I am a somewhat new nurse who got into nursing to help people. I love people, have always been a people person, and have always reached out to those in need. I feel terrible saying this, but I am getting to where I don't like people at all. I do have some patients who are really great, but I don't have time for them do to the obnoxious ones who hit the call bell every 15 minutes. And of course even though you know who it is, and what it is because you have dealt with it 12 hours a night for the last two nights you have to drop what your doing (even helping the quiet ones in need). If you don't then you will get in trouble from management for not answer your call lights within a timely manner. You get the folks who call for their narcs every 15 minutes even though you just gave them 20 minutes before, and aren't due them again for 3 1/2 hours, but you have to go in each time they call (right skippy now) because if you don't the light will escalate to a manger who feels pain is an emergency right after ABC, and you didn't respond. It doesn't matter that you haven't been able to care for the other 6 patients they have entrusted to your care, and there is absoultly nothing you can do but say its still not time which is would remember, but he is on Metodone, PCA Dilaudid, Lyrica, Norco 10's and screaming for more.
And woe is me they might complain. I am feel like I am a waitress, but instead of drinks I bring narcotics. The only difference is people would be arrested for treating a waitress for the way its acceptable to treat a nurse. Then you have the snooty horrible awful patients who feel they have checked into the Ritz for the weekend. They want their pillow fluffed, their apple sauce warmed, their feetsies tucked in. One women wanted to send me out to the whole foods store for her specialty brand of peanut butter. The fact that you have a post op who really is in need of care pales in comparison to the fact that they want lemon in their water.
And then their are the drama queens (usually young women, but occasionally women in their 30's 40's). They generally are surrounded by family 24/7. They call you in every 10 minutes because their head hurts, their tummy hurts, their feet are tingly, they feel constipated etc etc etc. Each call their is panic in their voice, and when you get to the room the family is gathered around the death bed, the tone is emergent, and Scarlet requires immediate assistance for whatever ails her. I can't believe it when someone has elective surgery (they chose to do it) and then they call me in and act amazed that whatever they had surgery on hurts. Even if common sense fails you I would think that would have been part of the Drs pre surgical education...it will hurt, and even with the best pain meds there will still be come pain.
And then you have the folks who call you in stating their pain is a 10 while laughing with family, eating ice cream, and complaining that the blankets are too thin. Really if your pain was a 10 you wouldn't give a rats behind about the blankets, would not be eating ice cream, and you certainly would be sincerely laughing and smiling like the day is long.
And management what is wrong with management. Really???? How can they be so far removed from reality? They have to know all of this is going on. Didn't they used to be nurses or at least work in some clinical capacity?
I really am starting to dislike people. This X-mas I didn't volunteer, didn't donate, didn't do anything. When I used to walk by a homeless man on the street I would give him a $ and want to do more. I would reach out, volunteer, and had a soft heart. Now it doesn't bother me at all. Is nursing making me a horrible person?
I found your post a bit difficult to read as some sentences didn't follow on well or make a lot of sense, so I hope I understood it all correctly.
There are some patients I have hated with a vengeance, I suppose we all feel like that occasionally.
Anyway, u have to realise this is all part of the job, as it is in many other jobs. U will probably have to toughen up a little and develop strategies for these types of patients. U can be firm but not rude, and you MUST set boundaries for the ones who are manipulating ur time. For example u can give them their pain killers, say 'I will be back in 30 minutes to check u to see if it has worked'. Also explain what they can & can't have within specific time periods. I take the medication chart to their room with me and explain it that way. If they're not happy with what is written up, it then becomes the Dr's problem. I don't drop everything to run to call bells either - if I'm in the middle of doing a medication, it can be dangerous as u can make mistakes. Believe me if something is really urgent, the patient will not take their finger off that bell, or they will be yelling the place down! Sometimes patients also have dementia or memory problems and keep ringing the bell or yelling cos they get confused as well.
U have to develop thick skin. I tell patients they are not the only person I have to care for - that I have 6 other people who need help, 5 post op patients with 15 min obs, whatever. Then they usually calm down a little.
It's all about good time management & being and acting like ur in charge - and that takes time and experience.[/quote
Actually its kinda funny because I have gotten two complaints and one of them the lady stated I told her "I had more important patients to take care of". What I said was I am going to go assess my other patients while you decide what you want to do". I was told by management that I am NEVER supposed to say I have other patients even in the sense that I used the phrase. In addition, I was told that I must always answer the call light immediately or call a supervisor to respond to it. Because 9 times out of 10 the patient is calling for pain meds, and pain is right after ABC. I agree with you that mistakes can and are made when you are interrupted during meds. Or worse yet one night I had a patient with contact precautions who had a J-tube that he took all meds/feedings through. This thing was a geyser, and bubble out the top every time you took your thumb off it to insert a new syringe. My gloved hands would get so slimy, and wet. My phone rang that a person was hitting the call bell. Well I am gowned, gloved, I have one hand on a syringe full of meds, and another is holding the tubing. Both hands are slimy, and have stomach contents all over them. I can't very well reach under my gown and into my pocket for my phone. And I refused to stop mid feed/med, take off my gloved, gown, wash out, take all my stuff from the room, use the hand gel, and answer my phone only to have to go back in to finish.
I'm not a nurse yet, but I do work at a hospital. I understand the types of people you are talking about, I've come across them as well (patients & visitors.) However, there are those moments with those special people who really do make you feel special. For some, it's just a simple thank you, for others, they bring cookies or cards. For some people, I've seen them come in in such distress, and after talking to them a bit, and giving them some time, they have calmed down and are actually enjoying themselves. I find that these moments, when you KNOW you have made a positive impact on sometime, really make those horrible moments seem like they are so far in the past. You do also kind of adjust yourself to not hold onto these things that bother you. Yes, you also need to be firm. You can't allow people to walk over you. And you cannot allow these bad encounters to change your heart. Yes, there are crappy people out there and sometimes we may never know why they act the way they do. But there are people who appreciate your help. And sometimes that "Thank you" is just a simple smile on their face. You have to hold these moments close to your heart and let go of the negative ones.
I would also ask management how they would have reacted in your situation.
I too experienced these feelings when I first entered the nursing field. As time progressed I noticed I simply could not sympathize/empathize with these patients and no longer desired to care for them when there was another patient on my assignment that truly needed me. When you no longer care to care for this population maybe you should consider changing things up. I went from med-surg to LTC and have never been happier. The people I care for now have lived thier lives and now need me to make their last days happy and comfortable. Im able to form relationships with them and can ensure all thier needs are met (mostly). Just something to consider:)
what I dont get is why management doesn't want us to let pts know we are caring for someone else- this burns my britches and makes me so angry. seriously- they want them to think that they are THE only one I am caring for? no wonder the general public doesnt give a crap about anyone else. And we are being told to perpetuate it. burns my butt. Op i see why you would feel the way you do. :-(
You get the folks who call for their narcs every 15 minutes even though you just gave them 20 minutes before, and aren't due them again for 3 1/2 hours, but you have to go in each time they call (right skippy now) because if you don't the light will escalate to a manger who feels pain is an emergency right after ABC, and you didn't respond. It doesn't matter that you haven't been able to care for the other 6 patients they have entrusted to your care, and there is absoultly nothing you can do but say its still not time which is would remember, but he is on Metodone, PCA Dilaudid, Lyrica, Norco 10's and screaming for more.
Coolpeach, I feel your pain!! I could never work med-surg and have a narc seeker, like you describe, plus 6 other patients. I work in ICU and having just one of them drives me nuts!! As others have stated, you've got to set limits, though it's not as easy as it sounds . . . for example, one delightful narc seeker that I tried to care for, having received all the pain meds ordered, claiming to have "infinity pain" when I asked him to rate his pain, starts screaming at me, using foul language, etc . . . I gave him my "this behavior is unacceptable" speech and walked away . . . then to get my attention, since I was ignoring his ranting and raving, his water pitcher, pillow, TV remote and blanket come flying out of the room, one at a time, of course . . . fortunately, just as he came out of the room, presumably to "get" me, reinforcements arrived . . . he left AMA but wouldn't sign anything!! Good riddance!! Where I work, these types are only 20% . . . 80% are cooperative, appreciative and good people!!
Hi. I so appreciate your seasoned comments. You wrote that "...patients and nurses have changed..." and I believe that you are telling it like it is. I am a retired nurse and toward the end of my working years I also noticed some less than positive changes in the expectations of patients, student nurses, and working nurses---there seemed to be a gradual shift from the altruistic care approach which was special to me toward seemingly profit oriented approaches such as the patient is a "customer", the student is a "customer", and working nurses ought to be paid mega bucks. New nurses seem to be shocked when I tell them true stories of working in the 60's and 70's when nursing salaries were much lower and when patients seemed to express more heart felt appreciation for good nursing care. Best wishes!
I did most of my med surg early on in my clinicals as a student, and as such sort of followed the RN around. I didn't see how things really were through the eyes of a nurse. At the end of my clinical experience I was in the ER, and did my internship there. It wasn't what I thought it would be because you were either getting patients who were really ill, injured etc, and your main goal was get them breathing, keep them breathing, and get them somewhere else. Or you were getting patients who had a sore throat, runny nose etc, and your goal was get them out NOW so we can use this room for someone who isn't breathing. Either way I felt I was missing patient care. It was rare to get to care for the patient for more than a couple of hours. Sometimes they were never even awake, or so drugged they didn't even know you were there in that short time.
In the ER we often has people who complained. There were drunk people, drugged up people, beaten up people, criminals brought in with handcuffs, scared people, hurt people, and often times just ****** off people. It reminded me of the saying if you feel well enough to complain you shouldn't be here. We didn't want people to complain, but often it was a fact of life. We looked at who complained and often it couldn't be helped.
In med surg it seems it doesn't matter as much who. I was going along being friendly, yet assertive. I felt as long as I was ethical, safe, polite etc that I would be ok. Now I am afraid that its more about making the patient happy. Obviously I wouldn't be unsafe, or risk my license, but honestly I think if you get a lot of complaints then you might not be there long. And as people learn that they can complain and get free stuff (gift certificates, fee flowers, gifts from the gift shop, money off their bill, and other perks) then they will do what pays. Heck, if you find out you can get a couple hundred off your bills, a $25 gift certificate to Target, a beautiful arrangement of flowers, a free dinner with dessert for you AND your guest, and music therapy will come play in your room just for you....it makes a little complaining well worth it.
Reading this thread made my day today... I am a new nurse myself and I can feel your frustrations as well, you are not alone. Its good to hear from seasoned nurses on their take regarding your feelings. Sometimes all we need is someone to share our frustrations and understand where we're coming from.
coolpeach
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