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Nurses Relations

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This post is dedicated to all those non-nurse's, pre-nurse's, still-in-school-but-not-yet-clinical-time nursing students, inappropriate families, non-compliant patients, and the public at large.

To all it may concern:

Do NOT tell a nurse that his/her job is easy. It is brutal physical, mental, and emotionally EXHAUSTING work. I have heard you saying that you could do it - just passing pills and then sitting down reading a magazine.

Let me tell you this.

My job is more complex than any job you have or ever will have. I am responsible for people's lives. I am on the top of my game at all times.

Your job is sitting at a desk for 8 hours with a 1 hour lunch break. I have you beat. I have a 12 hour shift with 30 minutes for lunch (if I am lucky).

Why if I am lucky? Let me tell you why - its because I have 6 highly complex cardiac (that means heart) patients that are on the verge of having a major hear attack at any given moment while I am on duty.

No, the doctor is not there telling me what to do. Most of the time, its the NURSES who provide the care and tell the doctors what to do. Nurse's are the one's who see the patient deteroiate and inplement lifesaving interventions before the doctor arrives.

To those angry, ****** off visitors:

Get your hands off your hips. Uncross your arms from your chest. Do not raise your voice to me. Do not give me angry dirty looks from the doorway.

If I have never met you before, why do you assume I know who your infirm relative is? And since I don't know, why do you get a nasty attitude with me?

There is a right way and a wrong way to ask for something. Use manners. "May I and Please" go a long way.

Keep in mind that any threat you make towards me will result in the security department escorting you out, the police will be involved and you will not be able to set foot near me ever again.

Make sure that you clean up after your visit with whomever.

To the world as a whole:

Leave me alone when I am off duty. I do not care in the least about your eczema or your runny nose. I am not going to give you any medical advise other than common sense (tissues, handwashing, make an appointment with your MD). NO, I can't and won't "score" you free narcotics from my work. No, nurse's are not sleeping around with the doctors or having sex on duty. No, male nurses are not all gay. No, we are not angels of mercy. No, nurses are not idiots or handmaidens.

Yes, nursing it a versatile profession - its not limited to hospitals. Yes, nursing is "rewarding" (but most nurses this day and age do not go into it due to altruism alone its split 50/50 with income durablity and altruism).

In summary - there is more to nursing and nurse than you will ever know.

Those who are nurses or know anything about the profession of nursing will understand some of this.

Specializes in OB.
I wondered how long it would take for someone to not get that this was a "vent".

Yeah - I was making bets with myself as to how many posts it would take to run into one of these! It took longer than I expected!

Yeah - I was making bets with myself as to how many posts it would take to run into one of these! It took longer than I expected!

3 pages is pretty good. Although I'm thinking the poster asking how old the op was might have qualified. ;)

Its sad that we can't vent to each other without someone making us feel like we need to find another vocation. I can't vent to my friends or family - they don't get it. Only other nurses can understand the day to day frustration. But would I stop being a nurse just because I occasionally need to vent - heck no. :)

Specializes in Vascular Access Nurse.
I get your point but it seems like you're on a bit of a high nurse. I'm sure many doctors could write a similar post about their crazy experiences. I think it's really insulting the way nurses downplay the importance of doctors. A nurse doesn't just welcome a patient to the hospital and treat them. They wait for the doctor to give them orders, then it is up to them to see how they can implement them and keep track of the status of the patient (yes, I know NPs can function independently). The way some nurses talk you'd think that doctors didn't even exist. And yes, nurses spend much more time with a patient than a doctor does, but that's because that's the nurses' job. People talk as if doctors just don't feel like dropping by to see the patient and the nurse got stuck babysitting. You think the doctor's job is any less crucial than yours?

No, we don't think doctors jobs are any less crucial than ours, but this is ALLNURSES.COM, not alldoctors.com. And we're not "waiting for the doc to give us orders".....we're following an orderset or hospital protocol. Even if we don't have an orderset or protocol to follow.....while we're "waiting for orders" we're also doing our admission patient assessment (which can take over an hour), putting in an IV, dealing with our new pts family members....oh, and taking care of our 4-6 other patients (on a regular nursing floor). Put us in the ICU and we have a whole different set of protocols we follow....so the patient is on oxygen, has 2-3 IVs in, labs drawn, xrays done, wounds assessed and dressed.....you get my drift. I also don't think we're going to wait for doctors orders when our pt is c/o chest pain...we're going to get an EKG stat, put on oxygen, give nitro/baby aspirin, etc (if appropriate...we're ACLS certified...), draw labs and have it all ready when the doc gets there! I think our docs would be pretty darned upset if we sat there and held the pts hand whlle we "waited for orders." Nurses also frequently give our recommendations to the docs...and the docs appreciate it! In my specialty, most docs don't know how we put in a PICC line, or what meds have to be given via central line (other than the obvious), etc so they ask "what would you recommend." Doctors are invaluable, obviously. Most are very happy that they can rely on us to be their eyes and ears. If I'm not using my observation and assessment skills to notice that the pt is crashing and call the doc, there's not much he's going to be able to do. We need doctors.....doctors need nurses. Thank goodness most of the docs I work with would laugh at much of Morpheds post. :devil:

I wondered how long it would take for someone to not get that this was a "vent".

Yes, the OP is venting and frustrated (and probably had a bad day), but most of what he says are things I regularly read here or hear/see first hand. He has a right to vent though and this is probably the best place since it's a group of people that understand what he's saying. I see posts/comments like his a lot though, and this just happened to be the post I commented on.

No, we don't think doctors jobs are any less crucial than ours, but this is ALLNURSES.COM, not alldoctors.com. And we're not "waiting for the doc to give us orders".....we're following an orderset or hospital protocol. Even if we don't have an orderset or protocol to follow.....while we're "waiting for orders" we're also doing our admission patient assessment (which can take over an hour), putting in an IV, dealing with our new pts family members....oh, and taking care of our 4-6 other patients (on a regular nursing floor). Put us in the ICU and we have a whole different set of protocols we follow....so the patient is on oxygen, has 2-3 IVs in, labs drawn, xrays done, wounds assessed and dressed.....you get my drift. I also don't think we're going to wait for doctors orders when our pt is c/o chest pain...we're going to get an EKG stat, put on oxygen, give nitro/baby aspirin, etc (if appropriate...we're ACLS certified...), draw labs and have it all ready when the doc gets there! I think our docs would be pretty darned upset if we sat there and held the pts hand whlle we "waited for orders." Nurses also frequently give our recommendations to the docs...and the docs appreciate it! In my specialty, most docs don't know how we put in a PICC line, or what meds have to be given via central line (other than the obvious), etc so they ask "what would you recommend." Doctors are invaluable, obviously. Most are very happy that they can rely on us to be their eyes and ears. If I'm not using my observation and assessment skills to notice that the pt is crashing and call the doc, there's not much he's going to be able to do. We need doctors.....doctors need nurses. Thank goodness most of the docs I work with would laugh at much of Morpheds post. :devil:

Obviously nurses do certain things without an order from a doctor, but the point is YOU are not the doctor and the doctor has a lot more authority than you. You are not the one diagnosing a patient with cancer, you are not the one that decides how much chemo the patient gets, you are not the one that decides whether or not the patient gets operated on. Yes, YOU are VERY VALUABLE. The knowledge, experience, and advice of a nurse with years of experience is invaluable. (And gee, I didn't know this wasn't alldoctors.com, thanks for pointing that out.) But does that in anyway imply that you are more important to patient care than the doctor is? Or that you have the most important job in the world? Those were all things either stated or implied by the OP. Yeah, the OP was venting, but this is a forum, where people post things and others comment on them. I was commenting.

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i get your point but it seems like you're on a bit of a high nurse. i'm sure many doctors could write a similar post about their crazy experiences. i think it's really insulting the way nurses downplay the importance of doctors. a nurse doesn't just welcome a patient to the hospital and treat them. they wait for the doctor to give them orders, then it is up to them to see how they can implement them and keep track of the status of the patient (yes, i know nps can function independently). the way some nurses talk you'd think that doctors didn't even exist. and yes, nurses spend much more time with a patient than a doctor does, but that's because that's the nurses' job. people talk as if doctors just don't feel like dropping by to see the patient and the nurse got stuck babysitting. you think the doctor's job is any less crucial than yours?

nursing is important, but i wouldn't say that cancer researchers, engineers working to create earthquake-proof buildings, or factory workers working hard to support families have any less of an important job than you do just because they don't work bedside.

last i heard, health care required a team. and that includes housekeeping. who would you be nursing if drug companies didn't make a pill for everything under the sun? if biomedical engineers didn't create state of the art equipment? if housekeeping didn't keep the facilities clean? if that factory worker couldn't afford to come into the hospital.

i agree though, the fact that people think nurses just pass pills all day is pretty annoying. and you seem to be frustrated/burned out/jaded (understatement). i hope you can find something that invigorates you and renews your excitement.

medical student?

Obviously nurses do certain things without an order from a doctor, but the point is YOU are not the doctor and the doctor has a lot more authority than you. You are not the one diagnosing a patient with cancer, you are not the one that decides how much chemo the patient gets, you are not the one that decides whether or not the patient gets operated on. Yes, YOU are VERY VALUABLE. The knowledge, experience, and advice of a nurse with years of experience is invaluable. (And gee, I didn't know this wasn't alldoctors.com, thanks for pointing that out.) But does that in anyway imply that you are more important to patient care than the doctor is? Or that you have the most important job in the world? Those were all things either stated or implied by the OP. Yeah, the OP was venting, but this is a forum, where people post things and others comment on them. I was commenting.

it's obvious the op was stressed and has had either a shift from hell, or a series of shifts from hell.

most of us were witnessing a nurse experiencing a near melt-down.

our image does little to lend credibility that we indeed, frequently avert crises, and are competent, cultivated professionals who are truly, overworked and disrespected.

while we all recognize a dr's value, there are times it is absolutely infuriating that the dr. is recognized as the hero.

maybe if so many didn't treat us like their personal toilets, it wouldn't affect us as much.

and finally, if the op felt the need to augment his self-worth, a gracious listener/reader would have acknowledged this and let him vent away.

(i think now would be an appropriate time to sign off.;))

leslie

I get your point but it seems like you're on a bit of a high nurse. I'm sure many doctors could write a similar post about their crazy experiences. I think it's really insulting the way nurses downplay the importance of doctors. A nurse doesn't just welcome a patient to the hospital and treat them. They wait for the doctor to give them orders, then it is up to them to see how they can implement them and keep track of the status of the patient (yes, I know NPs can function independently). The way some nurses talk you'd think that doctors didn't even exist. And yes, nurses spend much more time with a patient than a doctor does, but that's because that's the nurses' job. People talk as if doctors just don't feel like dropping by to see the patient and the nurse got stuck babysitting. You think the doctor's job is any less crucial than yours?

Nursing is important, but I wouldn't say that cancer researchers, engineers working to create earthquake-proof buildings, or factory workers working hard to support families have any less of an important job than you do just because they don't work bedside.

Last I heard, health care required a team. And that includes housekeeping. Who would you be nursing if drug companies didn't make a pill for everything under the sun? If biomedical engineers didn't create state of the art equipment? If housekeeping didn't keep the facilities clean? If that factory worker couldn't afford to come into the hospital.

I agree though, the fact that people think nurses just pass pills all day is pretty annoying. And you seem to be frustrated/burned out/jaded (understatement). I hope you can find something that invigorates you and renews your excitement.

Bad ettiquette in a vent thread. Bad ettiquette indeed.

Specializes in Emergency Midwifery.

I would like to add that the OP forgot to mention managemet and government funding in their vent. :lol2:

Picture this scene from 2 weeks ago......

Small country ED normally has 2 RN and one EN (LPN) on a weekend shift - well I was running short 1 RN. It was busy until 2000 then the proverbial hit the fan.

SVT comes in and doc wants to treat with amiodarone infusion and magnesium infusion so I am busy setting this up when a DKA walks in and collapses (thankfully on the bed), and then I am setting up an insulin infusion/fluids with K+ the order of which was changed 3 times (grrrr)! The waiting room is full and I am responsible for triage as the LPN is not able to do so and ward staff will NOT come down to help (apart from one lonely midwife - kudos to her) I haven't been able to triage for about 1 hour now.......

Request to management for more staff is denied.

8 day old baby in respiratory distress comes in and requires 1 on 1 care as does the SVT. I am then informed that the DKA is being retrieved to a level 3 hospital (we do not have an ICU).

Oh almost forgot I was also giving IV pain protocol to a patient with severe abdominal pain (and one in the waiting room that I know about but am unable to find a bed to put them on).

I work 2 hours past my alloted shift with no meal break.

The following week I am informed that I need to delegate more to other staff (umm who would you have me delegate to?) oh and my paperwork was not entered into the computer in a timely fashion (errrr sorry??) In short you need to pick up your game......(insert expletive here)!

Frustrating to say the least because this shift is hot on the heels of one exactly the same, except add MVA patient with parts of muscle tissue missing with an open fracture, and an 11wk old baby being retrieved instead.

They dont call me the poo magnet for nothing. :rolleyes:

Ah and I still love my job. :D

Yes, the OP is venting and frustrated (and probably had a bad day), but most of what he says are things I regularly read here or hear/see first hand. He has a right to vent though and this is probably the best place since it's a group of people that understand what he's saying. I see posts/comments like his a lot though, and this just happened to be the post I commented on.

So I take it that you are not even a nurse? (please correct me if I'm wrong)

That would explain a lot.

Specializes in ER.

Patients come to the hospital to receive skilled or intensive nursing care. If they just needed someone to follow directions they would stay in the community. If they just needed TLC they would stay home. Physicians can see patients at appointments, or do outpatient surgeries, no admission needed. The reason the patient stays for days and months on end is for the nursing care that is so critical to their health, and to help assess their condition.

I'm in the ER- if all we did was follow a cookbook there would be some serious survival issues within the first hour. But we still get the conehead that wants to be disconnected from the monitor to go out and smoke saying "the doctor said it was OK." Yeah maybe he did, maybe he didn't, but they are in our care, and our responsibility, so they can't leave. Add on that hospital policy is no smoking on campus, and it's plainly posted. The patient still thinks telling me "the doctor said so" trumps concerns about their safety, hospital policy and written law in our town. THAT'S where my frustration is. No common sense, and no respect for my professional statement, but I'M STILL RESPONSIBLE in their minds if they pass out in the driveway. (Big heavy sigh)

If the doc DID tell them it was fine- and yes, some of them will- it's such a stupid act that I see the problem as being physician ignorance, not disrespect to me. Sometimes even smart people are just DUMB.

Specializes in ER.

Nicky 30

Been there, done that, and got the discipline paperwork to prove it. **** on them.

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