Some people are just plain rude!

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moreoreo

218 Posts

Specializes in School Nursing.
I work night and I constantly hear how lucky I am to do nothing all night because the patients are asleep. All nightshifters know patients never sleep at night!

Night is when the doctors and PT, OT, SW, CM, and family, and dining service (!!) all leave so the patient is alone with nothing but their discomforts, their call light, and their nurse/tech! Day shift is busy too but night nurses like school nurses have an extra need to be independent bc their patients aren't being assessed by 10 other people during their shift!

KKEGS, MSN, RN

723 Posts

Specializes in School Nursing.
I work night and I constantly hear how lucky I am to do nothing all night because the patients are asleep. All nightshifters know patients never sleep at night!

I worked night shift in pediatric home care and NICU for nearly 3 years and heard the same comments. They have no idea. Night shift is when my trached and vented 6 year old is going to get sick, need 6 LPM of O2 and end up in PICU for 6 weeks! Night shift is when my 26 week preemie is going to code, need chest compressions and emergency intubation and the neonatal nurse practitioner and I are going to stand at his bedside for 10 HOURS STRAIGHT trying to save his tiny self. They have no idea. From one (former) night shift nurse to another: I get it.

Flare, ASN, BSN

4,431 Posts

Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

Should have just looked him square in the eyes and said "well, aren't you rude. I happen to be the sole medical professional for XX children which includes knowing off the top of my head their allergies, who has seizures, who is diabetic, who is on which medication, who has which medical concern and which parent just wanted to be called each and every time their little darling comes in my office. I wonder Doctor Fabulous, can you provide your patients with that level of service?":nurse: (you can't see the nurse's little hands clearly but they are making a gesture)

It sounds like you handled it well. I don't think people like that - who actually think that aspirin belongs going to pediatric patients will ever actually get it!

Specializes in Med-surg, school nursing..

Ugh, so frustrating. I probably would've let my temper get the best of me and said something rude back to him.

My dad was in the hospital and told the nurse there "My daughter used to be a nurse." I AM STILL A FREAKING NURSE!!!

He's also said "So if you ever decide to go back the hospital and work will they let you come back as a nurse?" Like, I'm not understanding why you think I am no longer a nurse? I am a school NURSE. NURSE. THE NURSE for 500 kids.

When nurses or doctors as the hospital would ask (when I worked PRN) how I liked it I would say "I absolutely love it!"

Our district has tube feeds, trachs, feeding needs, toileting needs, diabetics, seizures, allergies, asthma, O2 needs, paralyzed kiddos needing hoyers to change, etc., I think sometimes not necessarily stupidity as much as it is lack of education. When I was in school there wasn't a medical need for a nurse, so we didn't have one. As bad as it sounds if kids needed tube feeds or trachs, they didn't come to school. Our diabetics took care of themselves. Most people just don't understand what we do. Of course, you still have your jerks that need to be put in their place.

ruby_jane, BSN, RN

3,142 Posts

Specializes in ICU/community health/school nursing.
Should have just looked him square in the eyes and said "well, aren't you rude.

THIS. RIGHT HERE.

I don't feel like I'm dancing with the Angel of Death near as much here as I did up in the hospital...but there are days when I'm the only thing stopping the district from being in the paper because a kid went south. Hang in there.

momto5RN

149 Posts

Specializes in Sub-Acute, School Nursing, Dialysis.

Former night shift nurse on a sub acute floor!! My very first nursing job ever and it was pure hell!! I could not stand hearing, "oh, you have the easy shift, everyone sleeps!" Or, "so what do you do all night?!" And I was the lone nurse on the floor, caring up to 40 patients. I felt like a fish out of water. Was trained for five days even though I was told I would be given a month. Not only was the paperwork and charting intense as well as cleaning up the messes/unfinished work from previous shifts before mine, I had a whole floor of post-op ortho patients with a lot of co-morbidities. A lot of codes happened at night. And there was only one nurse on each floor so that was a grand total of three nurses and the head supervisor. I had 3 CNAs. A lot of pain medications, PICC lines, gtubes, horrible pressure ulcers, wound vacs and then if someone fell, that was it, the night was ruined!! My friend, the one I mentioned from the neuro floor, also thought that job was nothing! It was hard work! I ended up losing 20 lbs. from constantly being on my feet and from anxiety. I dropped to a very unhealthy weight. I did it for nine months and worked both the school nurse job and subacute on the weekends for four months straight. My only day off was Sunday. People have no clue and should just keep their mouth shut if they have nothing nice or productive to say!

MrNurse(x2), ADN

2,558 Posts

Specializes in IMC, school nursing.

A little secret from a 28 year veteran of hospitals, specialty floor nurses seem so "educated" because doctors have a selfish interest in imparting their knowledge. These nurses, like ICU, CVICU, etc. sit at the doctors feet to be told things to reduce the calls to the doctor. They are no better nurse than you, their knowledge, unlike general floors, is not self learned, it is spoon fed. We fight for almost all knowledge in school nursing. Be proud.

momto5RN

149 Posts

Specializes in Sub-Acute, School Nursing, Dialysis.
A little secret from a 28 year veteran of hospitals, specialty floor nurses seem so "educated" because doctors have a selfish interest in imparting their knowledge. These nurses, like ICU, CVICU, etc. sit at the doctors feet to be told things to reduce the calls to the doctor. They are no better nurse than you, their knowledge, unlike general floors, is not self learned, it is spoon fed. We fight for almost all knowledge in school nursing. Be proud.

Thank you for this!!

Orca, ADN, ASN, RN

2,066 Posts

Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.
There is this arrogance that the only "real" nurses work in hospitals and ICU nurses somehow are up at the top. LTC and others are seen as somehow less. I can testify that hospital nursing is a necessary evil. I do more "real nursing" in school and LTC than I ever did in a very heavy post OHS step down. I was responsible for ADLs - NON- SKILLED nursing care at a hospital, not so at LTC or school nursing. I miss NOTHING of hospital nursing, and I feel no less of a nurse because of it. To use two user names in AN, Beentheredonethat and NOADLs.

I worked on a new hospital adult mental health unit after graduation. Management wanted us to wear dress casual to work so that we would not stand out from the patients. In the beginning, nurses from other floors would make comments in the elevator. One said that we weren't "real nurses" because we didn't wear uniforms. I said, "I will have to let the CNO know that she isn't a real nurse, then." It got quiet in the elevator.

After we bailed them out of jams a few times on their own floors, they developed a lot more respect for us.

Incidentally, I am not a school nurse and I have never been. I was drawn here by a story on the main page a while back, and I have kept returning because you guys have great stories. Having been in a misunderstood specialty myself, I would never pretend to know all that you do. Much respect.

GdBSN, RN

652 Posts

Specializes in School Nurse.

Just a little side note...every time I talk to a hospital or clinic nurse and tell them I am a school nurse, I am bombarded with "I wish I could do that," and then they start asking me a million questions of what it is like. We should all be very proud of what we do to keep kids safe and healthy. Happy Friday!!!

djh123

1,101 Posts

Specializes in LTC, Rehab.

"Consdescending twit" is too nice for that idiot.

TriciaJ, RN

4,328 Posts

Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
:madface::madface::madface:

I hope you were able to say something witty back.

I'm the worst at comebacks. My inlaws insult me every time I see them and I always think of the perfect response...when we are on the way home.

If you can't think up something good on the spot, you can always be ready with this standby: "I'm sure you didn't mean that to sound as insulting as it did."

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