leia

You truely hit a nerv with this topic.I guess we all had pt/families that behave badly,sometimes I think there must be a flyer at the Main Entrence saying:'Leave your good manners at home , if you have it with you make sure not to use it!' But for real I usually tell them that certain things are not in my job discription , if they think I am rude I let them know where they can file a complain ( most of them never do )and I let them know , as nice as possible , that they are out the line. I simply refused to be used as a doormat for the bad mood of some pt/families,and to tell you the truth I rarely have big problems with pt/families.I understand that everybody has a bad day sometimes ,even me,and I usually brush it of or ask the pts directly if they have a bad day, most of the time they feel and act better if you take 5 min to listen to them and emphesize with them and the rest of the shift goes a lot better.For major insults I talk to the doc and/or my boss to go and talk to the pt/families,because I think there are some things I don't take ( i.e. guys grabbing my butt and making sexist commands,I bet you all know what I am talking about or racist commands )I think the best advise I can give is just think -WHATEVER- and don't get into an arguement it just makes you mad and spoil the rest of your day,some people are just rude! To all the nurses out there-WE ARE DOING A TERRIFIC JOB!