What is your biggest nursing pet peeve?

Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · Mar 1, 2005

The loud, intrusive, obnoxious and unrealistic family member who commands, demands and expects all attention and time to his/her significant other/patient without regard to other patients needs or rights (like the room mate) and throws a major tempor tantrum when it doesn't occur johnnie on the spot...especially when that family member is a health care provider him/herself!!! Can I say......Personality Disorder? Yes, I think I can.

KrisRNwannabe · Mar 1, 2005

I am still a student but I have come up with a couple that get me!!

1: CNAs who treat the students like crap. ie hiding BP machine in their patients bathroom, so we can't do ours. also when they spend 20 minutes at the other end of the hallway complaining to another CNA about the students, then ask us to help her with vitals because she is behind.

2: Family who think they are the patients and want the world. or the ones who think they no more than us or the doctors.

3: Nurses who think because students have some of their patients that they can hide for the rest of the day and then when we need them (because our instructor has students on 2 floors) they are no where to found!!

4: This whole customer service/customer is always right crap. HELLO! this is a hospital not walmart!!!

tiroka03, LPN · Mar 1, 2005

My question would be, What is happening for the rest of the time inbetween rounds? My aides do rounds every 2 hours, and of course anwer lights,and check on some people more often. But, a lot of time they are sitting there waiting. If your whole aim is to finish in 10 mkns regardless of what you find out there, something is very wrong. Sounds like you have your priorities right. The facilitie is wrong.

QUOTE=Kitkat23]:angryfire What makes me mad is that I've seen aides cut corners and use shortcuts. As a pool aide, my short week in a nursing home, and my hospital volunteer job, I've seen them throw dirty linens on the floor, do pericare and linen change without gloves, or they use the same gloves for the next patient. They either don't wash their hands or wash them improperly. I've gotten fired last May at a nursing home for not going "fast enough" on third shift. For god's sake, I've only been there a week; that's not giving me a chance. I was still a rookie.

Plus after a few days; I was picking up speed and getting with the system. I was doing my rounds in 20-45 minutes. The time I took 45 minutes was when I had a resident with 4 bouts of diarrhea. I had to clean her 4 times and do 2 total beds on her. She was covered in it and it took awhile. The aide who was training me was always picking on me; saying I was too slow and that rounds are 10-15 minutes. She admitted that she leaves residents who are wet/soiled again for the next round!

She got me fired after a week saying I couldn't pick up and I was too slow. I was just doing my job and the right thing. I wished I brought up my rude trainer to the supervisor. She had made me dumb and uncomfortable, but I didn't say anything because I didn't want to look like a troublemaker or something. Plus the DON said rounds are 10 minutes on grave shift and that was final.

I've heard the stories from aides saying that if they didn't "shortcut", that their rounds would take forever. I hear the best way to gain speed is experience and repetition of quality care, not cutting corners. Cutting corners could hurt a resident, the aide, and cause infections. I think that's a pet peeve and I just want to do the right thing as an aide and when I become a PCT. :angryfire I went to CNA school to give proper care, not neglect patients. :angryfire

Kitkat23 · Mar 2, 2005

Okay, there's something I've never quite understood. I'm gonna look really stupid here, but why can't you throw dirty linens on the floor? I've never done it, because I've been told not to, but, really, what is the harm? (Someone probably told me once, and I've forgotten...)
I'm not sure I've ever done a linen change with gloves, but then, I've never had wet spots that I couldn't avoid. I'll have to think about this. (I'm sorry; I was a paramedic before AIDS and I think the only thing in the ambulance that had gloves was the OB kit--meaning, gloves were extremely rarely used.)
Not to be a troublemaker, but, in a way, I can see the rationale for doing rounds every 10 minutes, and leaving a soiled pt for the "next round". It's a matter of priorities. What is the risk of a pt being soiled for a few more minutes vs. missing someone who has stopped breathing, or has developed respiratory problems, or sudden confusion? Hard choices, to be sure.
NurseFirst

At the facility I worked in, rounds were q2h and I was expected to do them in 10 minutes. I've changed and turned residents that needed it; plus looked in on other patients especially the ones on oxygen. I always made sure they were breathing or had O2 equipment on properly. That aide admitted skipping rooms on the nonincontinent residents saying they're fine and will buzz, but they need to be checked on too.

My instructor always said never to leave dirty linens on the floor because of infection control and always use a bag, plus you have to break your back bending down to pick up the linens. We always use gloves; if the state comes in, you could be fined big time.

LPN1974, LPN · Mar 2, 2005

Okay, there's something I've never quite understood. I'm gonna look really stupid here, but why can't you throw dirty linens on the floor? I've never done it, because I've been told not to, but, really, what is the harm? (Someone probably told me once, and I've forgotten...)
I'm not sure I've ever done a linen change with gloves, but then, I've never had wet spots that I couldn't avoid. I'll have to think about this. (I'm sorry; I was a paramedic before AIDS and I think the only thing in the ambulance that had gloves was the OB kit--meaning, gloves were extremely rarely used.)
Not to be a troublemaker, but, in a way, I can see the rationale for doing rounds every 10 minutes, and leaving a soiled pt for the "next round". It's a matter of priorities. What is the risk of a pt being soiled for a few more minutes vs. missing someone who has stopped breathing, or has developed respiratory problems, or sudden confusion? Hard choices, to be sure.
NurseFirst

Because they can have alot of body fluids on them, mainly poop, pee, maybe blood.

You wouldn't want that contacting the floor, then having to walk on it and go home with your shoes on.

vermonthiker · Mar 2, 2005

My question would be, What is happening for the rest of the time inbetween rounds? My aides do rounds every 2 hours, and of course anwer lights,and check on some people more often. But, a lot of time they are sitting there waiting. If your whole aim is to finish in 10 mkns regardless of what you find out there, something is very wrong. Sounds like you have your priorities right. The facilitie is wrong.
I encountered the same situation as an aide. It was in a residental home for severely disabled children, so none of our pts could push a call button if they wanted to. Some of our aides would rush through rounds/baths so they could take long smoking breaks, do their nails, call their boyfriends, chat with each other, or sit in a pt's room and watch TV the rest of the night. Some of the nurses appreciated those of us aides who didn't cut corners, but other nurses called us pokey. Go figure.

lizzie58 · Mar 3, 2005

the nurse who "finishes" her assignment and does not check with the rest of her team, peers, etc to see if they could use some help.........i'm a nurse educator and this is imprinted into my philosophy when teaching.

lizzie58 · Mar 3, 2005

These young nurses werent raised with the same work ethic I was raised with

young nurses are following what we present to them...ethics never change because the answers are never concrete. show them the ethics you posess by example, and remember "silence is golden"!!!!

soontobe_RN · May 5, 2005

I know this is an old thread but I have to add one thing..... my biggest pet-peeve is people who get into nursing just for the money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can always tell who they are b/c they treat their pts awful and are constantly complaining!!!

Jennifer

RN4NICU, LPN, LVN · May 5, 2005

the nurse who "finishes" her assignment and does not check with the rest of her team, peers, etc to see if they could use some help.........i'm a nurse educator and this is imprinted into my philosophy when teaching.

There are often 2 sides to that one. I set my priorities and budget my time and often wind up with down time here and there. If a colleague really needs some help, I am more than happy to give it if I have time. But, if one of my co-workers has piddled around and let him/herself fall behind, NO I am not going to do my work and his/her work too. I say this because I see nurses that do this - waste time (in any number of ways) and then wind up behind and expecting everyone around them to bail them out.

happthearts · May 5, 2005

the nurse who "finishes" her assignment and does not check with the rest of her team, peers, etc to see if they could use some help.........i'm a nurse educator and this is imprinted into my philosophy when teaching.

Ok I don't have a problem helping my coworkers I come from the old school as well , But If they (the nurse )are sluffing most of the shift visting at the desk while I am breaking my back ,Or When I ask for help they don't help They state I am going to eat my lunch. Or my biggest pet peeve out smoking half the shift .Then they want me to help them I take offence .

There are ceartian Co- workers understand the meaning of Team and others who are just plain lazy and don't do there work then expect you to do it all for them.

I personally was asked to help one shuch primary nurse change a Pt she went to get sheets and I found her out taking a break smoking I stood there for over 10 minutes waiting for her .Tieing up my time when I finally went and got the Pt done myself she didn't even say thanks So when she asked the following day I made sure I was busy with my own Pt's .People should not dump or dis-respect Others by takeing advantage of them over and over.

just my thoughts

BandEmom · May 5, 2005

Having been taught in school to refer to hospital patients as "clients"!