What is your biggest nursing pet peeve?

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Apr 24, 2004

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!

When the weather is good

And Im feeling restless

I have called in to go Golfing

Call it a Mental Health Day

kar212 · Apr 25, 2004

My pet peeve is when patients and visitors expect you to be their waitress and want you to fetch various food items for them from the kitchen.

kar212 · Apr 25, 2004

My pet peeve is when patients and visitors expect you to be their waitress and want you to fetch various food items for them from the kitchen.

leslie :-D · Apr 25, 2004

sometimes i think my standards are ridiculously high so when someone doesn't perform to my level of expectations, i am totally intolerant.

leslie :-D · Apr 25, 2004

sometimes i think my standards are ridiculously high so when someone doesn't perform to my level of expectations, i am totally intolerant.

mattsmom81 · Apr 25, 2004

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.

I don't generally see night nurses 'fooling around' at shift change...as we're tired and ready to go.

Night shift tends not to call docs for nonermergent things, part of the night nurses' role is to decide what can wait. I have family members who demand to speak to doctors at 2 am and I give them the office number for the next day: I do NOT call my doctors for nonermergent things at night period. If its a major problem that's a whole 'nuther ballgame.

I generally offer to place a doc call at 7 am for nonpanic abnormal labs, etc, but we will still get the oncall doc who likely won't know the patient anyway: so day shift will frequently defer to rounds. We have a communication sheet in docs progress notes where I can leave them messages too.

Also if the patient refuses to be woke it is their right, IMO, and this happens. I wouldn't want my meds, bath, dressings, IV's changed at 2 am either. I try hard to get my patients long periods of uninterrupted sleep at night so they can heal: and combine labwork, xrays and vitals to minimize interruptions.

Shift workers frequently lose perspective and its easy to 'blame' the other shift.

mattsmom81 · Apr 25, 2004

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.

I don't generally see night nurses 'fooling around' at shift change...as we're tired and ready to go.

Night shift tends not to call docs for nonermergent things, part of the night nurses' role is to decide what can wait. I have family members who demand to speak to doctors at 2 am and I give them the office number for the next day: I do NOT call my doctors for nonermergent things at night period. If its a major problem that's a whole 'nuther ballgame.

I generally offer to place a doc call at 7 am for nonpanic abnormal labs, etc, but we will still get the oncall doc who likely won't know the patient anyway: so day shift will frequently defer to rounds. We have a communication sheet in docs progress notes where I can leave them messages too.

Also if the patient refuses to be woke it is their right, IMO, and this happens. I wouldn't want my meds, bath, dressings, IV's changed at 2 am either. I try hard to get my patients long periods of uninterrupted sleep at night so they can heal: and combine labwork, xrays and vitals to minimize interruptions.

Shift workers frequently lose perspective and its easy to 'blame' the other shift.

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Apr 25, 2004

good ole shift warring continues evermore

teeituptom, BSN, RN · Apr 25, 2004

good ole shift warring continues evermore

etmx5313 · Apr 28, 2004

Nurse is in room changing out TPN solution, flushing line, etc. CNA comes in room and tells nurse that "Room X needs some morphine." Nurse states, "I can get it here in about 15-20 minutes. I can't just stop this and do it, so please tell Mr. XXX that I can get his wife some morphine after I am finished. If he would like, the LPN can give it IM (res. has PICC line) Approximately 2 minutes later, Mr. XXX enters room where nurse is changing TPN and says, "XXX needs morphine." I wanted to slap him. Literally. I said, "Excuse me, but I am in the middle of a procedure that I cannot simply stop. If you feel XXX is unable to wait for me to finish, the LPN can give her morphine IM. Now please leave the room! GRRRRR Common sense.

nursemjb · Apr 28, 2004

Nurse is in room changing out TPN solution, flushing line, etc. CNA comes in room and tells nurse that "Room X needs some morphine." Nurse states, "I can get it here in about 15-20 minutes. I can't just stop this and do it, so please tell Mr. XXX that I can get his wife some morphine after I am finished. If he would like, the LPN can give it IM (res. has PICC line) Approximately 2 minutes later, Mr. XXX enters room where nurse is changing TPN and says, "XXX needs morphine." I wanted to slap him. Literally. I said, "Excuse me, but I am in the middle of a procedure that I cannot simply stop. If you feel XXX is unable to wait for me to finish, the LPN can give her morphine IM. Now please leave the room! GRRRRR Common sense.

Yes, and I don't like the fact that healthcare professionals are supposed to be perfect, while other professions don't have to be perfect. We aren't allowed to be regular imperfect humans, no way that would be possible.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Apr 28, 2004

Nurses as patients, or their spouses as patients (NOT meaning everyone), who start the i'm-a-nurse-and-i-know-what-the-deal-is. Threatening to call the doctor personally for another prescription (yeah i DARE you to do that...).