Please dont hate me for saying this...

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN · Aug 29, 2008

incorrectly idealized

The money maker part of your entire post, right there.

"Walk a mile in another man's shoes before you deem yourself qualified to criticize him".

My only advice to you: Make a note of all these 'bad behaviors' that you see in other nurses and when you become a nurse yourself, do your best to not incorporate these behaviors into your practice.

cheers,

Roy (proud and happy to be an ED nurse)

rn-jane · Aug 29, 2008

I've been an Rn for almost 13 years and there are all kinds of nurses in this profession and some are better than others in their care. Working in the er they should know better but unfortunatley laziness can become contagious. They are not only risking their patients care but their license and job and sooner or later it will catch up to them. There are nurses out there that love what they do, are prideful in the care they provide and strive to be the best they can be. This is the nurse you need to look for to help mentor you. Don't lose faith because of some less than professional nurses, we are still working the floors out there.

RN2BENAUSTIN · Aug 29, 2008

I completely understand, and I don't mean to criticize, I am truly curious if there is an aspect about nursing that you almost have to incorporate a lackadaisical attitude. Maybe as a means of self protection, not wanting to "care" to much for someone that is in and out of your life so quickly, does that make any sense?

And, I think everyone that becomes a nurse starts out with the same desire to help others. And then something happens that changes that desire in some nurses (I am not generalizing, I know this is just specific instances that I have observed and not industry wide).

Thank you for your comments.

PetuniaRN · Aug 29, 2008

Don't worry. Once you go through all your clinical experiences you will see where you belong. Apparently it isn't the ER. Now, there will be nurses on every floor that behave how you describe, but some floors are more known for it. I PERSONALLY chose not to go to the ER upon graduation because I felt there was a lack of opportunity and/or desire to do caring interventions. Now, to ME, these were important aspects of the kind of nursing I want to do. Granted, they would probably do more of them if they weren't so busy, but many times I PERSONALLY observed them choosing not to (in more than one ER). There is an amount of separation you will have to do as a nurse to protect yourself from inevitable death or poor outcomes, but if a patient wants an extra pillow--give it to them. If a little girl wants chocolate milk because it is what her mom gives her when she is sick--give it to her. Even if you have to call the cafeteria! Floors that are more known as caring are oncology, peds, some ICU's, hospice, and NICU. May be a little different where you live. Good luck in finding your calling. :nurse:

Roberta88 · Aug 29, 2008

I'm not a nurse yet. But maybe they were spending so much time at the station because they were charting? Who knows about the attitudes though. Maybe they were just having bad nights. Not everyone can separate work and home completely. And then again maybe they just lost the reason they wanted to be nurses.

suzy253, RN · Aug 29, 2008

Perhaps after taking the initial assessment, vitals, etc. they were waiting for further orders from the doc, x-rays, labs, etc.?

Larry77, RN · Aug 29, 2008

If time at the bedside chatting is what your after maybe hospital nursing is not for you? Even when I worked on a busy surgical floor I did not have much "chatting" time...been in ED for a long time and I make the most of the little time I have with patients which is not very long.

It is certainly not my personal habit to do vitals and never check on my patient again because I'm busy chatting in the nurses station. We cannot stay in the room until we are called elsewhere because we have other patients to keep an eye on...the "tooth-ache" we just vitaled and left can wait while I'm watching my other chestpains.

I have had numerous issues in my career with volunteers judging professional's behavior with their short visual observations and each time there was an issue it was a misunderstanding on the volunteers part...please do not judge what you see without knowing the background info!

There are fields out there with a lot of bedside time...look into hospice, home-care, but not in the hospital (especially ED) because we are asked to take care of more and more patients at once while increasing the amount of charting and time consuming policies daily.

Good luck in your endeavors,

Larry

RN2BENAUSTIN · Aug 29, 2008

Thank you to all you of you that has responded.

I like the unpredictability of the ED and to their credit, I think the problem is that there is an obvious need have a large staff for the unexpected, and then of course, there will be slower times and maybe being able to visit with colleagues is a way to unwind from all the stress they encounter. Maybe, I need to look at it from that point, and understand that having those down moments and being able to visit with colleagues is actually making them better Nurses during the higher stress times?

And, yes, I have noticed alot of the sitting around is simply waiting on labs and reports, which is out of their hands. And I am volunteering in a very small ED, not too much trauma comes in. They have all been welcoming and kind to me. So, I am in no way trying to criticize, just searching for my calling and wanting this passion that I have to never go away.

I appreciate this board more than you know, its an awesome place to come to as a nurse to be. You are all very helpful and I appreciate your advice and comments.

sissiesmama, ASN, RN · Aug 29, 2008

I am a pre nursing student and have been fortunate to be able to volunteer in the ER as well as a few shadowing opportunities. I have noticed a lack of care towards patients, most of the nurses are sitting around and talking, even discussing personal information regarding patients. I have seen very flippant attitudes, even towards a women having a miscarriage. NOW, please understand I do not want to offend anyone, I am just curious. Is this something that happens with time, you are just so accustomed to seeing so many patients that you stop wanting to interact with them for longer than needed? I have noticed that after vitals are complete, the nurses just return to the station and never check the patient again. Is that normal protocol? Are there specific fields of nursing, such as ER or Dr. offices where this is found more than other areas? I have wanted to work in the healtcare industry for so long and now I am disappointed with what I am seeing. I want to feel like I can make a difference, care for each patient the same way I would want to be cared for. Am I being naive to think I will never adopt the same attutude? I am truly scared now that I am put so much time and effort into something that I have maybe incorrectly idealized for so long. Thank you in advance for any advice and please understand this is not intended to upset anyone.

RN2BE - Hello - I am glad you show an interest in the ER, and I am sorry that you have seen what you feel to be a flippant attitude among the nursing staff and nurses that don't seem to interact with their patients any more than necessary.

I have been a nurse for almost 17 years, and like you, I did have the chance to be in the ER atmosphere before nursing school, since I was almost sure, even at that time, that I wanted to be an ER nurse.

I do not know anything about your ER, but I do know that in the ER where I work, it seems like every time you turn around, there is more paperwork. It does add up when you add it to taking care of your patients, following up with the MD orders, whether it be the ER doc or one of the admitting MD or a consulting one. You have visitors in and out, some following visiting rules, some not. If you have a patient from the nursing home, you have all their paperwork to wade through, calls from the nsg home to field.

The list can go on and on. My point is that what some people may perceive as indifference may not be just that.

Also, it takes a special kind of person to function in the ER for any amount of time and not let it get to them. Some people perceive it as a jaded or strange sense of humor, ect. But when we as nurses see over and over fetal demise, rapes, child abuse, elder abuse, ect, you have to have some way, whatever way you as a human being are able to deal with all the horrible things that roll through the ER doors.

I'm not attempting to make excuses for anyone. My point is that there might be more to it than what you know. Just my opinion, that's all. One thing, though. Just try to treat your patients the way you would want your family to be treated.

Don't be too quick to judge the staff members there that just because they are not at the bedside of a patient, doesn't mean they aren't caring for them.

Anne, RNC

CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN · Aug 29, 2008

Things will change. We all come out of nusing school with that attitude....

Just becase a nurse is sitting doesn't mean things are not being done. What happened for the other 8 or 12 hrs during that shift?

I'm in LTC...well removed from the ER...during an 8 hr shift I was on my feet non stop (no potty break, no lunch etc) until 10:20pm. At that time..the fires were put out, dressing, meds were done etc. So....I sat down at the nurses station. Yes....I sat down. The other nurse was up there, no pts were in the halls...everyone was in their rooms, IV pumps pumping, feeding pumps a going and the world was great.

A family member comes in to visit (their sleeping parent???) and makes a few comments...."Slow nite? Looks like you had a good one? I wish I could sit down?"

Little did they know......................... After 8 hrs of working, I finally had the time to go to the bathroom, eat a snack, and then had the fun to chart for 1.5 hrs just to CYA with all the stuff that happend that shift.

PICNICRN, BSN, RN · Aug 29, 2008

I remember when I was a student on a PICU clinical I once saw a nurses come to the desk and get her assignment and say "Great... give me the dead kid"(sarcastically) then she sighed and walked away. I was completely shocked! How could a nurse say something like that?

Well, now that I actually am a nurse in the PICU I admit that I have said this to myself on a few occasions.

I have said this about the brain dead child devastated by AVM who is now an organ donor who I will be taking care of until the teams come to take his body to the OR. While I try and support his parents and help them make some sense of what just happened to them.

I have said this about the toddler who drown in the back yard pool, oscillated, with 14 IV pumps attached to him, bloated beyond recognition, with only mild seizure activity on EEG. While I listen to the mother blame herself and tell me she wants to die.

I have said this about the post BMT who now has severe GVHD, multisystem organ failure, hasn't had any urine for 48 hours, who we have to "code" at least 2 times per shift over the past 2 days because the parents are not ready to give up yet.

YES I too have said that awful statement! But PLEASE before you start to judge anyone... you must put yourself in their shoes and experience what they experience everyday! Sometimes it is a form of dealing with the emotional stress of the job. I don't know. But don't be so quick to judge.