What is your biggest nursing pet peeve?

Alikat9 · Feb 24, 2011

I'm a new nurse so this is so mundain and stupid, but...How freakin' hard is it to zero out a scale when you walk away from it?...:rotfl::rotfl:

glutton4punishment · Feb 24, 2011

night nurses that get ****** when you ask them to do ANYTHING that you missed. "oh, I'm sorry. That order was written at 1815 and I just saw it. Would you mind giving it to them with THE OTHER MEDS YOU ARE ALREADY GIVING THEM!"

pedicurn, LPN, RN · Feb 24, 2011

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 !!!!!

Just so some of you don't think I'm a some kind of snob .....

An example of the sort of behaviour that annoys me ; yesterday I transported a patient to an ortho floor and this is how it went..

I arrive on the floor with the p't and cheerfully say to the two RN's and aide who arrive in the room to receive the p't - ' Hi guys'

... no response, I am ignored.

So after about 3o seconds I try again - ' How are you all today' ....still no response from either RN but by now the aide replies with a smile and 'I'm good thanks'

The p't had already been handed over. So I just help transfer the p't from gurney to floor bed.

All completed ... I say ' Well thanks guys' ( still cheerfully) .... still no response from the RN's and a nice smile from the aide.

This is the sort of ignorance I'm so over

CRNI(R) · Feb 28, 2011

My biggest peeve is a manager who has never worked doing what they are managing. Another peeve is a nurse or anyone who does not know their limitations. Another peeve is anyone who is led by their ego. Another is anyone who treats patients like cattle. I could go on and on... :crying2:

Poi Dog · Feb 28, 2011

..my coworkers.

Sue Damonas, BSN · Feb 28, 2011

My biggest peeve is a manager who has never worked doing what they are managing.

I second that!!!!! :yeah:

steelydanfan · Mar 1, 2011

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?

Hah! You will be sorry you ever said what you did about paper charting! Computer charting, in most cases is a nurse's worst nightmare!

Southern Magnolia · Mar 1, 2011

Ok I'm not a nurse yet but here's my biggest pet peeve from the other side of the hospital bed so to speak . . .

I had just delivered my 2nd pregnancy - b/g twins. Our girl had anencephaly ( which we knew since the 1 st trimester). Anyway, I'm sitting in the hospital bed holding my daughter and nursing my son - knowing full well that my daughter will die at some point but trying to live in that moment-one of the few moments where I was the mother of twins, trying my best to take care of both of my babies - and the nurses walk in and ask if my son has peed, if my son has pooped, if my son has nursed and how long. No one asked how my daughter was doing, if we were able to get any milk in her, if she had peed or pooped. HELLO, I just had TWO babies. I know you're uncomfortable and scared I'm going to fall apart but think how you'd want your child treated. She was not a monster - very beautiful even with her hat off which it wasn't often.

In the same regard . . . the hospital assigned pediatrician walks in while my daughter is deteriorating and we thought she was about to pass . . . We assumed the nurses sent for him and started updating him on our daughter . . . He strides to our son in the bassinet and tells us, "no I'm not here for her. I'm here for the healthy baby." He actually wanted me to divert my attention from my daughter to my son when we really thought my daughter was about to die.

Don't get me wrong - I knew my daughter's prognosis and the reality of the situation and what it meant and i know the medical establishment's view on anencephalics. Regardless of the medical establishments view that I should have aborted her and the fact that she wouldn't survive - she was my child and a human being and was not treated that way by most of the nurses and doctors.

By the way, she was not on life support but we were able to feed her with a habberman bottle . . . She lived 33 days and died in her sleep- at home on my chest.

picurn10 · Mar 1, 2011

Selfish parents :mad:

Parents who have preferences for nurses based on personality, not competency, and throw fits when they don't get assigned their favorites. We aren't waitresses whose section you can request! in my unit assignments are based on acuity and experience. Just because you like Sally, doesn't mean they are going to reasigned nurses for a whole unit so you can have her. I'm sorry, but your chit chat with the nurse isn't as important as your baby having a nurse who can head off a major problem. That should be your priority.

The guy who asks for ice cream WHILE is critically ill child is vomiting. At least pretend you give a crap about your child and that his wellbeing is more important than your sweet tooth.

I HATE the customer service junk. I waited tables and was in customer service for years. I was appalled that my hospital now shows the exact same video on customer service to new hires that I was shown for year in the restaurant industry. Again, we aren't waitresses. If hospitals focused on providing quality, compassionate care their customer service scores would improve.

carolmaccas66, BSN, RN · Mar 4, 2011

Ok I'm not a nurse yet but here's my biggest pet peeve from the other side of the hospital bed so to speak . . .
I had just delivered my 2nd pregnancy - b/g twins. Our girl had anencephaly ( which we knew since the 1 st trimester). Anyway, I'm sitting in the hospital bed holding my daughter and nursing my son - knowing full well that my daughter will die at some point but trying to live in that moment-one of the few moments where I was the mother of twins, trying my best to take care of both of my babies - and the nurses walk in and ask if my son has peed, if my son has pooped, if my son has nursed and how long. No one asked how my daughter was doing, if we were able to get any milk in her, if she had peed or pooped. HELLO, I just had TWO babies. I know you're uncomfortable and scared I'm going to fall apart but think how you'd want your child treated. She was not a monster - very beautiful even with her hat off which it wasn't often.
In the same regard . . . the hospital assigned pediatrician walks in while my daughter is deteriorating and we thought she was about to pass . . . We assumed the nurses sent for him and started updating him on our daughter . . . He strides to our son in the bassinet and tells us, "no I'm not here for her. I'm here for the healthy baby." He actually wanted me to divert my attention from my daughter to my son when we really thought my daughter was about to die.
Don't get me wrong - I knew my daughter's prognosis and the reality of the situation and what it meant and i know the medical establishment's view on anencephalics. Regardless of the medical establishments view that I should have aborted her and the fact that she wouldn't survive - she was my child and a human being and was not treated that way by most of the nurses and doctors.
By the way, she was not on life support but we were able to feed her with a habberman bottle . . . She lived 33 days and died in her sleep- at home on my chest.

I'm so sorry to hear you were treated like this. How awful for you. Your story made me very sad that people would treat another human being like this, and brought tears to my eyes. I hope you are better now and your beautiful daughter is resting in peace. I hope you do not think we are all like that either.

rn undisclosed name · Mar 4, 2011

I'm sure I could think of plenty, but, then this would be a pretty long post. So, I'll keep it to just a few.

Docs who don't like to return pages until you've paged them 3x. I guess they figure with the 3rd page you're not going to give up. I've even had residents say to me how do you get him to call you. He never calls us back. Completely unprofessional if you ask me.

Families who stand at the nurses station or interrupting you when giving report because their family member wants a glass of water and then gets ****** when you tell them you will get that when you are done with report. There is a call light in the room for a reason.

Patients who are NPO, have an NG tube in, and family/friends are in the room eating in front of them. Sure these patients want to get back to eating and get that ******* ng tube out. Not to mention eating an orange which is so fragrant. I just think that is extremely rude.

MouseMichelle · Mar 4, 2011

The prior shift not cleaning off their med carts and not restocking the water, applesauce, or hipro, leaving the trash on the med carts so full I have to end up cleaning them out with water...that's my BIGGEST PET PEEVE. Also when I give advice to AM nurses for say for example "I really think you guys should get a wander alarm on this patient" and being told that I'm being silly, then come to find out that that same day the patient did in fact escape the facility......

Michelle