No Respect.

[CardiacDork]

Where did the respect go for nurses and doctors? My nurse friend whom is in her silver years was a nurse many many decades ago and recently has retired.

I was telling her a story of a patient whom I received from the cath lab. The patient arrived as usual from most operational/procedural suites, a hot mess. Lines and tubing everywhere. Bloody sheets and so forth.

Well soemhow the family snuck in with her and it was such a busy night with no tech or secretary so instead of the family being told to wait in the waiting area (while I settled her in) they chose to barge in with the patient and began ordering me on what needed to be done!

I nicely and kindly explained to the daughter what the priorities at the moment were and why, despite my explanations she said

"well the priority right now is getting her (the pt) water and ice".

EYEROLL

Excuse me but that's not the priority and I told her so. I told her that with all due respect I've been doing this for a while and although I understood her mom was thirsty, I had to assess her mom and wait for the fellow to give further instructions.

She finally settled down and stopped talking.

I find this behavior annoying, and families are equally entitled acting and rude to physicians. They do not care that you are an expert and there to care for them. We are not the enemies. We went to school and have experience, and before we can accommodate to your every wish we must ensure your safety.

Anyway, my nurse friend commented how in her early years as a nurse DECADES ago... people respected nurses and doctors more than they do now.

Guess this is just a rant vent. One more reason I want to leave ICU.

Also, I'm so done with the elimination of visitor restricted hours and this new fad in "open visitation".

[Tenebrae, BSN, RN]

While I know the stress of the acute setting and priorities, but this is like the second thread I've read where the communication breakdown involves such a simple task. Just get them their water...

It wasnt the patient wanting water, it was the family demanding it.

[CardiacDork, MSN, RN]

I get what you're saying. I see it all the time. Nurses these days are viewed as personal assistants rather than medical professionals. I was admitting a patient last night and during the assessment, the family member kept interrupting because they were hungry and wanted something to eat. This is what nursing is becoming and the hospitals cater to it because they want/need high patient satisfaction scores which nowadays includes making sure the entire family is satisfied.

Yes. The hardest part is when the family interferes with patient care. Because the patient has still not interfered in their own plan of care. So you have to navigate the plan of care with people making the flow and delivery of care nearly impossible.

When the patient interferes, I learned that my own satisfaction reigns superior to convincing a patient otherwise.

Of course, when the DKA patient wants a sandwich when the gap is still open, and I'm chasimg blood sugars in the 600's I will try my best to educate the patient and identify learning deficits. I do genuinely try. I ask questions and am always open to education.

However if after I've educated you and you persist to refuse or complain about the plan of care, I'll just page the resident to come talk to you.

If you refuse after that, it's all on you and I don't care. You wanna eat donuts with an open gap and in a state of acidosis? Have it ma'am.

[CardiacDork, MSN, RN]

Also, when families are rude and disrespectful it by no means works in their favor.

Staff only enter the room when they must and on hourly rounds. Meds/treatments and silencing alarms.

The truth is that a receptive and open minded family garner much more attention.

Because staff are actually happy to go in there and provide education and compassion ... because they aren't afraid of being yelled at or abused.

[CardiacDork, MSN, RN]

I want to also make it clear that there is a huge distinction between concerned and asking a lot of questions... I know this annoys people sometimes but I handle that.

I can handle the concerned families that ask about what we're doing. That ask even after we've told them twice. That's OK. Explaining myself while I do is a task is a breeze.

Asking me what their lab values were after we have them a replacement of K+ and did a follow up BMP doesn't bug me.

You wanting to know what we're doing for their condition or symptoms doesn't bug me. Even if you ask over and over.

I know you're just worried. You want to know what we're doing. That's okay!

It's the disrespect and demanding this and that. It's the belittling staff. The threats. The rudeness.

And unfortunately there's little we can do. We can't change people. Our strings are the only strings we can play.

We can set ground rules and be a figure of authority and compassion.

Educate educate educate families and patients.

The more I educate the easier my job becomes.

[Rn bsn msn]

Pressure dressing? Sand bag? When/where did you last care for cath patients? Sand bags have not been beat practice for well over a decade. As this patient went straight to ICU, they likely still had the femoral line IN. ICU patients are very different than healthy patients here for a diagnostic Cath going home the same day. I'm glad YOU feel comfortable giving patients water or ice before settling the patient, getting them on the monitor, or even assessing the site, but those of us who care for our patients safety and our licenses are just gonna tell the family to wait in the hall. Incredible

[canoehead, BSN, RN]

Rn BSN msn

You would be surprised how far behind some hospitals are. I worked at a hospital that still had rotating tourniquets for CHF in the crash cart within the last ten years. We never used them, but by God, they were available if needed! If the poster's hospital still uses sand bags, that RN is bound by hospital policy.

[winniewoman9060ret]

I was recently a patient. I brought in a box of candy to pacu and the surgerical floor I was on. People were amazed I thought of them. I got good care. I appreciate them. I respect them. Floor and pacu nursing is hard work. It's even harder knowing you are taking care of a nurse. I didn't tell them. I'm a coworker. I've been at the same facility for 40 years.

[Irish_Mist, BSN, RN]

Pressure dressing? Sand bag? When/where did you last care for cath patients? Sand bags have not been beat practice for well over a decade. As this patient went straight to ICU, they likely still had the femoral line IN. ICU patients are very different than healthy patients here for a diagnostic Cath going home the same day. I'm glad YOU feel comfortable giving patients water or ice before settling the patient, getting them on the monitor, or even assessing the site, but those of us who care for our patients safety and our licenses are just gonna tell the family to wait in the hall. Incredible

THANK YOU!

I am not sure why there is such a disconnect with the request for water and CardiacDork's desire to actually assess the patient FIRST. If this patient came from cath lab to ICU, then clearly this patient is unstable and needs a lot of monitoring. The prudent thing to do is not "like, um, go get some water. it's just water." Assessment first, then water, if indicated. If I had a dollar for every time some clueless family member or visitor insist I give the patient water (who either aspirates everything they swallow, is NPO, etc), I'd be rich. This applies even AFTER having explained the circumstances. I'm honestly surprised that people are actually debating the topic of water even after it has been explained ad nauseum. Why is this even up for debate? Assessment first, water later.

[CaffeinePOQ4HPRN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN]

Based on your post history, you don't seem to be very happy. Maybe it's time to explore something new.

I think it's time to STOP telling nurses with valid observations about the profession (yes, even negative observations/realities) to leave. How the heck else is anything supposed to get better if we don't constructively discuss what's legitimately wrong. Or, even share experiences to help each other learn or cope. Maybe if people didn't react like @ItsThatJenGirl we would have more camaraderie and be stronger as a profession. No wonder bad patient behaviour is escalating with a dismissive attitude like that, which actually enables bad patient behaviour.

Customer satisfaction scoring is a catalyst IMO to the deterioration of respect for nurses and healthcare professionals alike. RN to most patients nowadays means Refreshments and Narcotics, and they know all sorts of tricks to get a dutiful nurse in trouble if said nurse doesn't do cartwheels every time they snap their fingers. For example, for something ridiculous, like... failing to get a patient the daily newspaper. Meanwhile, said nurse was wrist deep in wound care in an isolation room on an understaffed unit and thus unable to fetch a newspaper.

Sometimes the nurse is not the problem”.

[Irish_Mist, BSN, RN]

I think it's time to STOP telling nurses with valid observations about the profession (yes, even negative observations/realities) to leave. How the heck else is anything supposed to get better if we don't constructively discuss what's legitimately wrong. Or, even share experiences to help each other learn or cope. Maybe if people didn't react like @ItsThatJenGirl we would have more camaraderie and be stronger as a profession. No wonder bad patient behaviour is escalating with a dismissive attitude like that, which actually enables bad patient behaviour.

Customer satisfaction scoring is a catalyst IMO to the deterioration of respect for nurses and healthcare professionals alike. RN to most patients nowadays means Refreshments and Narcotics, and they know all sorts of tricks to get a dutiful nurse in trouble if said nurse doesn't do cartwheels every time they snap their fingers. For example, for something ridiculous, like... failing to get a patient the daily newspaper. Meanwhile, said nurse was wrist deep in wound care in an isolation room on an understaffed unit and thus unable to fetch a newspaper.

Sometimes the nurse is not the problem”.

She's not even a nurse yet. She's a student. I'm all for nursing students contributing to all nurses but some of the comments rub me the wrong way at times. Until one has gone to nursing school, taken and passed the nclex and has actually worked as a RN for more than 5 seconds, their advice on how one should feel or what they should do when it comes to the job itself is meaningless to me. I know people will flame me for that but it's how I feel. Until one is in the trenches of patient care as a RN, they won't know.

[CaffeinePOQ4HPRN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN]

She's not even a nurse yet. She's a student. I'm all for nursing students contributing to all nurses but some of the comments rub me the wrong way at times. Until one has gone to nursing school, taken and passed the nclex and has actually worked as a RN for more than 5 seconds, their advice on how one should feel or what they should do when it comes to the job itself is meaningless to me. I know people will flame me for that but it's how I feel. Until one is in the trenches of patient care as a RN, they won't know.

FYI - I've been a Nurse for over 10 years in the hospital, at the bedside in the germy trenches. I've cleaned up so much sh*t literally and figuratively that I'm not about to take it from anyone. COB badges come with time and years experience. So, I know that comment ain't about me

Also, you graduated in 2016 and you're pontificating about nurses earning their stripes. Congratulations on recently graduating and earning your licence, but you haven't been an RN for more than 5 seconds. Take it easy tiger. I think there are some nursing students who can offer unique insights to this forum. I don't consider @ItsThatJenGirl to be one of them. Her comment was pompous and just screamed how green she actually is. If she dares to walk into her clinical placements with that attitude she will deservedly get eaten alive

[Irish_Mist, BSN, RN]

FYI - I've been a Nurse for over 10 years in the hospital, at the bedside in the germy trenches. I've cleaned up so much sh*t literally and figuratively that I'm not about to take it from anyone. COB badges come with time and years experience. So, I know that comment ain't about me

Also, you graduated in 2016 and you're pontificating about nurses earning their stripes. Congratulations on recently graduating and earning your licence, but you haven't been an RN for more than 5 seconds. Take it easy tiger. I think there are some nursing students who can offer unique insights to this forum. I don't consider @ItsThatJenGirl to be one of them. Her comment was pompous and just screamed how green she actually is. If she dares to walk into her clinical placements with that attitude she will deservedly get eaten alive

Of course my comment was not about you. I might be a new nurse but I am still a nurse, nonetheless. I am just a year in as a RN and I worked extremely hard to get to that point. I may not have as much experience as you or others on this board, no. All I'm saying is that I resent it when students lecture RNs about their attitude or venting about a situation. I've "been there" even if it's just for a short amount of time. So have you albeit longer.