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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And, in surgery--people who should know better--the retractor is called a WEITLANER, people!!! :angryfire

W-E-I-T-L-A-N-E-R!!!!]

There is no D!!!!! It is NOT pronounced "WHEAT-LAN-DER."

I know I have made this point before, but it bears repeating.....some folks never learn!!!!! :uhoh3:

LOL Stevieray! I've been out of the OR for awhile, and am honestly considering going back. Thanks for the heads up! I guess saying "wheatie" is inappropriate also? :chuckle

Thanks though, things like that bug me, so I will definately remember this one.

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Lazy RN who uses the "he's not my patient" excuse while I'm in the middle of admitting an involuntary commitment and said RN is cutting articles out of the newspaper.

Chicken-s$$t, cowardly RN who hides out in the med room when things start to get a little tense.

Cold, uncaring RN who, rather than spend 5 minutes talking with a patient, yells "get back to your room NOW or you'll get a shot".

Stupid, lazy, inept RN who tries to get psych techs to administer meds or treatments because said tech has "rapport" with the patient.

Insubordinate, lazy, cowardly RN who disobeys a direct order from the MD because he "didn't want to start an argument" with a combative patient.

Ignorant, superstitious RN who covers the computer monitor with paper so the computer can't see him.

OCD, fuss-budget RN who covers the desk with newspaper so he can work on a sterile surface, swabs down every flat surface with alcohol so he doesn't get "other people's germs", and puts on gloves to give P.O. meds. :angryfire

This is one and the same person. And our director wonders why he can't get anybody to work with the bozo. This same director, prior to becoming The Boss, was working one night, along with me and the above-described "nurse". We had a severely psychotic patient go off, big time. While I was calling the cops and EMS, our cowardly coworker had locked himself in the med room, where it took him 20 minutes to draw up I.M. Haldol, Cogentin, and Ativan. The patient knocked out 4 of a cop's teeth and tried to take a header out of a second story window (before he finally got maced), while I was trying to heard 10 confused and frightened patients back to their rooms. :angryfire

And this fool STILL has a job! :angryfire

Sounds to me like he's the one in need of four point restraints, a room and some Haldol. lol

It also sounds as though he is placing you in danger.

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!. Coming in to work 11 to 7 and finding all 4 aides from 3 to 11 in the cafeteria, particapating in various activities, while the hall is lit up like a Christmas tree, no ice has been passed, and worst of all no HS snacks. They all proceed to tell you how they haven't had time to do any of that. They did however have time to polish nails, do crossword puzzles and braid each others hair. This is ongoing and not an isolated incident.

2. Having 46 residents that are supposed to all have the same rights, but because one family screams and rants law suit the loudest we are supposed to stop what ever we are doing to answer their families call light for the thirteenth time in one hour. This was per administration.

I could go on and on. :angryfire

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Specializes in Me Surge.
nurse thatwill not answer a call light and just let it continue to beep, even if you look at them an say hey that is your room they say yeah i know s/he is always on the light i will get it in a little bit. which i will go answer, i usually just go answer them anyway but if that nurse is sitting there jabbering or even doing paper work , i guess i am old school but i still think pts come first!

my pet peeve: i go answer a call light for another nurse, find out what the patient needs, and inform that nurse while she stands at the desk; "mr jones needs pain meds" and that nurse has the audacity to be mad because i didn't go give the narcotic to her patient. hey, i got a blanket, fluffed their pillow. turned the heat up or down, etc. but unless that nurse is busy, and tells me "please medicate my patient" ; i'll just report it and let that nurse handle it. it also bothers me when you do answer a light, or attned to another nurses patient and they don't bother to say thank you. its two words, its not that hard.

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as a non-smoker, I'd have to say: the other nurses taking a smoking break every hour or two.

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Assignments that are unfair based on who the charge nurse likes the best...let's give all of the patients who are pretty self sufficient, have few meds and are going home tomorrow to the nurse that is dating my son and give all of the total care, total lift, incontinent patients with a boat load of treatments and meds to the nurse who is on her fourth night in a row...sigh.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

The Prostrate Gland.

This is how the circulator reads the consent form (yet even the PATIENT knows how to spell the word ON the consent paper). I have yet to see a prostrate gland removed, yet, i've seen a few prosTATE glands removed.

This same nurse insists that it's O2 STAT, not O2 sat. When i hear "O2 Stat", i think "Get their O2 reading NOW!!!"

In other words, people who insist they are right until they're blue in the face, yet it takes a flip of the page in Taber's to prove them wrong.

(and they still swear they're right. Only thing that can be done is hope that the same mistakes aren't made when it comes to drugs.)

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as a non-smoker, I'd have to say: the other nurses taking a smoking break every hour or two.

Especially when one has very sick patients and they ask you to watch theirs while they go smoke.

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1. Taking care of a pt who ended up an organ donor only to come in to work the next day to have the post op kidney transplant. Of course he's old with a million medical conditions and noncompliant. Not to mention whining about how much pain he's in! I'm thinking, "someone just died and you ended up with a gift of life from them. Shut up!" 2. Docs in the ICU who order a propofol gtt but no pain meds!

3. Docs who refuse to let us titrate mso4 gtts on pts who are made comfort care only. Are they afraid we might let them die peacefully?

4. Paging the priest on call, only to have him return your call 3 hours later and give you attitude. " Do they really need me to come in?" ARE YOU KIDDING ME??

5. When the offgoing nurse tells you, "Oh, this pt is soooo cute! You're gonna love her!" 2hrs later she's pulling out her IVs and swearing at you!

6. Mothers of teenage trauma pts. Perhaps if you smothered your baby with this much affection at home little Johnny wouldn't have gotten behind the wheel after leaving the keg party!!

7. The dreaded , yet anticipated phone call stating, "I'm his baby's mama. Tell me how he is!". Only to receive the same call 30 min later from a different baby's mama!

8. If the pt has been sh_ _ _ ing all night long, please hold the am colace!

9. Nasty ETT tapes

10. Just returning from CT scan of the abd ordered by surgeons only to find Neurosurgery at your bedside ordering a head CT! UGH!!! Don't worry, it's no big deal to bring the vented pt and his 8 iv pumps back downstairs!

11. Drawing a CBC after 3 sticks only to have the Dr. write, "please add pt/ptt".

Ok I guess that's enough for now!!

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Wait! 1 more! Having a coworker ask you to help turn their pt and they're not even ready when you get there!

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Especially when one has very sick patients and they ask you to watch theirs while they go smoke.

And they gave them a big dose of sorbitol about 30 minutes earlier.

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Specializes in Psychiatric, Home Health, Geriatrics.
My biggest nursing pet peeve is supervisor/manager types who haven't worked the floor in years, and who won't pitch in and help when things get crazy. :angryfire

These are inevitably the same ones who get all snarky about overtime when we can't finish everything and get out on time. :stone

...and the administrators who like to give the impression that they know it all; when called on it their favorite thing to say is "But I'm not a nurse - I can't do that, I don't have a license" :angryfire

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