"I'm A Good Nurse" Syndrome

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

why is it that everyone seems to believe they're a good nurse despite evidence to the contrary? the nurse who "oozes compassion from every pore" and who has a "calling" thinks she's an excellent nurse even though her patient is bleeding because she didn't understand the relationship between pt/inr and coumadin. the nurse with the awesome skill set and knowledge base will tell you he's the best nurse in the unit and almost everyone else is stupid -- but he's well known for spending his entire shift in the break room while someone else fetches the ice chips and the bedpan.

why is it that nurses who are having difficulty with their co-workers will not entertain the possibility that they've contributed to the difficulties. "i'm a good nurse," they'll say. "alphonse is just picking on me!" or my personal favorite -- complaining about the tired, nasty, fat and ugly old nurses who "ought to just retire and get out of my way" and are only unpleasant to her because they're jealous of her great pulchritude. and veronica, who was fired for gross incompetence insists that she was "fired for no reason" because "they're just out to get me."

nobody thinks they're a bad driver; no one thinks they're a poor nurse. it boggles the mind.

-- ruby, who works with some excellent nurses and some really bad ones and herself falls somewhere in between.

[GHGoonette, BSN, RN]

I believe that regardless of how good we think we are, if we don't acknowledge that there's always room for new information and improvement, we can't call ourselves "good" at whatever it is we do.

As for some of the characters you describe, Ruby, they are to be found in every hospital, in every department, and are probably aware, deep down, of their own shortcomings; they just don't have the courage to face up to them.

[linearthinker, DNP, RN]

Lol Rube. The bar is set so low that even the worst among us have delusions of grandeur. I don't see any hope for improvement until educational and testing standards become much more rigorous. All one can do is shake their head and get on about their business.

[Missy77]

Some nurses are obsessed with that RN title and once they get it feel a sense of entitlement. You can't tell them anything because for some reason two years of nursing school= I know it all. But to be honest nursing school has nothing to do with it their behavior. It was always there RN or not.

[heron, ASN, RN]

As the Quakers say, "Everyone is crazy except thee and me, and thee's a little strange."

It's the Beam in the Eye Syndrome.

[LPNweezy]

You should see my thread about my biggest pet peeve. its pretty much these people right here. Maybe if people could pull their heads out of there, uh, clouds, then they might be able to see that they are just human, like everyone else. and, like every other human in the universe, makes mistakes.

http://allnurses-central.com/general-off-topic/my-biggest-pet-538897.html

i think less ego and more kindness could save the world

[llg, PhD, RN]

Oh, Ruby, I love some of your posts!

And this one is a gem.

It's almost perfect -- just like me!

[exit96]

Just wanna say I like the post...

[annister]

I've come to accept the reality that not everyone (well, anyone) can be perfect like me. Don't bother trying, it just makes you look silly.

[netglow, ASN, RN]

Hate it when people even say that. "I'm a good nurse" what the heck is that?! Sounds very low and childish, similar to a 3 year old who wants something and states, "I'm a good girl", or "I'm a good boy".

[AwayWeGo]

This post reminds me of a particular nurse who always says "I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful job and great co-workers. I love my job." Problem is she is not a team player, ASSIGNS HERSELF easy patients, rarely moves from her chair, gossips incessantly and extremely emotional. When she is asked to do something she acts as if everything is a huge inconvenience to her email and suduko and tries to brush it off onto someone else. Ugh.

[NeedchangeofPace]

"...because they're jealous of her great pulchritude."

great word!!! and no i am not.

mark