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 Geriatrics.

Co-Workers who place complaints against you when they have Never worked with you or on your shift!

Supervisors who believe the above co-workers with out checking the facts & write you up for them.

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Patient family members who keep little detailed notebooks about every drug, every food, every treatment that goes on with their loved one while in the hospital. I mean -- if this doesn't just scare you as a nurse, I don't know what else would.

This doesn't scare me, and I am actually glad when I have an involved family. I know, some of them can be quite helicopter-ish, but they have a right to know what's going on with their loved one, and they have the time and interest to watch out for that person. As long as they are not accusing me of not doing my job, and as long as they don't try to "play doctor (or nurse)", I have no problem with family members keeping notes. I look at them as another pair of eyes or ears, watching out for the patient. Also, it can be very helpful for the treating MD to have detailed information about what went on in the hospital, once the patient is discharged. What bothers me is the patients who have *no one* come in to visit them or call about them. That is sad.

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One more I want to add:

If you don't want to be a nurse, CNA/PSA, EN, Doctor, whatever, do not come to work and constantly complain & whinge about it all shift-long,for every day I work with u, in my ear, plus tell me repeatedly how much u hate ur job & how much u hate the patients. No-one, I repeat, NO-ONE is stopping you from getting out there, or on the internet and finding another job in ur own time. We haven't forced u 2 be a nurse when u hate it. We haven't shackled ur legs up so u can't walk far. Although the biggest complaint is the 7 day-in-a-row shifts with only one day off inbetween, no-one is stopping u from going to the NM/NUM & changing ur roster. Start using ur initiative & actually think about things, instead of just complaining 24/7. Get off ur butt and DO SOMETHING about ur situation, instead of just expecting other people to either fit around ur needs, or 'fix' ur 'predicament'.

U can almost see the negative energy radiating from these people (in any job, not just nursing).

I hate it!

This is supposed to be a discussion about "WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST NURSING PET PEEVE?" People come in to all nurses to also vent, although we love our jobs, we are not perfect, especially in nursing.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
one more i want to add:

if you don't want to be a nurse, cna/psa, en, doctor, whatever, do not come to work and constantly complain & whinge about it all shift-long,for every day i work with u, in my ear, plus tell me repeatedly how much u hate ur job & how much u hate the patients. no-one, i repeat, no-one is stopping you from getting out there, or on the internet and finding another job in ur own time. we haven't forced u 2 be a nurse when u hate it. we haven't shackled ur legs up so u can't walk far. although the biggest complaint is the 7 day-in-a-row shifts with only one day off inbetween, no-one is stopping u from going to the nm/num & changing ur roster. start using ur initiative & actually think about things, instead of just complaining 24/7. get off ur butt and do something about ur situation, instead of just expecting other people to either fit around ur needs, or 'fix' ur 'predicament'.

u can almost see the negative energy radiating from these people (in any job, not just nursing).

i hate it!

two of my pet peeves:

people who come on a professional forum and write in "text speak." if you can write out "predicament", "radiating" and "shackled", why can't you write out "you", "your" or "to"?

people who step on a vent thread by telling anyone who is venting what an awful person/nurse/colleague they are.

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

I notice that these old nurses are really the ones doing most of the back stabbing too.

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Ruby Vee wrote:

4) Families who want to know how "Uncle Jimmy" is doing, become incensed when I quote HIPAA laws to them, and then claim they don't know how to get in touch with the patient's family to as them how he's doing. (Excuse me, but if you don't know how to get in touch with "Uncle Jimmy's" family, perhaps you don't know him well enough to be visiting him in ICU.)

Good one! I also get *internally* crazy with families who have several members who do not speak to each other -OR- they want to make sure you aren't talking out of two sides of your mouth, so you have to rehash the answers to questions with each family member that comes in (Of course, this is when the patient okays it...HIPPA, HIPPA, HIPPA!) When I can and it is appropriate, I refer them to the doc...which is a lot!

The minute I hear this, I straight out say (to the pt) "Give me a spokesperson, They and only they wil be given information, everyone else will be referred to them." I don't have the time or will to deal with crazy people, or family dramas.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

Ok, it's a small issue but...... its phenerGAN not phenerGRAN!!!!!!!!!

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The person who always "forgets" to brings a black pen with them to work. :mad:. They ask if you can "lend them a pen" and then they "forget" to return it.:mad:

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Specializes in ACHPN.

Pet Peeves: patients who think they can get "better" care because they know

judge so and so or some other community celebrity, JCAHO--I swear they live to make floor nurses' lives impossible, when 5 family members call the nurse and ask the same questions, dietary aides who drop off meal trays and don't put them near the patient, doctors who think I am their personal secretary.......it goes on and on.

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I am a new nurse....still in training. So I have very few pet peeves to speak of, but I really dislike when nurses are burnt out and always complaining how much they hate their job. I don't want to hear it or be around it. I prefer to keep my rose colored glasses a bit longer. Thank you. =)

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Specializes in CVICU, Obs/Gyn, Derm, NICU.

Nurses without basic manners and class

I have noticed so many of our interpersonal issues relate to a lack of basic social skills including a lack of awareness of nuance and subtlety.

Our worst offenders are shocking ...and I'm so over being PC about it.

My workplace doesn't deal with it ....because it's 'social' and they are too afraid.

I am frankly tired of working with some RN's who have no idea how to get along pleasantly with their coworkers - and I'm tired of looking at their poor presentation (dirty hair, bras and undies showing, ill fitting uniforms )

Get some class !!!!!

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1. My pet peeve....paper charting! It is 2011 people, I live in Houston, TX, home of the largest med center IN THE WORLD....and I have no computer access...wth?

2. Families of other patients that interrupt me when I am paper charting to help their spouse with whatever..OMG! Use your dang call light. I seriously need 11.5 minutes to get one of these finished, and you are seriously increasing my time management.

3. Lazy people. Example: lady is passing food trays, she walks out of the room and says, that pt has stuff all over the table. I go in....A PAIR OF GLASSES! OMG! Are you freaking kidding me? So i say to her "Those glasses are really heavy, huh?

4. Stooooopid forms! There have been 2 new forms added in 7 months. GRRRRR. Do we really need to sign off our IV pumps at the end of every shift? Really? What is the point of this?

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