nurses are human too and are affected by others behaviors as well...

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Specializes in Critical Care.
I never said it wasn't my fault, I just said her words and behavior affected me, it affected my motivation for the day (sorry, i am human and don't have a thick skin). I should know better than let it affect me, but... it did. Thanks god, nothing happened (except for maybe a bad evaluation).

And she did get reprimanded but honestly, it was the friendliest reprimand i have ever heard. the charge nurse is very nice and she just told her what medical director mentioned. The mean nurse used that patient as an excuse and then they laughed about something (btw patient complained mostly about the physicians care, because two doctors told her two different diagnosis (patient is aphasic so she probably misunderstood, and she really never talked to the head of the hospital ).

Well you are going to have to develop a thick skin to survive in nursing as you will be dealing with unhappy patients who are at times rude and disrespectful. The nurse lost her cool and took it out on you. I agree that is wrong, but what did you want her to be fired? Also I hate this crap about smiling, do you think a man would ever be told to smile more! That is so sexist and demeaning and disrespectful!

Once you become a nurse you will have plenty of time to deal with unhappy people, agitated, only sometimes of sound mind and then you can show everybody how it's done while smiling and asking if they want tea or coffee. lol

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Well you are going to have to develop a thick skin to survive in nursing as you will be dealing with unhappy patients who are at times rude and disrespectful. The nurse lost her cool and took it out on you. I agree that is wrong, but what did you want her to be fired? Also I hate this crap about smiling, do you think a man would ever be told to smile more! That is so sexist and demeaning and disrespectful!

Once you become a nurse you will have plenty of time to deal with unhappy people, agitated, only sometimes of sound mind and then you can show everybody how it's done while smiling and asking if they want tea or coffee. lol

Honestly, I cant exactly know what that "you never smile or talk was about" but what I observed, she looks like is ready to "kill us all and words can't express her hate for fellow human beings" (not saying this is the reality, just what her face looks like during the entire shift). If I was a medical director, I wouldn't be happy with that either. We have a nurse who seems either anxious, concerned or sad all the time... no one ever said anything to her because she is nice and just shy and soft spoken woman.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
DEU is a hospital (or a certain floor) where nurses get extra money to have students and teach them.

No I highly doubt nurses get more money for teaching students. It is rare to even get a differential when precepting or mentoring new grad nurses to the unit! You may have paid alot of money for tuition to go to school but it is your clinical instructor who is paid to teach you and most likely by the course itself as an adjunct which comes out to less than minimum wage.

I don't like being yelled at either, but you come across as very entitled and judgemental and it won't suit you as a new nurse. My advice is let it go, accept this nurse is human, lost her temper and you were the closest target. If she truly has a pattern of bad behavior it is up to her manager to deal with and your instructor should avoid giving her students. We have many students from many different colleges that rotate thru our unit and not every nurse precepts them. So this could have all been avoided by not assigning her students in the first place, just my opinion.

When you are a nurse you will find yourself in similar situations where someone either coworker or patient or family member is angry, agitated and you will have to deal with it, try to calm them, appease them and still carry out all your duties of the day. Maybe then you will have a little more empathy after facing impossible situations.

I agree she was rude and wrong, but you will encounter these types of situations at work and in real life and have to learn not to let it interfere with your ability to do your job. You can be assertive and speak up for yourself and then let it go. Also you need to learn how to de-escalate situations in nursing for your own sanity and safety as some patients can become violent.

I know this was not your situation, but it is the reality of nursing. Holding grudges and wanting revenge by her being fired is not the answer. You will encounter coworkers and patients you probably won't always like, but you will still have to deal with it and work with them. Empathy and acceptance will go a long way and most importantly don't take things personally as you appear to have done. I'm sure her outburst wasn't personal as she doesn't even know you.

Keep this realization that nursing is a stressful job when dealing with difficult patients or coworkers. Remember it's about them not you and think how can I calm the waters to get thru the day, that's my best advice to you. I can tell your young and idealistic and want to be the best nurse and coworker you can, but I think you would challenge her to duel if this was a few centuries back (tongue in cheek). I hope for your own sake you can let it go and make sure your instructor doesn't assign you to her again. If nothing else see her as an example of who you don't want to be when you are a nurse and be the role model you want for your own students in the future. Good luck to you.

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