Rudeness

[melly]

Why are some nurses so rude to each other? Our ER nurses have a horrible reputation for incivility to the floor nurses. Example-last night I pick up the phone. Someone who didn't identify herself asks if room 215 is clean yet. I answer I don't know. I was going to add that I would go look, but before I can finish my sentence she barks," Go down the hall and check". I told her that I would help but that she would have to lose the attitude. She hangs up on me. This sort of thing happens all the time. Mention ER in our hospital and you get the same reaction, everyone comments on how nasty they are.

Now I know that they are overworked and shortstaffed, but who isn't? Why make a bad situation worse by being rude to each other? We are all nurses, we are all here to care for patients, why foster hostility by continuing with impolite behaviour?

[4XNURSE]

Melly,

Follow the link in my post in the thread:

Taco Bell is hiring

There's no excuse for being rude. I apologize for the times I have been. Sorry! I'm human.

ken :imbar

[night owl]

Everyone has bad days, but melly I'm with you... 4xnurse, apology accepted and thank you for your politeness.

It's sad when each department and facilities lose respect for each other. Let's try to be nice...It's not that difficult.

[lever5]

Dreamers, that's what you are. Frustration seems to come out of mouths or on this site fingers. We all have our bad days, I have said things that I am not proud of. Such as: A very drunk, profusely bleeding man keeps trying to get out of bed. Had vomited at least 1000 cc's of blood, could not leave him to take care of 2 other patients. Family would not stay, NG sucking out more, Dr would not let me do anything to stop it, such as lavage or meds.

I finally blew and said," Are you stupid or something?" upon finding the ng and foley streched farther than it could go without divine intervention. The daughter was standing outside the door. Cut out my tounge and feed it to the crows. Punish me! Floors heard her yelling at me the whold hospital heard her. I guess they figured I was punished enough by the daughter, nothing was said about it by the supervisors. I thought for sure I would lose my job.

[Teshiee]

I know what you mean. I find many reasons nurses are rude is simple! They are stressed out and frustrated. It doesn't excuse the fact that they have the right to take it out on you. Usually depending how nasty they are I simply reply with kindness and say having a bad day! Or just be comical that usually breaks the nasty behavior. I know it is easier than said than done but I have tried it and it does work. Don't take it personal sometimes being rude is contagious you don't have to let it be

[layna]

Yes Tshe!

You are so right. It so easy to allow rudeness to "suck you in". It can be like a ravaging cancer and ruin the morale of a unit. If an employee comes to me complaining about someone being rude to them, I encourage that person to find the "good" in the rude person and to put aside their feelings of hurt to try to uncover the reasons why the person was rude. Maybe the rude person was indeed tired and frustrated. I am not saying that people should put up with bad behavior ever...BUT...they need to refocus themselves and the other person towards productive and positive behavior! Life is hard enough. Look for the good and build on it so much that the bad stuff gets buried.

[fergus51]

I tend to give rudeness right back when I get it, which probably isn't the most constructive way of dealing with it (but it feels sooooooooo good!!!).

I had to laugh. Our ER nurses are not known for their rudeness per se, it's the OR nurses that have the reputation. Other nurses keep telling me there's a reason they only work with people who are unconscious! :)

[judy ann]

I have noticed that most nursing staff are generally very kind and nice to patients and pretty kind and nice to visitors, but look out when they get to the nurses station. Nurses treat each other like pond scum. It is no wonder that so many nurses have volentarily left nursing and never looked back. I'm sorry. Stress, overwork, whatever excuse you have is not enough. When we eat each other it only makes everything that much worse. It is time we all remind ourselves that courtesy is contageous. It is time that we remind the person who is mistreating us that we do not deserve to be treated this way. If this person is another staff person, report them to their superior. They may need help dealing with their stress. And if you feel that you can't deal with this stress, don't be ashamed to ask for help. It is there. Use it.

[micro, RN]

pond scum"

[lisadavis]

i agree with judyann. we treat each other and other departments terrible. i don't care how frustrated, overworked, etc you are there is never any excuse for treating another co-worker like trash. you never know when you might need that person's help. we need to be kinder to each other. we are losing too many nurses to other fields. too often the reason os they felt unappreciated by supervisors and co-workers.

[oramar]

Sometimes it backfires. One day I was only RN on med surg floor. I found out supervisor had told RN on another floor to relieve me so I could go to lunch. I knew they were busy and I was calling to say don't worry about it I had a brown bag with me. Before I could say it the nurse that answered the phone starting hurling insults at me because she did not think she should have to go to another unit to cover. The wierd thing is I totally agree with her. However, I got pissed and made her come down and cover me for 1/2 hour so I could leave the unit to eat. If it would have been me who did not have time to cover a nurse I would have went after the supervisor not the nurse on the unit.

[micro, RN]

Why are we nurses so rude to each other?

1) cause we can

2) cause we are human

3) cause sometimes it is just a bad day and a mispoken word

4) cause some people are more mean than nice

5) cause we are nurses, stressed out, overworked, etc.......

underappreciated.........

6) cause why do we always have the us/them mentality

(you know this unit/that unit, this shift/that shift)

7) cause people are different......and you either embrace those

differences and love, enjoy and grow in the differences and the

similarities of people or it causes you to put up walls, hole

yourself off and be RUDE!!!!!

micro stop at seven this time, cause micro likes 7