Pet Peeves

sjb2005 · Oct 13, 2005

rogramjet-That's describes what actions he took to get into the sickly position that he was in. What was the diagnosis, illness that has put him in this situation is possibly what they were asking.

Nurse-To-Be-Joy · Oct 13, 2005

I'm not a nurse (yet!) but I did work as a "Team Assistant" in a hospital for a while. Part of this job is housekeeping, which I have noticed a lot of peeves about. Here's my 2 cents...

Our job is to clean rooms, pass breakfast, lunch, and dinner trays, transport patients to and from their tests, take patients out to be picked up upon discharge (which can take a half hour), restock the patients' rooms (gloves, linens, etc), clean the nurse's stations (and there are some nurses that never can make the trash can), clean up spills (urine, blood, water, whatever), AND help the nurses and CA's (nurse assistants) with whatever they need, even when it is not a part of our job description (help with baths, weighing larger patients, applying pressure to wounds (because the nurses are too busy to hold it for 10 minutes).

I would have about 16 patients (3-4 nurses and 2 CAs). We got very busy too, so please give these people "lesser than you" a break, because, we have a lot to do too.

And, the nurse who treated us like real people (not just "housekeeping" or someone to take their patients down to CT, MRI, etc) got our attention first. We were always more than happy to come help the nurse who spoke to us like an equal and didn't demand things of us that we were not allowed to do.

Thanks for letting me rant. (And it is nice seeing "the other side.")

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Oct 13, 2005

The "nurses eat their young" phrase. It need buried, permanently.

allnurses Guide · Oct 13, 2005

The "nurses eat their young" phrase. It need buried, permanently.

Agreed! And we did try once . . . . :rolleyes: :)

steph

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Oct 13, 2005

Apparently not hard enough.

I look at this site an average of once-twice a day, and in 10-20 pages, there is at least ONE post or thread with that phrase.

A phrase like that only promotes problems.

pepcidcomplete · Oct 14, 2005

The word:
orientating.
Big pet peeve for me.

big megadittos SMB.....

orientation OR orient, period.

that's it!

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Oct 14, 2005

Everyone saying they have had "this horrible flu", when it is obviously a cold. Annoying when the public does it, but really annoying when medical professionals do it. Ok, I think I will hide now so no one can find me and smack me! :rolleyes:

Cheyenne RN,BSHS · Oct 14, 2005

most hospital administrators look at nurses who do advocate as a problem employee and are treated as such. we can be disciplined for unprofession/abusive conduct and having a visitor file a compaint against us can put our license in jeopardy. what constitutes unprofesional and abuse conduct at times can be how the situation is interpreted.

i would love to see administration that supports and respects and d-e-f-e-n-d-s their nurses and staff.

administration seems to support a-n-y- complaint against a nurse or staff member no matter what the reason. i have seen oriented x 3 patients, family members, and visitors verbally abuse staff, threaten them, physically assault them, and make racial slurs. then they will have the nerve to demand that the nurse be written up and fired.

i have seen the administrative staff secretively empathize with a victimized staff member, but i have yet to see them ever, in over 20 plus years, put their foot down and tell a family member/visitor or patient that nurses and staff members will be treated with dignity and respect or else find another place to have their care.

administration often acts like they are scared to death they will loose a dollar. usually these type of patients and families cannot be satisfied and complain about their care from a to z so why not send them to the facilty they want.

nurses are human beings, and we have the same right to be treated with dignity and respect, just like everyone else. we should not have to be abused, or be expected to put up with abuse, just because we have punched a time clock and slipped into scrubs and have a nursing license.

if no one has the right to curse you or lay hands on you or assault you on a public street down town, what changes once you put on a uniform?

:flamesonb :flamesonb

CrunchRN, ADN, RN · Oct 14, 2005

You are so right Fire - I change mine to what you said so beautifully.

DusktilDawn · Oct 14, 2005

most hospital administrators look at nurses who do advocate as a problem employee and are treated as such. we can be disciplined for unprofession/abusive conduct and having a visitor file a compaint against us can put our license in jeopardy. what constitutes unprofesional and abuse conduct at times can be how the situation is interpreted.
i would love to see administration that supports and respects and d-e-f-e-n-d-s their nurses and staff.

administration seems to support a-n-y- complaint against a nurse or staff member no matter what the reason. i have seen oriented x 3 patients, family members, and visitors verbally abuse staff, threaten them, physically assault them, and make racial slurs. then they will have the nerve to demand that the nurse be written up and fired.

i have seen the administrative staff secretively empathize with a victimized staff member, but i have yet to see them ever, in over 20 plus years, put their foot down and tell a family member/visitor or patient that nurses and staff members will be treated with dignity and respect or else find another place to have their care.

administration often acts like they are scared to death they will loose a dollar. usually these type of patients and families cannot be satisfied and complain about their care from a to z so why not send them to the facilty they want.

nurses are human beings, and we have the same right to be treated with dignity and respect, just like everyone else. we should not have to be abused, or be expected to put up with abuse, just because we have punched a time clock and slipped into scrubs and have a nursing license.

if no one has the right to curse you or lay hands on you or assault you on a public street down town, what changes once you put on a uniform?
:flamesonb :flamesonb

the problem is bigger than our employees fire wolf, it starts with the misconception that tolerating abuse is part of the job. that misconception is perpetuated by our employers. it is then further compounded by the trend for customer satisfaction.

TexasPediRN · Oct 14, 2005

Nice topic!

I apologize in advance to those ER nurses who dont do this! (not all hospitals have incompetent people!)

I worked on a Peds/Med Surg floor. Our biggest pet peeve was when we got kids from the ER, the IV was *always* in the AC. Thats a pain, but we can deal.

However, when you have stuck a child 8 times in the ER before calling Peds, that kills me! I just want to scream!!:angryfire :angryfire :angryfire

My other Pet Peeve with Peds IV's is how they are wrapped when we get them to the floor. Now, in order to assess the site, I actually need to see it. Nothing like having to rewrap an IV and causing a kid more trauma since there is an entire roll of tape stuck to the kids arm.

I always wanted to call the ER and be like ' ok, wrapping a kids IV with Kling or an ACE bandage- pointless!! Expecially when the armboard is 1 foot longer then the kids arm, and goes all the way up to their armpit!!" Ugh. :nono:

My last Pet Peeve with Peds IV's is that this hospital doesnt use the same tubing all over! So, to switch a kids IV from a drip over to the pump, I have to undo the entire IV and change the tubing. Poor child, its tramatic!

I'm so glad I vented about that, its always bothering me, even though I stopped working in that hospital its always ticked me off! (fiance's job tranfer, not by choice!)

Wow..im better now!

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"To the world you may just be one person; to one person, you may just be the world"

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unknown99, BSN, RN · Oct 14, 2005

I cannot stand someone who uses racial slurs!!!