What is your biggest nursing pet peeve?

Nurses General Nursing

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Nurses that are brilliant but do not know the difference between contraindication and contradiction! :rotfl:

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm...I wonder why 2 of the 8 pts (as I count) wound up going down hill? Sounds like the nurse screwed herself.

She would never give anyeon ro herself that kind of assignment. Thank Nursing Coodination for that one.

My biggest pet peeve is when a nurse is in a pts room and the pt asks a nurse for some water or to take them off a bedpan, and the nurse goes out of her way to find a CNA to do this task for her. Usually it takes longer to find the aide, then it does to meet the pts request. Come on people think.....its not that hard.

the best way to get a job done is to do it your self....

Specializes in Medical.
*When the phone rings and the caller asks, "How's me dad?" Mmmmmm, well. "Name? Or have you forgotten?"

I am always so tempted to reply "I'm afraid he's dead. Oh, "at their look of shock "isn't your dad Mr Brown? Well, who is he?"

*OMG just thought of one of my WORST: Visitors who let their children run around/lay on the floor/get in the way/interupt/scream/cry/mess about/shout. Teach your child MANNERS please. People who bring baby to see grandad, even if he has a particularly nasty infection. People who bring baby then let it scream loudly for ages, despite the fact it irritates ME, never mind the poor patients who had just had neurosurgery.

I haven't come up with anything to combat the noise factor, except gently suggesting that it might be more appropriate to take the kid outside (rarely has any response but a blank stare). However, in response to the lying/crawling on the floor - I find saying "You might want to pick him/her up: someone just vomited [or was incontinent] there." Parents move damn fast when they need to, and half the time it's not even a lie! :)

Specializes in Critical Care, ER.
My biggest pet peeve is when a nurse is in a pts room and the pt asks a nurse for some water or to take them off a bedpan, and the nurse goes out of her way to find a CNA to do this task for her. Usually it takes longer to find the aide, then it does to meet the pts request. Come on people think.....its not that hard.

the best way to get a job done is to do it your self....

Yeah, that is completely lame. ITA!

Oh - one more... I work in OB, and I just love it when a pt asks for pain med, and when I am about to give it they ask "WILL THIS HURT THE BABY?"

???????????????????

Yes, it's going to kill your baby, that's why we give it to you!!!

Or maybe I should say...

WHAT??!! Your're PREGNANT?? For God's sake why didn't you tell me????? I can't give this to you, it's poison!!!QUOTE]

OMG!! :rotfl: :roll: :chuckle

LOL!!!!!!!:chuckle

I am always so tempted to reply "I'm afraid he's dead. Oh, "at their look of shock "isn't your dad Mr Brown? Well, who is he?"

I haven't come up with anything to combat the noise factor, except gently suggesting that it might be more appropriate to take the kid outside (rarely has any response but a blank stare). However, in response to the lying/crawling on the floor - I find saying "You might want to pick him/her up: someone just vomited [or was incontinent] there." Parents move damn fast when they need to, and half the time it's not even a lie! :)

Docs who round with their hoard of kids on their hips and expect the busy nursing staff to babysit. Found one tyke digging in the red bag garbage!!! For GOD's sake--HAVE SOME SENSE!

my biggest pet peeve is when my family or friends ask me all kinds of medical questions and when i don't know the answer they say "well you're a nurse, you should know!!! " i just reply to them and say.."would you go to a podiatrist for a cardaic problem?" i work pediatrics....if it's not my field i may not know the answer..sorry :rolleyes:

ITA.... that is so funny:rotfl:

To hear"...Demerol only works for me, I'm allergic to Toradol, Talwin, Codeine, and DHE..." or most of all "...so you're a male nurse..." :angryfire To which my reply is always: "No sir, I'm an ER nurse who happens to be male."
I work midnights - my biggest pet peeve is that many of the day nurses don't seem to realize that at 7am we want to GO HOME - immediately if not sooner!! Before they get report they think it is okay to stand around and chit chat about what their kids did last night, get some coffee, show pictures of the baby... It's sad that most of these nurses started out on nights and know what it's like. And it's not just my present hospital, it's been like that everywhere I've worked. Burns my butt!!!

PM nurses who either leave or allow their assistants to leave catheters, dressing changes, insulins, etc for the am shift because they either don't want to wake their patient or just don't want to do it If an order is given at 2400 --don't pass it on to the next day's shift--totally nonprofessional and rude. Also, pm nurses who don't call the docs when a problem comes up during the night and expects the day shift to call him first thing in the morning....and pm nurses who fool around giving report when the am nurse has to get going as quickly as possible since the bulk of the meds, drsgs, procedures, doctors visits with new orders, etc will happen in the am.

My biggest peeve is working short staffed! Since I work mostly weekend shifts it seems that there is always someone either calling in sick or just not showing up at all. This drives me crazy and it just frustrates and stresses the entire team. We have 32 patients on our floor and missing just 1 staff makes a huge difference.

Specializes in ER, ICU, L&D, OR.
My biggest peeve is working short staffed! Since I work mostly weekend shifts it seems that there is always someone either calling in sick or just not showing up at all. This drives me crazy and it just frustrates and stresses the entire team. We have 32 patients on our floor and missing just 1 staff makes a huge difference.

Welcome to the wonderfull world of nursing

ONE of my pet peeves comes from Supervisor's or team leaders. When a staff member is legitimately (?sp... it's 4 am give me a break...lol)) ill and has to take 2-3 days off. You call in and all you hear are grumbles and complaining. As a team leader, they should know who the chronic call ins are and who the rarely call ins are. If they don't ASK THE STAFF... WE ALL KNOW WHO FAKES IT! I have been at my place for nearly a year and recently had to call in for 4 days (per physician orders) and they had a cow each and every night I called in. Not once did I hear, "hope you feel better", "Anything we can do?" What happened to compassion. Yeah, this really makes me want to kick in and help when others (legitimate or otherwise) call in or want to take a vacation!

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