Sometimes I have a hard time NOT being judgmental..

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Especially toward the parents. Everyone once in a while I need someone to remind me that others have issues that may prevent them from being the best parent they can be. I understand that a parent may have other children at home that need their attention or they do not have transportation to come see their baby that may die, and they may take really good care of their kids. But what I can't wrap my head around, is that same parent who doesn't call all day long to check on their baby's status. And yes, the parents have a phone. I am having a very, very hard time reasoning this type of behavior.

I understand that I will have to come to terms with this type of behavior all of the time when I graduate and work in pediatrics. I'm learning, so bear with me. Help me rationalize this...:crying2:

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Denial is not a river in Egypt. Calling and hearing about their child's progressive decline may be too much, so if they do not call to hear the bad news, then maybe there can be 'hope'.

Sometimes it is too painful to be reminded of their child's condition. Countless reasons exist. Being judgmental is a CHOICE. You can make the choice to not judge and remain neutral.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

At the end of the day you have to remember that it's your job to provide great care to the kiddo. The parents have no bearing on you doing that. It can be. A scary stressful time for them and everyone handles it different. Maybe they are afraid of what they might find out if they call, maybe they are trying to keep distracted to keep from losing it. Maybe they are at work and can't afford to miss time or they can't pay for their child's medical bills or maybe they aren't allowed to make calls from work. Maybe they have. Called and you just. Weren't aware of it. Maybe they are just crappy parents that can't be bothered by their children's

problems. It doesn't matter though. As long as you are giving good care to the child and there is no suspected abuse going on. It's easy to be judgmental, it's human nature. How you handle that judgment and let it effect you is what truly matters.

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

Sorry for the poor formatting and grammar. My iPad, I am convinced, loathes me.

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Calling and hearing about their child's progressive decline may be too much, so if they do not call to hear the bad news, then maybe there can be 'hope'.

Sometimes it is too painful to be reminded of their child's condition. Countless reasons exist. Being judgmental is a CHOICE. You can make the choice to not judge and remain neutral.

Yeah, I thought that too. I also considered that maybe the parent does not fully understand their child's condition.

You're right, being judgmental is a choice. Sometimes I need to settle my emotions so my logical side can work its magic. New experiences bring conjure up all sorts of emotions.

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You can't just turn off being judgemental. Don't worry about it. As long as you don't act you're fine to think what you want. Nurse or not, the more you work around people the more you'll come to think that many of them are crazy or not in line with your standards for humanity. It's typical. I believe that's why public service jobs experience so much burn out.

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Boy, judgement is something I work on so much! I replied to a post here a while back about how this person was being judged at work and she was getting comments that she always looked angry. I still cringe at my reply and I am ashamed that I was so vocal in my own judgement of her post. I think it is a reflection of how harshly I judge myself and have been really working on judgement of others and myself. We will never know why parents act in that regard to their kids. Until we have walked a mile in their shoes, we can't say how we would act. Depression and stress impact people and they act in ways they probably wouldn't if everything were great. Not to excuse it but sometimes people go into protective mode just to survive. Anyway, the fact that you realize you are judgmental means you can work on and improve in that area. Good luck!

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Everyone is judgemental about certain things to a certain degree. I think that people who think they aren't judgemental do not express their judgements verbally. You have to learn how to put those emotions aside and give the patient and parent the same standard of care that you give everyone else. You can't help what you think but you can help how you act.

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Specializes in CVICU, CCU, MICU.

I have had patients parents that if I was anywhere out of work I would be very judgmental and have a few choice words with. I just try to provide the best care to a patient as possible regardless of parental involvement. Unfortently you see meet some people that should not breed but I try to not think about it. I cant change the reason why they are in my unit but I can do everything in my power to help them while they are in it.

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Specializes in Hospital Education Coordinator.

don't think of it as judgment. Think of it as assessment. Is there anything you can do about the issue? Suggest they talk to a healthcare or other professional ? Can you try therapeutic communication? If you are trying to help, great. Otherwise, we are all human and judge others sometimes. Se la vi

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