Pet Peeves

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What is your pet peeve? With everything a nurse has to deal with in a day, the one thing that gets on my nerves is someone who takes the garbage bag out of the can but doesn't replace the liner. It makes me psycho. How bizarre is that?

Specializes in Geriatric (LTC & SNF).

I agree with that. It is soooo annoying!! I also hate when the trash bags that are in a roll aren't separated when they are put in the can. It makes for a mess when you have a full trash bag and you have to rip it off the roll and it rips a hole in the bottom of the bag!!

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The nurse who habitually shows up late for their shift, wants a lengthy detailed report on every patient even if they had them the day before, then answers a personal call or their cell phone in the middle of report when you're trying give them report and go home.

Then he/she makes you sit there and wait while they argue with their spouse or child on the phone over petty personal crap.

As if that conversation couldn't have waited 15 minutes until I finished giving report.

Then when you return the following morning/night, they give you the rushed "everybody's ok" report because they absolutely need to leave right now to go pick up their child from school/daycare or spouse from work.

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You sound like a very caring and compassionate person. Those are great qualities to have. You are absolutely right being an aide is much more than just emptying bedpans all day. I am sure you earn the love and respect you deserve from your patients and their families. As well, I am sure you probably show that same love and respect to your patients. Don't let those who "look down" on you bother you, they are obviously not in the same profession and they have no idea how important you are to those who cannot do things for themselves. Don't let their ignorance be a pet peeve, for they have no clue to the extent of your job. Continue to be proud of yourself and the job you do, there are not enough aides who share your attitude for your job. Best of luck to you.

My pet peeve is how certain people look down at me for being a CNA and working in LTC. They said that all I do is wipe peoples' asses and empty bedpans and it's a gross job. They don't look at it as being a caregiver and caring for people who can't care for themselves anymore. Somebody has to do it. I like my job and except for my few snotty friends, I'm appreciated by a lot of people mosty my residents and their families.

I'm thinking about nursing school and I'm taking the PCT program (Patient Care Technician) at the community college and the clinical will be at the hospital. I'm very excited, I needed at least 3 months experience as an aide in LTC. But I'm proud to be an aide. It's an honest and noble profession; the first step in the nursing field. :D

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Someone else had mentioned this earlier, when a family member comes up to the nurses station to ask or calls on the phone to ask "How is my mother doing?" Well, lets there are many women here who are mothers, exactly which one are you talking about?

Doctors who leave the patients chart on the desk with stat orders they have just written (instead of putting in the rack by the computer so that it can be noticed) and then wondering why what they ordered has not been done yet! OOOOOOOH that really burns my backside!!!

When you fax orders to pharmacy (is only one number and one pharmacy) and two hours later you have to call them to ask where the med is and they say, well we never got the fax! (It happens at least once a shift!)

When central supply doesn't know what an ace bandage is!

When you stop after work at a gas station and the cashier asks "Are you a nurse?" I answer "Yes" and she then goes into detail about her health problems and asks what you think she should do about it!!! Duh, if she is that concerned about it she should see her doctor!! Which is what I politely told her to do.

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Doctors who leave the patients chart on the desk with stat orders they have just written (instead of putting in the rack by the computer so that it can be noticed) and then wondering why what they ordered has not been done yet! OOOOOOOH that really burns my backside!!!

Or they start writing orders at 1600 and time it for 1600. But while writing these stat orders, they answer their pages, chat with other docs at the nurse's station, thumb through the chart to see what the consults wrote, look at labs, radiology reports, etc. then they carefully place the chart in the rack at 1750.

Then at 1800 you walk by and he points to the chart and says:

"Didn't you see those stat orders I wrote 2 hours ago? Why haven't they been started?"

You need to actually let go of the @$#%!! chart if you expect me to see what you've written. Or at least tell me.

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First, amen to "orientating". This is not a word, and everytime I hear it I just want to scream! Second, ditto on patients/family members treating us like yesterday's bad leftovers. I have had patients belch in my face, pass flatus in my face, step on me, try to bite me....family members who don't understand why it is not appropriate for them to sleep in the bed with the patient! I have had coworkers come out of rooms, close to tears, because the patient (who is totally coherent, by the way) did not want and "Oriental" nurse. We have a young man on the floor right now who told us he did not want and "Asian" nurses, he did not want any "old" nurses; what he DID want was a young, attractive, experienced nurse.

Other things that truly annoy me are just the simple, blatant examples of laziness: two nurses sitting at the nurses' station, talking, while a call light is ringing and ringing and ringing....and I am the phone with a physician.

Patients being given Milk of Mag at ten thirty at night.

The PM shift nurse coming back while I am getting report at 11:05 and telling me that the patient in room 38 would like his meds at 11:30, then proceeding to sit down and play on the computer for the rest of her shift.

Orders that were written at 7:30 in the morning that still have not been taken off the chart at 11:15 PM.

IV tubing with no "change by" stickers.

Physicians who come it to do a dressing change and proceed to dump all of their used materials on the floor--when there is a trash can three feet away.

First year residents who ask US what we should be doing for the fluid-overloaded patient, and then ask us how much lasix to give them.

First year residents who act as if they are God's Gift To The Planet, and treat nurses as glorified housekeepers.

Housekeeping staff who take two hours to show up--or who never show up at all--after you've paged them for a "stat" room cleanup.

NEVER FINDING ANY SMALL GLOVES IN ANY OF THE PATIENTS' ROOMS. There are always three boxes of mediums, however....

Okay, I think I'm done

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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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Thank you for this bothering you. I was stuck four or five times when I was five. I am now 18 and i STILL REMEMBER IT. I remember it because it was a horrible experience. The only thing was that it was a childrens hospital so...:rolleyes:

By the way...I understand that you need to practice, just practice on adults not children.

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Specializes in ICU,ER.
The word:

orientating.

Big pet peeve for me.

That has always been a HUGE pet peeve of mine....but I seem to recall another thread on this BB where members from Great Britain and Canada said that the word orienTATE is indeed proper and used there.

(just between us, it still grates on my nerves to hear it):)

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatric, Behavioral Health.
Doctors who leave the patients chart on the desk with stat orders they have just written (instead of putting in the rack by the computer so that it can be noticed) and then wondering why what they ordered has not been done yet! OOOOOOOH that really burns my backside!!!

Oh yeah, can relate to that.

The PM shift nurse coming back while I am getting report at 11:05 and telling me that the patient in room 38 would like his meds at 11:30, then proceeding to sit down and play on the computer for the rest of her shift.

Hey burns me too. It happens on previous shifts too during shift change. Day shift slows down to a creepy crawl sometimes 1 hour before they clock out sometimes. A few abuse this more. Nothing worse than walking in, not punched in yet, and the outgoing nurse is immediately in my face and wants to give verbal report NOW, or "your surgery is going to come soon and PACU is on the phone...could you take it?"...and what are you going to be doing for the next 30-45 minutes is what I ask myself...Jeeze. Hey, let me clock in and check my assignment first. Give me the common courtesy to settle in...like you get when you come in at 7 am. Also, seeing the chart rack full of orders completed by the secretary and to be taken off, and several day shift nurses ganged around the table gossiping about the latest or just waiting to punch out...like 1/2 hr from now is your clock out time...feel free to pick up a chart..Jeeze again.

Housekeeping staff who take two hours to show up--or who never show up at all--after you've paged them for a "stat" room cleanup.

Hmmm..stat and house keeping cleaning a room?...what is that?...just joking....happens frequently as I am trying to coordinate incoming post ops and ER admits. Very frustrating at times.

Hey, I think we all work at the same hospital...just different floors or departments.

Keep the peace.

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Oh yeah, can relate to that.

Hey burns me too. It happens on previous shifts too during shift change. Day shift slows down to a creepy crawl sometimes 1 hour before they clock out sometimes. A few abuse this more. Nothing worse than walking in, not punched in yet, and the outgoing nurse is immediately in my face and wants to give verbal report NOW, or "your surgery is going to come soon and PACU is on the phone...could you take it?"...and what are you going to be doing for the next 30-45 minutes is what I ask myself...Jeeze. Hey, let me clock in and check my assignment first. Give me the common courtesy to settle in...like you get when you come in at 7 am. Also, seeing the chart rack full of orders completed by the secretary and to be taken off, and several day shift nurses ganged around the table gossiping about the latest or just waiting to punch out...like 1/2 hr from now is your clock out time...feel free to pick up a chart..Jeeze again.

Hmmm..stat and house keeping cleaning a room?...what is that?...just joking....happens frequently as I am trying to coordinate incoming post ops and ER admits. Very frustrating at times.

Hey, I think we all work at the same hospital...just different floors or departments.

Keep the peace.

Another night shifter I see.

That has always been a HUGE pet peeve of mine....but I seem to recall another thread on this BB where members from Great Britain and Canada said that the word orienTATE is indeed proper and used there.

(just between us, it still grates on my nerves to hear it):)

Vive le difference:roll :roll th_smileyCANADA.gif:D :D

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Geriatric, Behavioral Health.

Actually, 3-11...as evidenced by my post.

Actually, I've worked some nights. We even make coffee for them. Information is practically laid in their lap on a golden pillow, ready, and available to start their day off.

What does 3-11 get?...a filthy table in the break room and an empty pot of Joe. Information is partially given, orders stacked in the racks to be taken off, kardexes to be found, and at least 2 hours of completing what was left off to our shift. Can be very frustrating at times, especially when you see a chosen few day shifters sitting at the desk, whittling their time, gabbing. It is happening less frequently now since we have a permanent charge nurse on days. But, when it happens....boy, it burns me and the 3-11 crew.

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Worked all tours for years and am now settled on 1900-0700. I noticed each shift seems to have complaints about the others, the truth is each shift will have it's own issues specifically because it is day shift or evening shift or night shift.

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