What is your biggest nursing pet peeve?

gerinurse10 · Mar 28, 2004

How this ticks me off!!!! I work in an assisted living setting. I've had families stare at me blankly when I ask for some help. Especially if the client has deteriorated quickly. The answer is always NO! that's your job. 24 hour care is not my job. I love what I do but I have no family support. The ones that are involved drive me crazy. If things aren't just right they always use the," I'll just sue you" phrase. So sick of it. Love my seniors but alot of obstacles to taking care of them.

BabyRN2Be · Mar 29, 2004

Even though I'm not a nurse yet, I work in a hospital with OB pts. But hey, I'll give you my pet peeve anyhow.

And my #1 pet peeve is:

Pts who use EMSA (city ambulance) as a taxi service.

We have pts who believe they are in early labor (contracting one every 15 minutes), who have not even called their primary care doctor, call 911 and INSIST on being taken to the hospital by ambulance because they just can't wait for someone to get off work, drive over and take them in.

I know that I'm not in their shoes, but I find this very annoying.

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Mar 29, 2004

Subordinates (non-licensed) who have been around so long and have wanted to be nurses for years, being insubordinate, purposefully challenging my authority, and referring to themselves as nurses to pts.

These people need to stop their jealousy and posing. If they want to be nurses, they need to get the education and license.

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Mar 29, 2004

Years ago, in another city I was working with an NA who felt the entire JOB was beneath him. (According to him, he had been a physician in Zimbabwe but was forced to leave for political reasons and as soon as someone somewhere got over their grudge against people of his race, he'd be a physician again.) Meanwhile, he was employed (and I use that word rather than the word "working") as a nursing assistant. He used to take his vital signs by ESP. But that's another story.
One night I went to empty a urinal in a patient bathroom, but when I went to open the door, a hand inside the bathroom stopped the door, holding it open just far enough for the urinal to slip through. There was my NA, sitting on the patient toilet, masturbating. I was so shocked, I just stood there, speechless. The hand reached out, took the urinal, emptied it and handed it back -- all without missing a stroke. https://allnurses.com/forums/#
https://allnurses.com/forums/#

OMG! I hope you reportd this and that the "aide" was fired!

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Mar 29, 2004

My first thought was "well, isn't he helpful..." You have to admit, it took some coordination.

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Mar 29, 2004

nurses who work without a heart, nurses who work just like a robot... without any feelings at all. i hate that!!

huh what do you mean

NursesRmofun, ASN, RN · Mar 29, 2004

really interesting! Haha. Masturbating NAs? (Canoehead) Coordination is right! LOL. Glad I have never been present for that! And aides that want to be nurses and think they know better...Yes, I have known a few.

grandma rn38 · Mar 29, 2004

nurses that walk out in the middle of their shift, when you are already short hand.

SouthFloridaTrauma · Mar 29, 2004

We have a 25 bed unit that is arranged in a long rectangle of five separate bays all connected by a main hallway. I spend most of my day as the charge nurse traveling back and forth over the unit putting out "fires" and assisting nurses. It has never bothered me to have to walk all over the place, as the charge nurse I assume that I have no central location to be in. I do, however, have one major pet peeve....the other day I was in bed #25 helping the nurses turn a 400 pound burn patient. I had on gloves, a gown, a hat, and a mask. The secretary paged me through the intercom system that I was needed at bed #1, all the way at the opposite end of the unit. I figured it must be somewhat urgent if the nurse asked the secretary to overhead page me, so I removed all the protective equipment and sanitized my hands. I ran up to the front room to see what was happening. That was when the nurse for bed #1 told me that her curtain around her patient's bed was stuck and could I please fix it for her??? Pet peeve summary: bring me solutions, not problems

~Anne~ · Mar 29, 2004

My biggest pet peeve is when your co workers are sitting in the chart room chit chatting , when you are running around like a crazy person and they dont even ask to see if any help might be needed. I am one to always help others if they are "overwhelmed" so it just irks me when no people dont help each other out.

alexlynk · Mar 29, 2004

Sometimes my nerves are tickled when another nurse is not doing anything, but will still come to me and ask me if I can get some patient information booklets straightened out. Oh and that call light thing, I'm really glad I'm not working on a Ward anymore, 'cause that used to drive me off the wall!

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Mar 29, 2004

The nurse who looked RIGHT AT her pt.'s call light going off, then LOOKED to see if I were coming to answer it, then she continued with her CROSSWORD PUZZLE!!!